Raj Kapoor: Some Notable and Interesting Facts
Raj Kapoor was a renowned Bollywood actor, director, and producer. Inspired by Nehruvian socialism, he paved a new path for Hindi cinema through his early films, infusing love stories with a captivating essence. Many filmmakers followed his trailblazing style. He began his acting career at the tender age of 10 in 1935 with the film "Inquilab." Some of his notable films include "Shree 420," "Sangam," "Awaara," "Anari," and "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai." He also directed several hit films like "Bobby," "Ram Teri Ganga Maili," and "Prem Rog." He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987.
Interesting Facts:
He was honored with 11 Filmfare trophies, 3 National Awards, the Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, among other accolades. Raj Kapoor, Vaijayantimala, and lyricist Shailendra collaborated on several hit films, including "Awaara" (1951), "Anhooni" (1952), "Aah" (1953), "Shree 420" (1955), "Jaagte Raho" (1956), "Chori Chori" (1956), "Anari" (1959), "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai" (1960), "Chhalia" (1960), and "Dil Hi To Hai" (1963), among others.
In 1930, his father, Prithviraj Kapoor, moved to Mumbai to begin his acting career, performing in various stage shows and leading a group of 80 people on tours across India. In 1931, Raj Kapoor's brother, Dev Kapoor, died of pneumonia, and later that year, another brother passed away after consuming poisoned pills scattered in a garden.
He started his acting career as a "clap boy" with the renowned Hindi film director Kidar Sharma. An incident involved Raj Kapoor accidentally catching Kidar Sharma wearing a fake beard, leading to Sharma slapping him. In his early days, he aspired to become a music director.
In 1948, at the age of 24, Raj Kapoor established "RK Films" and directed the film "Aag" under this banner. Prithviraj Kapoor, his father, arranged his marriage to Krishna, his maternal uncle's daughter. Krishna's sister was married to Prem Chopra, and their brothers Narendra Nath, Rajendra Nath, and Prem Nath also became actors.
Vaijayantimala's entry into his life prompted Krishna to leave her home with her children to stay at the Natraj Hotel and later move back to her father's home. His elder son Randhir married actress Babita, and his younger son Rishi married actress Neetu Singh. Renowned Bollywood stars Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor are his granddaughters (daughters of Randhir Kapoor and Babita), and leading actor Ranbir Kapoor is his grandson (son of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh). Ranbir was a favorite; once, when Ranbir needed a suit for a trip to Russia, Raj Kapoor brought back two suitcases full of suits in every possible color.
He had a b relationship with Dilip Kumar, who led his wedding procession alongside his father, Prithviraj Kapoor, and the renowned actor Dev Anand. Filmmaker Vijay Anand attempted to direct a film featuring Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Dev Anand, but the project did not materialize for some reason. A scene in the film "Bobby," where Rishi Kapoor meets Dimple Kapadia at his house, was inspired by the real-life story of Raj Kapoor and actress Nargis.
He collaborated with music director Shankar-Jaikishan on over 20 films. Renowned singers Manna Dey and Mukesh lent their voices to his songs. During Mukesh's death, it was said that he "lost his voice." He was nominated twice for the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival in France for the films "Awaara" (1951) and "Boot Polish" (1954). In 1956, he received the Crystal Globe Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic) for the film "Jaagte Raho." His first color film was "Sangam" (1964).
In 1965, he served as a jury member at the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. His films "Around the World" (1966) and "My Name is Joker" (1968) did not perform well at the box office. In 1970, he directed and produced the film "My Name is Joker," which initially faced setbacks but later became a superhit. It is considered one of India's most iconic films and was the first Hindi film to run over four-and-a-half hours despite two breaks. It was also the debut film of his son Rishi Kapoor. While producing "Satyam Shivam Sundaram," when looking for a suitable actress, Zeenat Aman arrived at his office in rural attire. Raj Kapoor was impressed by her talent and selected her for the film.
