Raj Kapoor: Incomparable!

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His dominating images were that of the Lovable Tramp as actor and paradoxically of the Eternal Showman as a filmmaker. But if Raj Kapoor ever had a perfect synonym, it would be “Incomparable.” And Shree Incomparable was born on December 14 a century ago to write History.

Passion

Raj Kapoor was born to Rama and Prithviraj Kapoor. It is said that early on, Ranbir Raj (his real name) had determined that one day his Babaji would be known as Raj’s father. And in many ways, he achieved this.

Raj was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award for contribution to Cinema 15 years after his father won it, and the President of India actually stepped down from the stage to present the unique honor to the ailing actor-filmmaker. In a tragic coincidence, Prithviraj and Raj both passed away weeks after receiving this rarest-of-rare honor to become the only father-son team to win it!

Ambition

Raj Kapoor was clear from the beginning that cinema was to be his destination, and so his affair with his father’s Prithvi Theatres’ plays was not extensive, though he did plays there both as a child artiste and adult (Pathan). He was just 11 when he made his first screen appearance in New Theatres’ Inquilab starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote and K.C. Dey.

Not satisfied only with acting, Raj started “right at the bottom” with Ranjit Studios as the fifth assistant to director Kidar Sharma, who was to later introduce him as a leading man in 1947 in Neel Kamal opposite two sensational debutantes—Madhubala (as Mumtaz) and Begum Para. By the time he made his lead debut, Raj was already married to a distant relative, Krishna, in an arranged match.

Investor

While learning his cinematic ropes in the early and mid-‘40s, Raj Kapoor was still taking up whatever acting assignments he could. Among these small roles was a blink-and-miss one in a V. Shantaram film for which Raj Kapoor was paid ‘high’ fees as he was Prithviraj’s son!. His father indignantly told him to return it to the filmmaker. But Shantaram refused and Raj used the money to buy a plot of land inMumbai’s Chembur, where RK Studios was soon built!

Music Prodigy

Raj Kapoor had rhythm and melody entrenched deep within him.  In Kolkata  where his father was based for years, he spent every spare moment with New Theatres’ music greats like R.C. Boral, Pankaj Mullick, K.L. Saigal and Kanan Devi and even learnt music from Boral. He later sang his own songs for S.D. Burman in Dil Ki Rani (1947).

Raj Kapoor, as lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri once revealed, thus was a rare filmmaker-actor (like Shantaram and Satyajit Ray) who could also compose music. The blueprints of so many RK hits like Bol Radha bol (Sangam), Jeena yahaan (Mera Naam Joker), Satyam shivam sundaram (from the film of that name) and Sun sahiba sun (Ram Teri Ganga Maili) were given by him to his composers, as endorsed publicly by Lata Mangeshkar. Raj could also sing very well, play several instruments including the accordion and even conduct the orchestra.

Showman

On February 6, 1947, Raj Kapoor launched his first production and directorial debut Aag with a small muhurat and pooja at Eastern Studios in midtown Mumbai. Shooting began a week later and the film was released exactly a year later at Shimla. Its budget was a then-astronomical Rs 3.5 lakh, and Raj mortgaged his first car and even borrowed money from his domestic servant, Dwarka! The rather offbeat film starred three leading ladies—Nargis, Kamini Kaushal and Nigar Sultana—as well as relatives who were into acting and was released by Raj himself after distributors refused to touch it. It did not do too well commercially.

Visionary

If Aag was semi-autobiographical and reflected Raj’s life, one-sided crushes and early upheavals, his next film, Barsaat (1949), first showcased his obsession for love being a mix of spirituality and physicality. Learning the right lessons from the response to Aag, Raj narrated a simple tale, reinvented Nargis and their chemistry and signed a fresh music team – Shankar-Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra.

History was made as the score forever changed the complexion of film music and its sales, and the musical quartet along with Raj, Nargis, Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh went on to become the most successful filmmaker-star-musicians combo ever. The blockbuster’s profits helped Kapoor build RK Studios, an institution and Mumbai landmark until it was sold and demolished very recently. The first film he made there was Awara (1951), the first Indian movie and music score to make a mark abroad, especially in Russia, where it was released as (the title) Brodigaya.

Eternal Tramp

Besides Barsaat, Raj Kapoor had explored and discovered the flamboyant and light sides of his persona in outside films like Andaz (1949) and Dastan (1950), and he put it to good use with his character in Awara (1951). Raj Kapoor highlighted the aspirations of innocent souls who wanted a better life in India’s neo-Independence era. The tramp was modeled on Charlie Chaplin and yet was identifiably Indian, and Hindi cinema’s first dream sequence was a similarly skilled Indianization of Gene Kelly’s An American In Paris.

The leitmotif was developed further with Shree 420 (1955) and other films, but after it, Raj took a 9-year-hiatus from direction, even though he was said to have ghost-directed some or all of his productions Jagte Raho, Ab Dilli Door Nahin and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.

Phoenix

Raj had three troughs in his production career even as he continued to establish himself as one of the legendary Top Three actors with Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, but each time he rose from them as triumphantly as the phoenix. Ironically, these films were directed by others—Raja Nawathe directed Aah (1953), Amit Mitra and Sombhu Mitra directed Jagte Raho (1956) and Amar Kumar directed Ab Dilli Door Nahin (1957). Only Prakash Arora’s Boot Polish (1954) was a hit.

This was also the phase when Raj was also influenced by European and socially-conscious cinema and so he announced the dacoit-rehabilitation saga Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (officially directed by his cameraman Radhu Karmakar) without songs. The film was inspired by the initiatives of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Jaiprakash Narayan. But because of the two consecutive flops, distributors pressurized him to include songs, and even as his music team protested, Raj cajoled them into creating a historic score.

The second trough came after his self-indulgent and semi-autobiographical Mera Naam Joker (which he directed) and Kal Aaj Aur Kal, which marked the directorial as well as acting debut of Randhir Kapoor, his eldest son. Reeling under debts, Raj then announced a light romantic quickie, Bobby, with his younger son, Rishi Kapoor, and with Dimple Kapadia in the title role. And three 45-plus veterans—Raj and writers K.A. Abbas and V.P. Sathe—spun a benchmark teenage cult film!

The third trough came after his pet obsession of many years, Satyam Shivam Sundaram (SSS), faced critical as well as commercial rough weather, preceded by the mediocre success of Dharam Karam (Randhir again) and followed by the disaster of Biwi O Biwi (again directed by Rahul Rawail, his assistant). Raj then launched Prem Rog, soon took over its directorial reigns from his Bobby-SSS writer Jainendra Jain, and went on to make the hard-hitting social blockbuster Prem Rog (1982).

This was followed by his swan song, the allegorical Ram Teri Ganga Maili that became his highest grosser ever. When Raj passed away, he had begun work on Henna, and his groundwork paved the way for Randhir Kapoor’s version proving a major blockbuster in 1991.

Superstar

Outside his home banner, Raj continued to be successful until the mid-1960s. Though grandson Ranbir Kapoor says Raj impressed him more as a director than as actor, Raj had a chain of (sadly) underestimated performances in movies like Chori Chori, Anari, Andaz, Nazrana, Dil Hi To Hai, Phir Subah Hogi, Chhalia, Dulha Dulhan, Do Ustad, Sharada, Parvarish and Bawre Nain with great performances even in mediocre or flop movies like Papi (his first dual role), Gopinath, Anhonee, Teesri Kasam and a few others. As a character artiste later, he also explored various shades from comedy to pathos. He also had the distinction of being the hero of India’s first 70mm film, Around The World in 1967.  

Columbus

Raj had an unerring eye for talent across all fields of cinema. He had spotted Shankar and Jaikishan, who were musicians with Prithvi Theatres and assistants who had a huge contribution in Ram Ganguly’s music in Aag. Hasrat Jaipuri was a bus conductor and Shailendra a Railways employee. Raj put all of them on a salary, gave them the freedom to work outside his banner.

His publicist, V.P. Sathe was roped in as writer with Awara, he introduced his talented sons Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor and also Dimple Kapadia and later Mandakini. Shailendra Singh and Nitin Mukesh were introduced as singers, and Suresh Wadkar got a major break too. Among his other protégés were writers Jainendra Jain and K.K. Singh.

Legend

Raj appeared as himself in Naseeb. Three films by great directors, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand¸ Manmohan Desai’s Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswati and K.Vishwanath’s Eeshwar (which Raj wanted to produce) are dedicated to his memory, with Anil Kapoor’s character modeled after Raj in many ways. But the greatest tribute to him remains his great-grandson Ranbir Kapoor being named after him. 

Honors

When he was awarded an honorary degree in Teheran in the early ‘50s, Raj was amused no end, as academically he had been a school dropout!  But high distinctions always went his way. Besides the Dadasaheb Phalke, Raj was also conferred the Padma Bhushan, India’s second-highest honor for citizens, in 1971. His Awara was nominated for the Grand Prix in Cannes in 1952, and Boot Polish in 1955. Posthumously, he was also declared Director of the Millennium by Stardust in 2000 and Showman of the Millennium by Star-Screen Awards in 2002.