Awaara
Raj Kapoor’s Awaara is one of the finest films of cinema and will make you fall in love with the black-white era of India Film industry. The Golden Age of Indian Cinema was filled with movies talking about the lives of common man, their struggles, and their disenchantments with the clever use of drama, humour and music of course. Talking about the unremarkable period of the Indian Cinema, one can’t miss mentioning Raj Kapoor- The showman. An actor, director, producer and a pioneer of cinema, he created one of the best movies of the era that were not just famous and renowned in India but globally. Awaara is the movie that brought attention and love to the Indian Cinema. Awaara can be the first movie to watch if you want to dive into the Golden Age of Indian Cinema.
Awaara is the story of a maverick, a slave of poverty and evil. Raju or Raj (Raj Kapoor) struggles with poverty and ends up committing pity crimes, from pickpocketing to stealing roti he does all. He is the son of a well-reputed Judge- Raghunath, but he is unaware. The judge (Prithvi Kapoor) abandoned his pregnant wife Leela (Leela Chitnis) after she was kidnapped by Jagga (K.N. Singh) and she ends up giving birth to Raj on the streets. Jagga kidnapped Leela in vengeance as he was sent to jail for a crime he never did by judge Raghunath. To proof, the infamous words of Judge Raghunath false, Murzim ka beta Murzim hi hota hai, Jagga leaves Leela unharmed and comes back after years to turn Raj into Awaara. With all this drama, Raj meets his childhood friend Rita (Nargis) after years who is now under the guardianship of Judge Raghunath. The movie starts with a court hearing and takes place in past, so it is not a linear movie keeps running in past and present telling the story of Awaara.
Awaara was the first movie to be shot in the RK Studios. The movie is very skilfully directed giving it layers and a very Raj Kapoor vibes. Raj Kapoor with his foray in social issues mastered the movie with love, tragedy, drama, romance and realistic music scenes. The movie has many scenes that will make you spellbound, keeping in mind it was made in the later ’40s and early ’50s. One of the most appreciated and talked about the scene is the dream sequence, we all have seen ‘Bollywood’* songs with clouds, palaces, big dream-like setting and you must wonder how Raj Kapoor could leave that. The exceptional and true to life Cinematography by Raju Kamarkar takes the movie to another level with the well balanced and curated writing of Khwaja Ahmed Abbas that is simple yet captivating. Any movie of the Indian Cinema is incomplete without music, the movie had 10 songs from the well-celebrated Awaara hu! To sad but soothing Ek Bewafa se Pyaar Kia.
We can’t end this without talking about the wonderful actors in the movie, from Prithivi Kapoor to Nargis, it was filled with THE actors of that time. Raj is a very savage, humorous and witty young man that has been brought life by Raj Kapoor how in its best possible way. Can one really say anything bad about Nargis’s acting, well I can’t. She portrayed Rita as a strong, loving and independent woman willing to walk miles for her love of life. Their chemistry has been beautifully displayed by Kapoor and Nargis. All other actors, Prithivi, Leela and KN Singh were effortless and equally good. You might find some overdramatic and unnecessary actions and set but that shouldn’t stop you from watching Awaara.
*I hate using the term Bollywood, but I had to, to bring it your attention that yall should call it Indian Film Industry and not Bollywood.