Review: Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work by Rahul Rawail

Written with warmth and clarity, and rich in anecdote, film maker Rahul Rawail’s memoir of Raj Kapoor provides a great insight into the larger-than-life personality who lived and breathed cinema

The great showman Raj Kapoor stayed ahead of his times. His storytelling had an uncompromising flourish that risked everything to state what was truly important. His defining film Mera Naam Joker, the story of a clown who makes others laugh while hiding his own sorrows, did not connect with the general audience but has, nonetheless, attained the status of a classic. For a creative genius, the cinematic product held an intrinsic value that transcended monetary profit. “I agree that there should be some kind of economics but, for a true filmmaker, the heart has to reign supreme,” he said.

Raj Kapoor giving finishing touches to Zeenat Aman’s make up on the sets of Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978). (HT Photo)

245pp, Rs. 699; Bloomsbury

In an intensely engaged career that spanned four decades as an actor and filmmaker, Raj Kapoor carved a niche for himself while holding up a mirror to Indian society. From his directorial debut in Aag (1948) to the unfinished Henna(1991), he dealt with human emotions, demolished social taboos, and exposed social hypocrisy. Visual narration was his strength and through it he connected with the audience and left an indelible mark. Part of the iconic trinity of the golden age of Hindi cinema, he stood out for his creative versatility alongside tragedy king Dilip Kumar and the eternal romantic Dev Anand.

Revealing the eccentric person behind the colossus, Raj Kapoor’s assistant of many years Rahul Rawail pays rich tribute to his mentor. The man who excelled in his Chaplinesque on-screen persona had a complimentary off-screen side, which was crazy, weird, affable, and amusing. Put together, it seemingly helped the actor and the director in him have hugely appealing but distinct identities. That dual identity was emblematic of a brand of film making unique to Raj Kapoor and guided him to pick subjects which few others dared to touch. Awara, Jaagte Raho, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Mera Naam Joker are a few of his many films that continue to entertain with their content, form, technique and magnitude.

Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia during the making of Bobby (1972). (HT Photo)

Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work is a racy memoir of Rahul Rawail’s time assisting and learning from the maverick filmmaker. Drawing on valuable moments from an enviable association, the author shares memorable nuggets on the art and science of filmmaking that made Kapoor such a successful maker of popular Hindi films. Passionate as he was, considering himself “non-existent if cinema did not exist”, Kapoor had an incredible eye for detail which he combined with an uncanny grasp of music to create everlasting visual impact. Indeed, his musical flair remains a bench mark that continues to inspire the picturisation of contemporary film scenes.

Rawail recounts the making of the song Aa ab laut chalen in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, which engaged 60 chorus artists and 120 musical instruments to match the onscreen grandeur of the situation. Since no recording studio in the 1950s could accommodate such a large ensemble, the song was recorded in the open just past midnight. Kapoor’s obsession with music was overwhelming, and his knowledge of filmmaking was extensive. It was his familiarity with all aspects of film making – camera handling, lighting, shot arrangement, scene sequencing and editing – that made his films larger than life. From Rawail’s telling, when it came to cinema, there was nothing that Raj Kapoor could not do.

Author Rahul Rawail (Courtesy the publisher)

Rich in anecdotes about the man and his close associates, the book draws predominantly on Rawail’s association with Kapoor during the making of Mera Naam Joker and Bobby. Written with warmth and clarity, Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work makes for a delightful read about the larger-than-life personality who lived and breathed cinema.

The showman’s legacy lives on and his work continues to be popular in many countries, a reflection on the filmmaker who was more than the sum of his whimsical and creative parts. An accomplished filmmaker himself who directed such popular hits as Love Story and Arjun, among others, Rawail ends his thoughtful memoir with a moving chapter on Kapoor’s death: “The flames engulfed the mortal remains of the Master and, as the fire rose, it heralded the birth of the immortal Raj Kapoor.”

Sudhirendar Sharma is an independent writer, researcher and academic.