The legend lives on: The essential Raj Kapoor watchlist

As a teen, he was fascinated not by stardom but by the mechanics of movie-making. Here are our picks of the best films he later starred in, directed or produced

Awaara (1951)

Did you know: Awaara, released in Russia in 1954 (three years after its India release), was the year’s biggest hit in that country.

Director: Raj Kapoor

You may think you know what to expect, but you’d be wrong. Watch out for fever-dream-like nine-minute sequence featuring two songs, Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni and Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi. And for the cinematography by Radhu Karmakar, who would perform this role in every film Kapoor directed, all the way to Ram Teri Ganga Maili in 1985.

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Boot Polish (1954)

A story of two orphaned siblings who go from begging to earning an honest living.

What happens to the boot polish walas when it rains and people don’t need them? (What eventually happened to those who once polished shoes on the streets and at railway stations?) Even when he wasn’t directing or acting, Kapoor was using his productions to remind the viewer to look around with more compassion and empathy. This story of two orphaned siblings who go from begging to earning an honest living won Kumari Naaz, the 10-year-old who played the sister, special mention at Cannes.

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Shree 420 (1955)

Shree 420 reflected a growing class divide, and the restlessness of the unemployed youth. It was the biggest box-office hit of its year.

Director: Raj Kapoor

“Log raton raat lakhpati banna chahte hai (People want to become millionaires overnight)”, Raj (Kapoor) says, in Shree 420. The lovable, idealistic tramp was already struggling to navigate an increasingly materialistic India. (Oh, how that would intensify.) This film reflected a growing class divide, and the restlessness of the unemployed youth. It was the biggest box-office hit of its year.

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Jagte Raho (1956)

To underscore the othering of his character, Kapoor experimented by taking almost all dialogue away from himself.

Directors: Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra

Kapoor plays an unnamed Everyman in this one; a migrant farmer, homeless and adrift in the city. Set over one night in a gated residential complex, all he wants is a drink of water. But he is mistaken for a thief by the police, hounded by neighbourhood vigilantes. To underscore the othering of his character, Kapoor experimented by taking almost all dialogue away from himself.

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Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960)

Set in the Chambal, this film explores the real-world scheme that allowed dacoits to surrender to the state and be rehabilitated.

Director: Radhu Karmakar

Produced by Kapoor, this film was set in the Chambal. The story, written by Arjun Dev Rashk, uses kidnapping, mistaken identity and action sequences to explore a new scheme, engineered by activists Vinoba Bhave and Jayaprakash Narayan in the real world, that allowed dacoits to surrender to the state and be rehabilitated (rather than shot and often killed in “encounters” with the police).

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Teesri Kasam (1966)

A man falls in love with a dancer, and struggles and fails to find a way forward with her.

Director: Basu Bhattacharya

The 1960s, especially the period after India’s defeat in the ’62 war with China, marked a waning of the optimistic nationalism that marked the films of the decade before. In these years, Kapoor focused on his acting career, making films such as Manmohan Desai’s debut, Chhalia (1960; about the lives of estranged wives and children separated by Partition), and Basu Bhattacharya’s Teesri Kasam, about a man who falls in love with a dancer, and struggles and fails to find a way forward with her.

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Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Making this rather-soul-baring movie almost ruined Kapoor.

Director: Raj Kapoor

What does it take to be an entertainer? In a meta twist, making this rather-soul-baring movie almost ruined Kapoor. It would take him years, and a series of crowd-pleasing hits, to recover from the losses of making this nearly-four-and-a-half-hour-long film. He always maintained that it wasn’t a mistake. He had made it as he intended, he said, knowing it might not work. In some consolation, it was a hit in Russia. It is considered a classic today.

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Bobby (1973)

The film launched Dimple Kapadia, and turned the 21-year-old Rishi Kapoor into a star.

Director: Raj Kapoor

This was one of the movies he made to recover some of the losses from Mera Naam Joker. It would turn out to be a bigger hit than anticipated. It launched Dimple Kapadia, and turned the 21-year-old Rishi Kapoor into a star. The film set new fashion trends, and confronted the mainstream Hindi-film audience with a candid view of heady, rebellious teen love.