This page will contain blogs about Raj Kapoor, as they become available.Raj KapoorRaj Kapoor (December 14, 1924 - June 3, 1988) was a megastar, producer, director, actor and all-round showman. He permanently carved for himself a special niche in commercial Hindi cinema. He was born Ranbir Raj Kapoor in a town called Samandru in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). His family left Peshawar and came to Bombay in 1929. The son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor started his career as a clapper boy assisiting for Kidar Sharma but bagged his first film role at the age of eleven. He got his first break as a hero in Neel Kamal, a 1947 film by Kidar Sharma. In 1948, at the age of 24, he became the youngest film director of his time when he set up his own studio (R.K. Films) and made his first feature film, Aag (Fire), which would become the first of his many early successes, including Barsaat (Rain) in 1949 and Shri 420 (Mr. 420), a reference to someone who has a reputation for theft and deception, (since apprehensions for such crimes are usually section 420 of the Indian Penal Code) in 1955. (See also: The Number 420.) Raj Kapoor whole-heartedly embraced the Indian popular cinema from the very beginning. He made every effort to ensure that his movies appealed to every section of society, in particular the common man. Film historians and buffs have spoken of him as the "Charlie Chaplin of India," since he often himself played a tramp-like figure who, despite adversity, could still be cheerful and honest, a gem of a man. He appealed also, as in his films Aag and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hein (The Country in which the Ganges Flows), to patriotic sentiment, nowhere better commemmorated than in the famous lines from a song in Shri 420:
The songs of his films endeared Raj Kapoor not only to the masses in India, but to audiences in large parts of Africa, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union, where his films were to become enormous commercial successes. Many of his films were to be characterized not only by lively music, but by the extensive use of elaborate sets. The angst of the common man is portrayed through heavy brooding landscapes and sets with sharply contrasted light. Visual imagery would always be an important part of his films. However, after the box office failure of his ambitious Mera Naam Joker (My name is Joker), which took six years to complete, his movies took a more sensual turn. The film Bobby (1973) introduced Dimple Kapadia, who would go on to become one of India's superstars, and established itself as the fore-runner of a new generation of romances targeted for adolescents. But the film owed its phenomenal success to other considerations as well. By the restrictive if not puritan standards of commercial Hindi cinema, Kapadia appeared in suggestive, some would say rather sexually explicit, poses and scenes. Raj Kapoor kept up with this trend of titilating sexuality in later films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). Raj Kapoor married his aunt (his father's second cousin) Krishna in 1946 when he was 22 years old. His first son Randhir was born the following year in 1947. His first daughter Ritu was born the year following that in 1948. His second son Rishi was born in 1952 and second daughter Rima in 1956. Youngest son Rajiv was born in 1962. Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev have also acted in films. In spite of being a married man, Kapoor also had a longtime romantic relationship with actress Nargis during the Fifties. The couple starred together in several of Kapoor's films including Awaara and Shri 420. Some of the people introduced by Raj Kapoor to films include his sons Rishi and Rajiv, Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, Zeenat Aman and Mandakini. Also music directors Shankar-Jaikishan, lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri started off working in Raj Kapoor films. Raj Kapoor was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1987, for lifetime commitment to Indian cinema. Raj Kapoor who had been suffering from asthma, passed away in 1988 at age 60. At the time of his death he had been working on Henna a film on an Indo-Pakistani love story. The film was completed by his son Randhir Kapoor. Though Raj Kapoor was described by one critic as exhibiting "the carnality of a schoolboy" in his films, it remains indubitably the case that he was among the most successful film-makers for nearly four decades. Thus his sensitivity to the requirements of film audiences should not be dismissed. The present generation of films from Bollywood still borrows several themes that had been perfected in his films, and some believe that it is still a compliment for a commercial film to be compared to one of his works. References
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The present generation of films from Bollywood still borrows several themes that had been perfected in his films, and some believe that it is still a compliment for a commercial film to be compared to one of his works. Lorre has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6619 Hollywood Boulevard. Thus his sensitivity to the requirements of film audiences should not be dismissed. Peter Lorre died in 1964 and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. Though Raj Kapoor was described by one critic as exhibiting "the carnality of a schoolboy" in his films, it remains indubitably the case that he was among the most successful film-makers for nearly four decades. Lorre's caricature was frequently used in Warner Brothers cartoons, and his persona was used as the basis of the character Flat Top in the Dick Tracy cartoons. The film was completed by his son Randhir Kapoor. After the 1940s, Lorre began to gain weight and played lesser roles, with the exception of Skeeter the clown in the 1959 movie The Big Circus. At the time of his death he had been working on Henna a film on an Indo-Pakistani love story. Moto series that he finally managed to overcome his addiction. Raj Kapoor who had been suffering from asthma, passed away in 1988 at age 60. It was only during the Mr. Raj Kapoor was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1987, for lifetime commitment to Indian cinema. During his early career in Hollywood, Lorre was an addict, and he could often be found scurrying away between shoots to satisfy his habit. Also music directors Shankar-Jaikishan, lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri started off working in Raj Kapoor films. For some years, Lorre suffered severely from gall-bladder problems, for which he was prescribed morphine. Some of the people introduced by Raj Kapoor to films include his sons Rishi and Rajiv, Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, Zeenat Aman and Mandakini. He also had significant roles in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1943). The couple starred together in several of Kapoor's films including Awaara and Shri 420. Moto movies, a parallel to the better known Charlie Chan series, in which he played a Japanese detective. In spite of being a married man, Kapoor also had a longtime romantic relationship with actress Nargis during the Fifties. Moving from a villainous role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), he then played Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment in 1935, and followed that up in a series of Mr. Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev have also acted in films. Typecast as a villain, he found himself with no shortage of work. Youngest son Rajiv was born in 1962. When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Lorre moved from Berlin to Paris and, eventually, Hollywood. His second son Rishi was born in 1952 and second daughter Rima in 1956. None of his films were in Hungarian. His first daughter Ritu was born the year following that in 1948. Scenes from that film were re-used by the Nazi propaganda agencies in the anti-Semitic movie Der ewige Jude. His first son Randhir was born the following year in 1947. Lorre became famous when Fritz Lang cast him as the child killer in M in 1931. Raj Kapoor married his aunt (his father's second cousin) Krishna in 1946 when he was 22 years old. At age 21 he moved to Berlin and caught the attention of German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Raj Kapoor kept up with this trend of titilating sexuality in later films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). He began acting on stage in Vienna, Austria; Breslau, Germany; and Zürich, Switzerland. By the restrictive if not puritan standards of commercial Hindi cinema, Kapadia appeared in suggestive, some would say rather sexually explicit, poses and scenes. His parents were Alois and Elvira, and he was the eldest son in their German-speaking Jewish family. But the film owed its phenomenal success to other considerations as well. He was born Ladislav (László) Löwenstein in Rózsahegy/Rosenberg, Austria-Hungary, which is now Ruzomberok, Slovakia. The film Bobby (1973) introduced Dimple Kapadia, who would go on to become one of India's superstars, and established itself as the fore-runner of a new generation of romances targeted for adolescents. Peter Lorre (June 26, 1904 - March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian-American actor known largely for playing criminals. However, after the box office failure of his ambitious Mera Naam Joker (My name is Joker), which took six years to complete, his movies took a more sensual turn. Die Verschwundene Frau. Visual imagery would always be an important part of his films. M. The angst of the common man is portrayed through heavy brooding landscapes and sets with sharply contrasted light. Bomben auf Monte Carlo. The songs of his films endeared Raj Kapoor not only to the masses in India, but to audiences in large parts of Africa, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union, where his films were to become enormous commercial successes. Many of his films were to be characterized not only by lively music, but by the extensive use of elaborate sets. Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.. He appealed also, as in his films Aag and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hein (The Country in which the Ganges Flows), to patriotic sentiment, nowhere better commemmorated than in the famous lines from a song in Shri 420:. Mann ist Mann. Film historians and buffs have spoken of him as the "Charlie Chaplin of India," since he often himself played a tramp-like figure who, despite adversity, could still be cheerful and honest, a gem of a man. Fünf von der Jazzband. Raj Kapoor whole-heartedly embraced the Indian popular cinema from the very beginning. He made every effort to ensure that his movies appealed to every section of society, in particular the common man. F.P.1 antwortet nicht. (See also: The Number 420.). Der Weisse Dämon. 420), a reference to someone who has a reputation for theft and deception, (since apprehensions for such crimes are usually section 420 of the Indian Penal Code) in 1955. Stupéfiants. Films) and made his first feature film, Aag (Fire), which would become the first of his many early successes, including Barsaat (Rain) in 1949 and Shri 420 (Mr. Schuss im Morgengrauen. In 1948, at the age of 24, he became the youngest film director of his time when he set up his own studio (R.K. Was Frauen träumen. He got his first break as a hero in Neel Kamal, a 1947 film by Kidar Sharma. Unsichtbare Gegner. The son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor started his career as a clapper boy assisiting for Kidar Sharma but bagged his first film role at the age of eleven. Les Requins du pétrole. His family left Peshawar and came to Bombay in 1929. Du haut en bas. He was born Ranbir Raj Kapoor in a town called Samandru in Peshawar (now in Pakistan). The Man Who Knew Too Much. He permanently carved for himself a special niche in commercial Hindi cinema. Mad Love. Raj Kapoor (December 14, 1924 - June 3, 1988) was a megastar, producer, director, actor and all-round showman. Crime and Punishment. Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 1988. Secret Agent. The Moving Image. Crack-Up. Kishore, Valicha. Moto. London: British Film Institute; New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994. Think Fast, Mr. Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Thank You, Mr. Moto. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul. Nancy Steele Is Missing!. Lancer Spy. Moto's Gamble. Mr. I'll Give a Million. Mysterious Mr. Moto. Moto Takes a Chance. Mr. Moto's Last Warning. Mr. Mr. Moto in Danger Island. Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation. Strange Cargo. I Was an Adventuress. Stranger on the Third Floor. You'll Find Out. Der Ewige Jude. Island of Doomed Men. District Attorney. Mr. They Met in Bombay. The Maltese Falcon. The Face Behind the Mask. All Through the Night. In This Our Life. Invisible Agent. The Boogie Man Will Get You. Casablanca. The Constant Nymph. Background to Danger. The Cross of Lorraine. The Mask of Dimitrios. Arsenic and Old Lace. The Conspirators. Passage to Marseille. Confidential Agent. Hotel Berlin. Three Strangers. Black Angel. The Chase. The Verdict. The Beast with Five Fingers. My Favorite Brunette. Casbah. Rope of Sand. Quicksand. Double Confession. Der Verlorene. Beat the Devil. Casino Royale. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Around the World in Eighty Days. Operation Cicero. Meet Me in Las Vegas. Congo Crossing. Silk Stockings. The Story of Mankind. Hell Ship Mutiny. The Sad Sack. The Buster Keaton Story. The Big Circus. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Five Weeks in a Balloon. The Raven. The Comedy of Terrors. Muscle Beach Party. The Patsy. |