Awaara

This is a classic Bollywood movie and seminal Raj Kapoor - Nargis vehicle, forcing home to the audience all manner of stereotypes, prejudices and assumptions before systematically dismantling them all with a sledgehammer. It was another of RK's successful and respectful attempts at mass entertainment mixed with mass education, generations later it's all so obvious that unfortunately we can lose sight of how much good it did at the time and just how well-intentioned it was.

I was watching the colourful Suraj a while ago and was reminded of old black and white Awara which I hadn't seen in decades – it's another take on once a bandit's son always a bandit's son; or, Blood vs Destiny. Delinquent wastrel and felon Raj is the kicked about son of a strict old-fashioned judge (played by Prithviraj) which neither of them realise, he and childhood friend Nargis who is now the judge's ward fall in love and, well, it spirals out of control for everyone. Is it Nature or is it Nurture that has made him a proud tramp? Some lovely noirish photography and atmospheric flashback scenes complement a melodramatic storyline, and there's even time for an admirable dream/nightmare sequence. It's a marvellous, if very contrived film with plenty of ideas, some tremendous images and great music by Shankar - Jaikishan as it is but as usual for me whenever the incomparable Lata sings it's turned into something even more special. Favourite bits: Nargis never looked lovelier or more iconic throughout but Aa Jao Tadapte Hain Arman with RK stroking her hair takes top prize; the literally dreamy and fascinating Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni; and RK does his anthem Awara Hoon too. According to Lata it took a whole night to record the music for the dream sequence.

So many sincere films made over the last 50 years have no morality, at the most charitable most don't even know the meaning of the word; so what's so bad about a film having too much? Nothing wrong at all with Good beating Evil! Imho, even though poverty still breeds crime while Our Betters still deny it, Raj Kapoor's finest film.

in the East of Europe, under the Comunist regime, the Indian films have had a special status. as alternative to the Soviet movies and propaganda shows. but, in same measure, for the social message. clear . for romanticism and music and charm of actors and dramatic situations. but Awaara was more than a successful Indian film. it was, and remains, an epic. because it gives the right perspective about ordinary, every day situations. because it reminds the joy of life and the deep pain.because it is , like the childhood fairy tales, story of courage and self determination and love difficulties , sacrifice and happiness. because it is nice and bitter and translation in image of known situations. and, sure, for Raj Kapoor. in the East , the Indian film was an open window. Awaara was, for years, one of the most convincing examples.

When I was little, my grandmother often told me about a movie from her younger ages - Awaara /released as Bradyaga/. She was always telling me, that when it came to Bulgaria it was a total hit. People watched it more that 20 times! (especially the gypsies, who thought of Indian people as their ancestors). If I ask somebody, who is over 50 year old about that film, I am sure, that he will remember it. And when the main actor - Raj Kapoor visited the country, thousands of people traveled to see him. My grandma, who was one of the best portrait photographers at that time and was asked to make his pictures with the leaders of the country, remembers that he and his wife never acted like international movie stars. They met with ordinary people, visited hospitals and orphanages. Why was that film so special? Especially in Bulgaria - a country on a Balcan peninsula with such a different culture from India? First of all, it was so different from the Soviet films that were broad-casted at that time. It was full of life, passion, love, music, and nevertheless - it was a social film - about the problems of the different classes. And it made a country so far away close. It was the first step for the good relationships between our two countries. A few years ago I have the chance to watch this movie. And I can tell, its messages are still up to day. Something that you can tell for every really good film. Watch it, you will not regret it.

Raj Kapoor directs and stars in this classic Bollywood drama, which looks at the complicated lives of a poor man (Kapoor) and a privileged woman (Nargis). In Hindi with English subtitles.

This is the fifth collaboration between the two leads and this is one film from Indian cinema that I absolutely loved from start to finish the first time and exactly the same result occurred on a re-watch.

Kapoor gives a very good performance starring as Raj Raghunath, the man who is about to have one big moment of truth in the courtroom after he kills a criminal. Preparing to take the case to court, he is backed by his lawyer Rita (Nargis), who also happens to be his long-lost love.

Kapoor suits his role very well and makes the most of the time he has on the screen, while Nargis offers really good support in her role as the woman who is strongly prepared to defend Raj in court.

Elsewhere, there are strong supporting performances to be had from Prithviraj Kapoor and Leela Chitnis in their respective roles as Judge Raghunath and Leela Raghunath. Judge is the man taking charge of the latest proceedings at the latest case in the courtroom, while Leela is the woman who is thrown out of the house as it is believed she is up to no good...

Keep an eye out for Shashi Kapoor who appears as the younger version of Raj.

The direction from Raj Kapoor is excellent because he allows the facial expressions to be seen to a strong effect throughout, as well as keeping a very good pace going from start to finish, while the script is very well written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas as he makes the movie easy to follow.

The technical aspects that stand out best are the set, camera and music, because the set is decent to view throughout, while the camera makes good use of the locations and the music is enjoyable to listen to.

Overall, Awaara is one well-acted film which terrific performances from Raj Kapoor and Nargis and this is one film that can definitely keep you gripped. One of the best Bollywood movies to have been made in the year of this release.

Awaara is an inimitable classic of Indian cinema and, in my opinion, of cinema is general. The film is a commentary on the social and political climate of those years in India, but its relevance remains so palpably strong today it's almost unbelievably how visionary the makers of the films were. Awaara touches upon a host of themes, from gender inequality with references to Indian mythology (Ram's rejection of Sita in the Ramyana), as seen in the story of a woman accused of impurity due to abduction; and the whole age-old debate of nature vs. Nurture, which is a key issue in this film. And the film has a stance on all those matters, which are tackled with honesty and great criticism by the writers. Poverty, a frequent motif in many Kapoor films, is portrayed as the mother of all crimes, and ignorance is the mother of poverty.

But besides being a strong social dramedy with a message, Awaara is just a terrific film - incredible entertainment, a beautiful romantic musical, an affecting human story - the artistic and aesthetic value of which is hard to match or recreate. The camera work is stupendous, the B&W cinematography (Radhu Karmakar) does wonders to the unique narrative, as does the music (Shankar-Jaikeshan). These two ingredients are intertwined in the film's most spectacular and best-photographed part - a lengthy musical dream sequence - the first of its kind in Indian cinema and which captures the protagonist's state through symbolism and introduces both amazingly decorated, lavish sets and phenomenal songs, culminating in the wonderful "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi". I can't think of many cinematic moments of such extraordinary artistic and cinematographic merit.

And this is just another part of Awaara. Kapoor's direction is revolutionary in many ways - the ability to create a film which embraces all the possible ingredients of mainstream Hindi cinema and yet imbue it with an atmosphere of authenticity and meaning, much to the point of neo-realism at some points. Indeed, this is characteristic of almost all the films Kapoor made in collaboration with the legendary screenwriter K. A. Abbas - always resulting in a great combination of stylish entertainment and educative value. The dialogue in this film is exactly that, it is alternately realistic, poetic, melodramatic, humorous - and sometimes all at the same time. All of it exists in the film's climax, namely a court sequence where the protagonist sits in the defendant's stand. Ironically, the judge is his own estranged father. It is so often that the film tugs at the heartstrings.

Awaara rests on a truly electrifying chemistry between Raj Kapoor and Nargis. It's not just about the tension and the perceptibly passionate energy, it's about mutual comfort, affection and understanding. One scene between them, when she brands him "savage", is tough viewing but very revealing. This is perhaps Kapoor's best performance as an actor - unquestionably he is at his dashing and stylish best - often typically humorous and flamboyant, embraces the Chaplinesque tramp persona - but his inner turmoil, anger and rage are so tangibly powerful. As played by Nargis, one of the most luminous actresses I can imagine, Rita sees all of it - it's in her eyes and every gesture. Nargis shines in this performance, capturing every bit of her character's perceptive and compassionate nature and looking madly in love throughout (maybe she really was).

Kapoor's character actors are brilliant. Prithviraj Kapoor is excellent as the prejudiced father and judge Raghunath. He may be impressive in his stylish demeanor but his pathetic weakness more than helps create one of the uniquely flawed and grayish film characters of the time. Less complex obviously but still fantastic is K. N. Singh as Jagga, a vengeful criminal who is pretty much an archetypal villain but also the one some viewers might find more sympathy for compared to Raghunath. Leela Chitnis is brilliant in a heartbreaking performance as Raj's suffering and kind mother. It is her character I felt most for, and her story is the one I thought could have been even better explored. Awaara is a gem of Indian cinema, a film that is always a pleasure to watch and which Raj Kapoor will certainly be remembered for.