Jagte Raho

Jagtey Raho is filmmaking and story telling at its best. Plot is just one liner. An innocent man(Raaj Kapoor) arrives from village in the city and he is in search of water in the middle of the night. He enters a society and is mistaken for a thief.

Raj Kapoor's innocence on his face is absolutely treat to watch and it's amazing how comfortable he is in the role of a poor and innocent man. His eyes and his expressions tells u so much, without even speaking much.

The society where this innocent man enters is house for almost thousand of people and everyone is from different sections of the society. The film also exposes our double standard society and thinking of people.

And this innocent man is suprised and shocked to see the truth of so called civilized society people, their fightings and their differences. Raj Kapoor's character doesnt't have dialouges but he emotes so much from his eyes. Almost every thing on his face is readable.

There is humor and comic timings in the story as well which keeps us entertained but above all, the thrill element in this story has been exectued very well.

The last half hour of the movie is absolute classic. And how the innocent man(Raj Kapoor) yells at the public is just treat to watch.

The film expopses our so called civilized society.

Jagte Raho is the simple story of a naive peasant who in hopes of improving his lifestyle, a poor peasant re-locates to Bombay virtually penniless. It is late at night and he is thirsty, and he is unable to find water anywhere. Then he sneaks into a multi-storied apartment complex, and is mistaken for a thief. The complex consists of over 200 units, and is housing nearly a 1000 people they all set out to hunt him down. Whilst evading capture, he inadvertently exposes the venality and dishonesty of the building's middle class occupants.

The film shows the double standards of our society, the cruelty and the corruptness, but not in a stereotypical way. It is natural and real. This naive peasant represents the simple common man who becomes a victim for no fault of his own. He encounters different sorts of thefts and crimes committed by those so-called "respectable" citizens of the city, those who call him a thief and chase him just because he yearns for a few drops of water so that they can hide their own misdemeanors. This is so unbelievable yet so true.

The character of the naïve peasant requires great facial expression as it don't have many dialogues but he emotes constantly, and Raj Kapoor being a Theater person have brilliantly achieved this.

I think that to analyze this film, firstly one has to understand the social environment of that era. During that time people where migrating to metros in search of jobs and stable life. However here they become victim of the bourgeois society. Film-Maker has very brilliantly weaved the beautiful story in this concept. I liked the metaphors used in the film which creates an impact on the viewer. Like a character of a child in a climax is a metaphor of new beginning. There are many more such metaphors in this film. There are sometimes when overuse of background scores have spoiled the impact of the emotions. Sometimes the acting is also too dramatic and theatrical to digest. However I also think that this is deliberated by the director as during those times audience demand such things which I can say after watching films from those era.

The film "Jaagte Raho" starts with Raj Kapoor, a poor person looking to quench his thirst. Thirsty, he enters an apartment building where he is branded as a thief and is constantly on the run. Ironically, where ever he hides, he meets other so called "reputable" citizens who all are equal to thieves. The film captures the corruption rampant in the society and rips apart the moral fabric that shields the upper echelons of society. The protagonist isn't a criminal, but he is treated like one, which is quite comparable to the real world. The film exposes a range of vices while at the same time remaining funny. The theme which the film showcases could have happened anywhere. The protagonist is the generic poor man to whom society has bestowed little. Raj Kapoor gave a fine performance as the peasant, even though he hardly has a few dialogues in the film, but his face speaks for itself. The film is brilliantly done. The supporting cast of Motilal and Pradeep are also good. The film is both a comedy and a tragedy. It makes you laugh and then makes you cry at the pitiable state of society.

"Jagte Raho" a movie of Black & White celluloid era, in-my-humble-opinion, should be added to the International Movie Hall of Fame. Why? Just for one simple reason. OK. There are more than one reasons. This movie entertains, educates, makes you laugh and cry all at the same time. And to top it all, sends a striking message of humanity to the human beings all around.

What a realistic depiction of a common man's life! The movie narrates the naked truth of life's challenges in a tinsel town - the city of Bombay, especially for those unsophisticated, naive, innocent souls, who dreamed of making it big in that La-La land.

Every second of your life is a struggle even if it's for a drop of drinking water. What a great acting by (my idol) Raj Kapoor (R.I.P)! A very simple concept, a great story & a script and the deep message it sent to the society or should I say the world over.

How a thirsty innocent man is deliberately branded a thief by some of the biggest phonies of this world who like to call themselves "Shareef" (reputable) citizens. And these so-called reputable citizens make a scapegoat out of this poor, helpless and vulnerable soul, just so that they can hide the skeletons of their own in the proverbial "closet".

It absolutely disappoints and saddens me to see a man go through what he went through, in one night just for a mere sip of tap water to quench his thirst.

What a great performance by the entire crew (on and off the screen), and especially, Raj Kapoor and Motilal!

One has to watch the movie with a perspective that even today, millions of people back home in India(and many other parts of the world) have daily struggles to put up for a few drops of water…

…And this makes my heart cry and eyes filled with water.

Too bad they don't make movies like this anymore.

Long live Raj Kapoor and "Jagte Raho".

What worked:

• screenplay is relevant and fresh, and can be analyzed in any generation. The movie theme is powerful, engaging and brutal. The lead actor has shown grace and depth to the character which makes it a believable narrative. The story is unique and powerful storytelling makes it a wonderful watch.

What did not work:

• glorified scenes and setting; maybe many scenes of the movie are superficial and feels like an unreal setting. The chase and run scenes feel repetitive and less creative. However, the final result of the movie is a powerful watch.

Final verdict: recommended