Raj Kapoor Biography

About

Ranbir Raj Kapoor, occupies a very high pedestal in the annals of Indian cinema. Known as “the greatest showman of Indian cinema”, he was an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema. He won numerous accolades which included 11 Filmfare Awards and 3 National Film Awards in India. He was nominated twice for his films Awaara in 1951 and Boot Polish in 1954 for the Palme d’Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His films were preferred by audiences in Asia as well as Europe. He was compared to Clark Gable.
Raj Kapoor’s movies struck a chord with the audience. He is sometimes referred to as “the Charlie Chaplin of Indian cinema”. He made many movies with a patriotic theme. He is credited for introducing actors like Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, Zeenat Aman and Mandakini.

Career

Raj Kapoor made his debut at the age of ten with Inquilab in 1935. Raj Kapoor worked in various films but he made it big with his lead role in Neel Kamal in 1947. He became the youngest director of his time after establishing his own studio, R. K. Films in 1948. His directorial debut was Aag in which he starred as well. His major success as an actor was Mehboob Khan’s film Andaz in 1949 which he co-starred alongside Dilip Kumar and Nargis. His first success as a producer and director is Barsaat which he released later in the same year.

Raj Kapoor’s first film in colour was Sangam in 1964 which he directed, produced and even starred alongside Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayantimala. Among many of his notable movies, mention may be made of Awaara in 1951, Shri 420 in 1955, Around the World in 1966, Sapnon Ka Saudagar in 1968 and Bobby in 1973. In Bobby, the main leads were Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

Personal Life

Raj Kapoor was born on 14 December 1924 to Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni Devi Kapoor in Dhakki Munawwar Shah near Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar, then India (modern day Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). In the 1930s, he attended Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun and St Xavier’s Collegiate School. He married Krishna Malhotra in 1946.

Awards

He won many awards during his long career. In 1985, his movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili won him the best movie and best director award. He was nominated for the 1953 Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival for Awaara. In 1971, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, while in 1987, he won the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Death

He suffered from Asthma in later years of his life and died on 2 June, 1988.

Facts about Raj Kapoor