Raj Kapoor – As an Actor

Raj Kapoor

Raj Kapoor’s films were my introduction to the world of cinema. I’d watched films before, of course, but thanks to my father who was a huge Raj Kapoor fan, I was introduced to the art of moving images on screen, the craft that made the magic that unfolded in front of me in a dark theatre. It was Raj Kapoor who opened up worlds filled with myriad possibilities, who bred in me an appreciation of different kinds of cinema, and inculcated in me a deep, enduring love for films of all languages, even ones I do not speak. If, today, I can appreciate cinema – art, mainstream, parallel, independent, masala – I have Raj Kapoor to thank. It is no hyperbole to say that my life would have been poorer if I’d never known the cinema of Raj Kapoor.

I continue to find Raj Kapoor’s films interesting as much for their fabulous music as for the diverse themes they tackled. I adore his unselfishness in allowing all the characters in his films to live and breathe, as much as I admire his attention to even minor characters in his films who are so well-etched they leave an impression on the viewer.

Born in Peshawar, then undivided India, Ranbir Raj Kapoor was the eldest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, a renowned theatre and film artiste. He worked as the jack-of-all-trades at Prithvi Theatre where he was paid a princely stipend of Rs 10, as a clapper boy in Bombay Talkies, assisted music director Anil Biswas, etc. In fact, Raj’s ambition when he entered films was to become a music director. And even when his path diverged from music to direction, his interest in music remained. Lata Mangeshkar is on record as stating that the music of RK Films had as much to do with Raj Kapoor as it did his music directors.

But today, on his hundredth birthday, I want to shine a spotlight, not on the producer and director of classic films, but on an overlooked facet of Raj Kapoor’s persona – the fine actor who was often overshadowed by the director and the tag of ‘showman’.

Raj Kapoor was an actor by mischance. But despite that, he acted in many films, including his own productions, that were commercial successes. So successful, in fact, that at one time, he was one of the ruling troika in Hindi cinema that included Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. He was a dream actor for directors because, even though he was a director himself, he never interfered with their vision; on their sets, he was just another actor.

Raj’s tragedy was that his ‘tramp’ persona (that was a homage to his idol, Charlie Chaplin) completely overshadowed what a great actor he truly was.

In no particular order, then:

Teesri Kasam (1966)

Teesri Kasam

The tale of Heeraman’s three vows, and how they came to be, is a simple lyrical tale that takes place over the course of a few days.

Two unlikely characters meet on a journey and are attracted to each other – he, Heeraman, to her beauty and [what seems to him to be] purity; she, Heerabai, to his simplicity and innate goodness. What happens to them in the end, and how Heeraman’s third vow is a result of that occurrence, forms the crux of the tale.

Raj Kapoor infused Heemaran with the rustic simplicity that had no patina of the Chaplinesque. It was a remarkably intuitive performance that complemented Waheeda Rehman’s equally brilliant outward-looking one.

Teesri Kasam, based on Phaniswarnath Renu’s Maare Gaye Gulfam, was shot in Black & White at a time when colour films had become the norm. Teesri Kasam was one of Raj Kapoor’s finest performances. After the viewing, Satyajit Ray commented that Raj had done such a great job as Heeraman that it was a shame they had  lost a fine actor.

Jagte Raho (1956)

Jagte Raho

An allegorical tale that uses light and shade to rip off the mask of respectability worn by pillars of society, Jagte Raho was not only one of the finest Hindi films of the time, but also featured one of Raj’s best performances.

The film, meandering through one single night, gains momentum as Raj’s unnamed villager, in search of water to quench his thirst, moves from one flat in a residential building to another in a bid to escape the residents who mistake him for a thief. He’s a simple yet resourceful man, especially in the service of saving his own skin. Raj barely had any dialogues in the film – his pain, fear and helplessness were vividly etched on his face, and mirrored in his eyes. This was a class act that showed the viewer what a fine actor Raj was, when given the opportunity.

A bilingual in Bengali (Ek Din Ratre) and Hindi, Jagte Raho was a satirical look at the Bengali society of the time, though it could be transposed to any teeming metropolis without losing its relevance.

Phir Subah Hogi (1958)

Loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s  Crime and Punishment, Phir Subah Hogi is possibly one of Raj’s most underrated performances. As Ram, a poor law student, who commits a crime for which an innocent man is charged, Raj turned in an internalized performance that must surely lay to rest any doubts as to his acting abilities.

Wracked by guilt, facing his own inner demons, knowing the right thing to do but unable to do so, Raj successfully portrayed his character’s angst as he wrestles with his conscience.

Awara (1950)

It is Awara that introduced generations of filmgoers to the lovable tramp that became indistinguishable from Raj Kapoor’s reel persona. However, the tramp only makes his appearance in one song.

Awara

Indeed, Raj’s character, Raju, is not a tramp at all; he’s a hardened criminal thrust into the seamy side of life when his father disowns his mother.

Written by KA Abbas, Awara wove the theme of nature vs. nurture into a tale filled with romance and tragedy, crime and punishment. And the protagonist at the centre of it all? Raj, the criminal tamed by the love of a good woman, a ‘chor’ who has many lessons to learn himself before he can teach his father that nature vs. nurture is not as simple a concept as the latter thinks. Raj was humorous and savage, penitent and unrepentant, resentful and sorrowful, romantic and passionate – this was a film where he could do no wrong – no, not if he tried. His acting was controlled, the ‘persona’ restrained, the direction deft, the chemistry with his heroine unbeatable.

Shree 420 (1955)

Shree 420 cemented Raj Kapoor’s legacy as a master film-maker. But it also establishes his acting credentials. As the protagonist, a man who’s innately honest but not above a little chicanery to attain his goal, Raj beautifully portrays his character’s duality. With his Japanese shoes, his English trousers, and Russian cap, Raj is an anomaly just as much as his character is a contradiction. He is a man struggling for survival and is willing to do just about anything to achieve material success. How, on the way, he pawns not only his gold medal, but also his own integrity, and how and where redemption awaits him forms the crux of the narrative.

Shree 420

Shree 420’s Raj is very different from Awara’s Raj. The latter is a street-smart youth, who having grown up in an atmosphere of crime, knows no other life. This Raj is earnest, proud of his honesty, and drawn by the glitter of a life he has never known until then. Raj Kapoor makes his character’s journey from a simple man proud of his honesty, to the disillusioned and unhappy man who discovers that his conscience is still alive believable enough that one is rooting for him to have his own happy ending.

I must point out the way the character sheds his persona along with his clothes – the tramp is honest, but wears a strange amalgamation of clothing; the successful Raj, suave and charming in his well-fitting clothes, is morally corrupt. Raj’s face, his expressions, his walk, his whole attitude changes along with the change in his circumstances.

There is the scene in the film where the ghost of Raj’s past appears as the reflection of the Raj of the present – the old Raj is poor, but he is happy, and proud of his honesty. So, when his reflection asks him, “Are you happy?”, the present-day Raj is forced to think – Is he? His heart answers for him, an anguished groan – No, he’s not! That change in expression is quicksilver, and cements Raj Kapoor as a master performer.

Andaz (1949)

Andaz

A film that questioned whether a man and woman can be friends, Mehboob Khan’s Andaz was a film before its time. It is a theme that is still relevant today. And if it weren’t for the fact that the director chickened out towards the end, Andaz would have been a classic.

With all its flaws however, Andaz boasted excellent acting from its three young leads – Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Raj Kapoor.

As the insecure husband, Raj Kapoor had the least sympathetic character; his Rajan’s caddishness and emotional abuse make him a person one loves to hate. It’s difficult to play an unlikeable character and make the audience understand (if not empathise) with that character’s motivations in the context of the story. Rajan’s insecurities, petty jealousies, and lack of trust make him easy to loathe.

But coming into the film a full third of the way in, Raj Kapoor plays Rajan with a deep sincerity that made him very plausible – he is what he is, his emotions easy to read, from the lightness in the earlier scenes to the gradual unravelling of his trust in his wife as he begins to realise that all is not as above board as it seems.  It is that suspicion that is Rajan’s undoing; then, he turns both cruel and sarcastic, unwilling – indeed, unable, because of his self-absorption – to listen to either Nina or Dilip as they try to set the record straight. The darkness that underlies his earlier flamboyance comes to the fore as his personal demons take ascendance.

As his co-star Dilip Kumar remarked, “Raj was at his best when he mingled laughter with tears. In Andaz, in the scene where he deliberately puts off the lights during a party and then puts them on again, he lights a cigarette and gives a smile, meaning he understood my affair with his wife Nargis. He was outstanding in that moment without any dialogues.”

Chori Chori (1956)

Chori Chori

Possibly one of Hindi films’ earliest ‘road’ movies, Chori Chori was a faithful adaptation of Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night. The film exploited Raj’s talent for deadpan comedy, highlighting a different facet of the actor that he was.

His Sagar is a snappy, sarcastic, hard-nosed reporter who is willing to help a spoilt heiress in return for an exclusive story. When he falls in love with her, almost against his will, you can see him trying to convince himself that it cannot be true. When she tells him she loves him, Raj’s eyes show Sagar’s conflict – he wants to believe her but he’s not sure he can. Raj lets his eyes do the talking through most of the film. His expressions often belie the words he’s saying and lets the audience feel his hurt.

Sangam (1964)

Sangam is a messy but all-too-human tale of love and friendship, hurt ego and [misplaced] sacrifices. Sundar’s stalking, his obsessions, his anger and his jealousy blinds him to Radha’s heartbreak and Gopal’s sacrifice. His jealousy degrades him – nowhere is it more evident than in the scene where he furtively picks up the pieces of the love letter that his wife had torn up in aching despair. He loves Radha, but it is a very selfish love.

Sangam

If Raj is annoying as hell in his ‘stalk-her-until-she-says-yes’ persona in the first quarter of the film, he’s brilliant (if unsympathetic) in the role of a man beset by his own demons. There’s a brittleness to his performance that suggests the twisted suffering he’s going through and that he inflicts on the wife he loves above all else. When he learns the truth – that Gopal had loved Radha but stepped aside for him – his hurt bursts through his anger. “Phir wohi qurbani”, he snaps, burdened by the lifetime of benevolence that Gopal had bestowed upon him. In one masterstroke, Raj demolishes the idea of a friendship that makes – or demands – such a sacrifice.

Sangam’s relationships may be messy but its nuanced take on human relationships and frailties, and the emotional undercurrents make you feel for all three characters and keep you invested in their stories.

Aag (1948)

Just 24 years old when he made his first feature film, Raj Kapoor did not take the easy way out and make a romantic love story. He chose the theme of ‘Soorat ya Seerat’, a theme that he would return to in a later film. It was a daring experiment for a young director. At its core, Aag is a psychological drama about a man so obsessed with the theatre that he destroys himself. Raj’s Kewal is a man beset by his demons, tempered by the fire of his twin passions, and burning in a hell of his own making. Shot in chiaroscuro by cinematographer VN Reddy (who, at 34, was the oldest member of the cast and crew), Aag is restrained melodrama at its best.

Char Dil Char Raahein (1959)

Char Dil Char Raahein

Based on KA Abbas’s story of the same name, Char Dil Char Raahein was one of the earliest films to have parallel narratives that converge into one. The three strands, each depicting disparate social evils, are engaging; the stellar cast and excellent acting keep one invested in the characters and their dilemmas, and make us root for them to have happy endings.

Raj turned in an excellent performance as Govinda, a man with the courage of his principles. Govinda is a charmer and Raj invests his character with both empathy and sensitivity. His battle against social mores is not just for his own happiness but also that of the woman he loves, for whom he’s willing to take on his family and his community.

Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari, who plays the part of Chavli, his lover, share an easy camaraderie that translates to their characters on screen. They are both natural performers and their interactions have a lived-in believability that makes us invest in their characters and root for their happiness.

But, in either his own movies or his choice of roles, Raj Kapoor did not shy away from showing/playing unsympathetic characters with oh-so-human frailties. It is the mark of a man who’s supremely confident that he could, ironically enough, play such insecure characters on screen. What’s even more noteworthy is that these flaws are not glamourized.

This post is a humble tribute from an unabashed lover of his movies: to a man who has afforded me countless happy hours in dark theatres, for all the stories that have caught and held my interest, for all the characters that came alive on screen and for all the times I have laughed and wept with them, for all the songs that still fill the air with their melodies, and most importantly, for teaching me to appreciate cinema, thank you.

Click Raj Kapoor@100

for Critiques, Reviews, Interviews

— The Centenary Tribute Series