{"id":9403,"date":"2024-12-21T08:55:43","date_gmt":"2024-12-21T03:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=9403"},"modified":"2024-12-21T08:55:43","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T03:25:43","slug":"awara-dream-sequence-an-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/awara-dream-sequence-an-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Awara\u2019s Dream Sequence: An Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Awara

Awara<\/em>\u00a0(1951)<\/p><\/div>\n

In the mid-50s when Satyajit Ray was making inroads in the West with his Bengali films, Raj Kapoor was also taking his Hindi films beyond the country\u2019s borders. Ray\u2019s films adorned all the prestigious film festivals of Europe right from his entry with Pather Panchali<\/em>. Kapoor\u2019s films, viz. Awara<\/em><\/a> (1951) and Shree 420<\/em> (Mr 420<\/em>, 1955) swept through Iran, Iraq and Syria, Turkey, Egypt and very importantly, the erstwhile Soviet Union. Sooner than later, Raj Kapoor, who was the hero in most of his early films and his heroine Nargis<\/a>, became the first most popular national stars away from India.<\/p>\n

Aag<\/em> (Fire<\/em>) in 1948 was Kapoor\u2019s first attempt at donning the hats of both producer and director along with playing the hero. But his raging success in all three profiles was first achieved in Awara<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Awara<\/em> opens with a high-tension courtroom scene, where Raj, a young vagabond charged with murder, is being tried. Rita, Judge Raghunath\u2019s ward, whom we soon understand is Raj\u2019s lover, has stepped in defend him and is now cross-examining her foster father. It appears that Raghunath\u2019s past is connected to the case at hand.<\/p>\n

As the story progresses, we come to know how the conservative, morally upright Raghunath, much like his namesake Lord Rama, had thrown his innocent wife out of his home suspecting her chastity. Raj is Raghunath\u2019s son indeed, born in a slum and raised therein. Raghunath believes that a man\u2019s future is dictated by his genes; a criminal\u2019s son will be a criminal, a gentleman owes his manners to his parents. At the very end of the film, Raj pleads to the judge and to the audience for a society that doesn\u2019t believe in Raghunath\u2019s dogma \u2013 that no one is born a criminal, it is society that forces one into a life of crime.<\/p>\n

\"awara\"

Shashi Kapoor as the young Raj<\/p><\/div>\n

Poor and destitute, we find Raj unable to make a decent life for himself since childhood. Despite his mother\u2019s earnest attempts to teach him how to lead a respectable life, young Raj is drawn to delinquency time and again. When he grows up, Raj runs into Rita who, under Raghunath\u2019s care, has been brought up amidst affluence. Rita loves Raj deeply and understands why Raj succumbs to a life of crime, which is easier to get into than leave.<\/p>\n

Awara<\/em> came close on the heels of India\u2019s Independence. Hence the glorification of a young vagrant is significant. Four years later in Shree 420<\/em>, Kapoor posited a similar thesis: that, to succeed one needs to be immoral; one must sell his ethics and his honour. In profiling the tramp as the hero, Kapoor was, in a sense, imitating Charlie Chaplin<\/a>. But his conviction that the hypocrisy and double standards of the older generation is responsible for the corruption of the youth subtly underlines the narrative. Yet, in these two films and in others around the same time, Kapoor, instead of being cynically political, camouflages the message with lilting background music and spectacular dance numbers.<\/p>\n

Raj Kapoor\u2019s success as a producer and director lies in his understanding of the importance of film music as the popular mass music of a young nation craving for a national identity. The height of Kapoor\u2019s craftsmanship as a director is showcased in Awara\u2019s<\/em> famous dream sequence. That single sequence was choreographed by Madam Simkie, Uday Shankar\u2019s dance partner, arguably influenced by the picturisation of the dream sequences in Shankar\u2019s Kalpana<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The sequence occurs at a critical juncture in the film and conveys Raj\u2019s understanding of his predicament. It gives Raj, waking up from his dream, the necessary will to confront his demons, to decide with clarity that he will refrain from criminal activities in the future and live a respectable life. The sequence comprises four parts, each with a distinct visual imagery, a different musical form, and a unique choreography. The first part shows the world divine, a new life beckoning to Raj, a life with Rita in her pristine purity. Amongst the billowing clouds, beautiful girls draped in white dance on a flight of steps that lead to a spiral tower. Rita, at the bottom of the tower, pleads earnestly, “Tu aaja”<\/em>\u00a0(come here, dear).<\/p>\n

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A new life beckoning to Raj, a life with Rita in her pristine purity<\/p><\/div>\n

The second part comes as a sharp contrast, plunging us into the depths of Raj\u2019s conception of hell. The tower is replaced by a huge, gigantic demon with oversized skulls and lustrous eyes. The dancing damsels are replaced by grotesque dark figures with horns on their heads. Instead of the soothing white clouds, there is fire, the heat of the flames beating down on Raj who cries in desperation,\u00a0Mujhko yeh narak na chahiye \/ mujhko phool, mujhko geet, mujhko preet chahiye \/ mujhko chahiye bahaar<\/em>\u00a0(I don\u2019t want this hell \/ I want flowers, I want music, I want love \/ I want spring). Even in his agony, this is Raj\u2019s declaration of the moral choice he will take, waking up.<\/p>\n

\"Raj

Mujhko yeh narak na chahiye<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

In the third part of the dream, Raj is transported back to a life with Rita. The billowing clouds are back, so is the spiral tower. A huge trimurti<\/em>\u00a0(the Hindu symbol of the three gods \u2013 Shiva, Brahma and Bishnu) is visible and sanctity is restored. Chants of Om Namah Shivay<\/em>\u00a0fill the screen, and Rita, along with the other dancers, are seen happily dancing in front of a statue of Nataraja, the dancing form of Lord Shiva. It is a dance of harmony, acceptance and peace as Rita leads Raj up the tower singing Ghar aya mera pardesi<\/em>\u00a0(My beloved has returned home). As the two seem to fade into the impenetrable chastity of a moral white, the fourth and ultimate part of the dream brings a gigantic figure of Jaggu, the criminal who threatens Raj with dire consequences if he ever thinks of moving on to a different life.<\/p>\n

\"Raj

Rita leads Raj up the tower singing Ghar aya mera pardesi<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The dream sequence, effective because of its symbolism that enabled Kapoor to be extravagant without being burdened by the need to be real highlights the glaring contrast between Raj\u2019s binary worlds \u2013 the amoral street life that he begins to see as hell and the tranquil, peaceful life with Rita with its promise of love and affluence. Through the images of stairs and its lead to a coveted dream, Kapoor was also addressing the social fantasy of the masses. The spiral tower signifies a social status that everyone in the audience can relate to as an unattainable goal. Climbing the stairs [and the subsequent fall] is also. Relatable. It is to Kapoor\u2019s credit that through this dream sequence alone, he could take Raj\u2019s story beyond the hero\u2019s moral, social, and psychological conflict to his audience who, three years after India\u2019s coveted independence, had begun to feel the heat of disillusionment.<\/p>\n

Awara<\/em> was a big hit and was dubbed in other languages as well. The film took Soviet Russia by storm and prints were even flown to two Soviet expeditions near the North pole. While most of Indian cinema\u2019s stalwarts such as Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak to latter day masters have spoken about the lives of the masses through their films, it was Raj Kapoor\u2019s films of the fifties, primarily Awara<\/em> and Shree 420<\/em> that effectively spoke to the masses. Through the character of the tramp, much like his inspiration from the similar character in Chaplin\u2019s films, Kapoor reached out to the impoverished, dejected citizens of the world.<\/p>\n

Awara<\/em> ends with Raj being imprisoned for three years. But after that he will be out of prison where happiness awaits him. For every Raj, there will always be a Rita, waiting in anticipation.<\/p>\n

Tere bina aag yeh chandni<\/strong><\/em> (Awara<\/em>, 1951) Shankar Jaikishan \/ Shailendra \/ Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey<\/span><\/p>\n