Raj Kapoor @ 100: 7 Films Directed By The Legend That You Must Watch

Raj Kapoor debuted as a producer and director with this film. The film also featured Nargis and Kamini Kaushal and narrated the story a man, who longs for love and yearns to be on stage as an actor much to the disliking of his family who are all lawyers. 
 

Featured Nargis and Raj Kapoor along with his father Prithviraj Kapoor. The film expresses socialist themes, and blends social and reformist themes with the crime, romantic comedy and musical melodrama genres. The film not only became a hit in India, but also found audience in countries like Soviet Union, East AFrica and the Middle East. The film was also nominated for the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953.
 

Kapoor had referenced Charlie Chaplin briefly in Awara and in Shree 420, he further developed it. Kapoor typically played a fraud, a poor man wanting to make it big in Bombay city. The film also featured Nadira and Nargis. 
 

A musical romantic drama, Sangam was Raj Kapoor's first colour film. Featured Kapoor along with Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar. It was also first Indian film to be exclusively shot abroad on locations including London, Paris and Switzerland, and was also among the most expensive film of its time with the longest runtime for an Indian film up to that time. The film explores themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice, and the consequences of choices made in relationships. 
 

The film is known to be the  lengthiest films of Indian cinema. Mera Naam Joker is the second and to date last Indian film to have two intervals.  Mera Naam Joker was highly anticipated as it had been under production for six years and heavily publicized, loosely based on Kapoor's own life. The film was partly made with the participation of Soviet actors and was partly shot in Moscow- rare feat at that time. The film had a circus as its backdrop and Kapoor played a Circus clown in the film. 
 

Raj Kapoor launched the very young Dimple Kapadia and his son Rishi Kapoor as the  leads of the teenage romance drama. Kapoor only directed the film and did not feature in it. The film's success made both Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor over night stars. It also became an overseas blockbuster in the Soviet Union, where it drew an audience of 62.6 million viewers, making it one of the top 20 biggest box office hits of all time in the Soviet Union. The story was of two teenagers belonging to two different strata of society in Bombay falling in love despite the odds against them. 

Featuring Rishi Kapoor and Padmini Kolhapure, the film talked of widow remarraige and cast system- within the framework of formulaic commercial mass entertainer. Over the years, Prem Rog has achieved cult-status and is considered one of the best works of Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Padmini Kolhapure.