Born on December 14, 1924 to Prithviraj Kapoor in Peshawar (now Pakistan), Raj Kapoor made his official acting debut with 1947 film Neel Kamal and went on to become “the greatest showman of Indian cinema”. He made a mark as an actor with films like “Shree 420”, “Awaara” and “Barsaat”.
At the age of 24, Raj Kapoor became the youngest filmmaker of his time when he made his directorial debut with “Aag” (1948) featuring himself alongside Nargis, Kamini Kaushal and Premnath.
Raj Kapoor was famous for his Charlie Chaplin-esque style of acting, which garnered attention not only from the Indian audience but also made him a fan-favourite in Russia.
Raj Kapoor married Krishna Malhotra in 1946. They had five children: three sons, actors Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv, and two daughters, Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain.
In Raj Kapoor’s son-actor Rishi Kapoor’s autobiography – Khullam Khulla, he began the book talking about his father’s affair with yesteryears’ actor Nargis Dutt, who together, continue to be widely acknowledged as the most iconic pair on screen.
Rishi Kapoor has written, “My father, Raj Kapoor, was twenty-eight years old and had already been hailed as the ‘showman of Hindi cinema’ four years before. He was also a man in love at the time, unfortunately, with someone other than my mother. His girlfriend was the leading lady of some of his biggest hits of the time, including Aag (1948), Barsaat (1949) and Awara (1951).”
Rishi Kapoor further wrote that Nargis was Raj Kapoor’s ‘in-house heroine’ and was understandably immortalised in the RK Studios emblem. Rishi further highlighted the relationship his father shared with co-star Vyajanthimala, who in the past had denied having an affair with the actor.
Raj Kapoor died of complications related to asthma on June 2, 1988 at the age of 63 in New Delhi.
In picture: Raj Kapoor with Mukesh. The great singer was Raj Kapoor’s voice in most of his films. Not surprisingly, when Mukesh died, Kapoor commented, “Main ne apni aawaaz ko kho diya” (I have lost my voice).
In picture: Raj Kapoor and Nadira. The duo featured together in the evergreen song from ‘Shree 420’ (1955) ‘Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh’ in which Nadira is trying to seduce Kapoor.
In picture: Raj Kapoor with his youngest son Rajiv. Nicknamed Chimpu, Rajiv had a failed stint in Bollywood, with ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ (1985) being his only movie of note.
Raj Kapoor dealt with the subject of widow remarriage and condition of widows in society through his film – Prem Rog
His films Shree 420 and Boot Polish showcased the lives of the poor and the underbelly in society.
In picture: Raj Kapoor with Dimple Kapadia, whom he launched in ‘Bobby’ (1973) when she was only 16 years old. He introduced the concept of teenage romane through this film.
In picture: Raj Kapoor with son Randhir Kapoor. The former acted in the 1975 film ‘Dharam Karam’ which was directed by Randhir.
Raj Kapoor with Zeenat Aman. Kapoor directed the 1978 film ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, which starred Zeenat and is widely termed as the filmmaker’s most controversial work. Many found Zeenat’s dressing in the film, specifically the white saree, provocative
Raj Kapoor receiving one of his many honors from former President R Venkataraman. Kapoor was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987.
