zen Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 Raj Kapoor, the name is enough. In his films, screenplay, music, acting, etc. were pretty solid. Created the right mix for substance and masala entertainment! I tend to associate Bollywood's golden age with his tenure as the director esp. from Awaara to Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Which is your favorite Raj Kapoor film as an actor and as a director? Below is a list of Raj Kapoor directed films: Aag (1948) Barsaat (1949) Awaara (1951) Shree 420 (1955) Sangam (1964) Mera Naam Joker (1970) Bobby (1973) Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) Prem Rog (1982) Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) Mariyam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 23 hours ago, zen said: Raj Kapoor, the name is enough. In his films, screenplay, music, acting, etc. were pretty solid. Created the right mix for substance and masala entertainment! I tend to associate Bollywood's golden age with his tenure as the director esp. from Awaara to Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Which is your favorite Raj Kapoor film as an actor and as a director? Below is a list of Raj Kapoor directed films: Aag (1948) Barsaat (1949) Awaara (1951) Shree 420 (1955) Sangam (1964) Mera Naam Joker (1970) Bobby (1973) Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) Prem Rog (1982) Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) Awaara would be my clear no. 1, Mera Naam Joker (1970) is no. 2, and there's a few at roughly same level Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariyam Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 @zen Chori Chori deserves a mention. My favs are Shree 420, Awaara and Chori Chori. Unbearable ones: Mera naam joker. Chhalia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) On 1/21/2022 at 12:00 PM, Vijy said: Awaara would be my clear no. 1, Mera Naam Joker (1970) is no. 2, and there's a few at roughly same level His performance in Awaara is cool as it touches upon various emotions ... Overall, I like his acting in general in songs too ... I have not watched Mera Naam Joker recently so will reserve my judgment on it (probably last watched over a decade ago) Edited January 23, 2022 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 5 minutes ago, Mariyam said: @zen Chori Chori deserves a mention. My favs are Shree 420, Awaara and Chori Chori. Unbearable ones: Mera naam joker. Chhalia. Chori Chori is a good film with superb songs ... However, I only listed the films directed by Raj Kapoor. As an actor, he has worked in many films After I watched It Happened One Night (1934), Chori Chori feels okayish Vijy and Mariyam 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Chori Chori directed by Anant Thakur and DHKMN directed by Mahesh Bhatt relied too much on coping entire scenes from It Happened One Night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) Better ATG actor than director/showman. His stature as a filmmaker is overrated because of the songs in his movies being popular. Awaara is top-notch and he went downhill as a filmmaker like the downhill of RGV/VVC from Satya/Parinda. Didn't he direct Andaz too? I never liked him as a Director. Sangam is a borefest like MNJ. It is hyped because of the songs which are popular because of a S-J music. From Bobby and even in MNJ he turned into a leech person showing women as a showpiece/sex object. His best movies as an actor are Teesri Kasam, Andaz (although DK outacted him), Boot Polish and even liked his acting in Anadi . Talentwise I rate DilipKumar, RajK. Dev Anand in that order. Edited January 21, 2022 by coffee_rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 Talking about RK the filmmaker, you get a magical experience in his films where you want to stop everything and watch the film ... I was multitasking - doing something and also listening to some old songs on YT ... As soon as I heard "ishwar satya hai" I stopped what I was doing, and hypothetically listened to the song with full attention ... RK films have that power. He is definitely among my favorite filmmakers of all time from across the globe ravishingravi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 I read some tweets on RK's films at the box office adjusted for inflation: Shree 420 - 618 cr Sangam - 760 cr Mera Naam Joker - 951 crore * 73.1 million tickets were sold in Soviet Union * This was released in 3 parts Bobby would be 1000+ cr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravishingravi Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Mera Naam Joker was ambitious. I watched it as kid in theatres in one of the re-runs in Kolkata. Left a strong impression. Vijy and zen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharathh Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Imo as a South Indian I find him massively overrated. Never liked any of his movies. nevada and coffee_rules 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevada Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 17 minutes ago, bharathh said: Imo as a South Indian I find him massively overrated. Never liked any of his movies. Yeah, a bit syrupy and too dreamy. Good for the times when black and white was in vogue but dated after that. I felt Rishi Kapoor was a way better actor and a natural. bharathh and coffee_rules 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, ravishingravi said: Mera Naam Joker was ambitious. I watched it as kid in theatres in one of the re-runs in Kolkata. Left a strong impression. Will try to revisit MNJ in the near future. RK’s acted and directed films have their own charm. Once he became a director only, he weaved various social issues and/or passed beautiful messages (which would have been influential during that period) in his films as well: Bobby - Rich and poor can mix, including getting married. Started a trend of such romantic films. Loosely remade as Maine Pyar Kiya … Mera Naam Joker is a highly acclaimed film now but wasn’t understood well at its release in India. Many people even claimed that RK was finished. RK is said to have remarked that these people do not know what RK is. Bobby followed Satyam Shivam Sundaram - About the importance of giving more weightage to inner beauty not physical beauty … First half is fairytale like Prem Rog - Widows social life don’t end with the end of their husbands’ lives Ram Teri Ganga Maili - How innocence gets washed away once you grow up … From what I remember listening to Randhir is that RK got obsessed with the song “Ek Radha, EK Meera” when he heard it at a function. He immediately purchased the song and hired the music director. RK and the music director went to Goa to compose other songs. Based on the songs, RK created the story along the lines of how Ganga is pure when it starts out in the unadulterated mountains, getting dirtier as it interacts more and more with the messy environment on its journey farther. Also an analogy with youth where all kids are pure but as they grow up, the social environment influences them to not remain as “pure” … And then the deeper meaning in line “Ram teri Ganga maili ho gayi papi o ke paap dhote dhote” Genius!!! Edited January 22, 2022 by zen Vijy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 3 hours ago, zen said: Will try to revisit MNJ in the near future. RK’s acted and directed films have their own charm. Once he became a director only, he weaved various social issues and/or passed beautiful messages (which would have been influential during that period) in his films as well: Bobby - Rich and poor can mix, including getting married. Started a trend of such romantic films. Loosely remade as Maine Pyar Kiya … Mera Naam Joker is a highly acclaimed film now but wasn’t understood well at its release in India. Many people even claimed that RK was finished. RK is said to have remarked that these people do not know what RK is. Bobby followed Satyam Shivam Sundaram - About the importance of giving more weightage to inner beauty not physical beauty … First half is fairytale like Prem Rog - Widows social life don’t end with the end of their husbands’ lives Ram Teri Ganga Maili - How innocence gets washed away once you grow up … From what I remember listening to Randhir is that RK got obsessed with the song “Ek Radha, EK Meera” when he heard it at a function. He immediately purchased the song and hired the music director. RK and the music director went to Goa to compose other songs. Based on the songs, RK created the story along the lines of how Ganga is pure when it starts out in the unadulterated mountains, getting dirtier as it interacts more and more with the messy environment on its journey farther. Also an analogy with youth where all kids are pure but as they grow up, the social environment influences them to not remain as “pure” … And then the deeper meaning in line “Ram teri Ganga maili ho gayi papi o ke paap dhote dhote” Genius!!! Raj Kapoor was bankrupt after Mera Naam Joker, for 4 years they (RK khaandaan) were acting for others producers to survive. Bobby was financed by Haji Mastan, the gangster and that movie resurrected the RK Films Studios and Khaandaan. By his own biographical account, he was influenced by Archie comics for content of Bobby , by the equation of Archie, Betty and Veronica and the class struggle in a western middle class view more comically In an Indian movie context, Sujata, in the 60s, depicted this class struggle of rich vs poor for romantic interests, more classier than Bobby. RK was more about fluff that later filmmakers like Subhash Ghai, Suraj Barjatya and Karan Johar copied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 2 minutes ago, coffee_rules said: RK was more about fluff that later filmmakers like Subhash Ghai, Suraj Barjatya and Karan Johar copied. RK is a mainstream filmmaker specializing in mixing substance with masala entertainment ... Like you said, he mastered quality masala entertainment, influencing various filmmakers Vijy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 (edited) 12 hours ago, ravishingravi said: Mera Naam Joker was ambitious. I watched it as kid in theatres in one of the re-runs in Kolkata. Left a strong impression. it is not only his most ambitious film, but also the most complex, misunderstood and personal film of kapoor's career. My no. 2 pick after awaara Edited January 22, 2022 by Vijy ravishingravi and zen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 (edited) Talking about films directed by RK, in the 2020s (last 2-3 years), I have seen 4: Awaara & Shree 420: I like to club these two as they share the iconic Raju character. Perfected and demonstrated the Bollywood style of filmmaking. Awaara is relatively serious while Shree 420 is mostly all out fun. Sangam: It is a sophisticated film. The film is relatively less formulaic than those of the period where sad sequences would be followed by comedy sequence featuring specialist comedian (Tun Tun and co). The acting is top notch, oozing style through understatedness of the Rajendra Kumar, and the display of pain using sarcasm by Raj Kapoor once he perceives the situation. Vaijantimala completes the triangle with some good acting displaying both disdain and love eloquently. The finale is mind blowing! Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Many of its songs are mesmerizing. The first half is fairytale like - a kind of cinderella story where the slippers are replaced with songs. Shashi and Zeenat look good on screen. It has a village atmosphere and integrates flood elements well in the final segment (considering there is no villain to beat in the film unless you want to count Shashi's character as one). Also a psychological study of a beauty obsessed person Will attempt to rewatch others too. Edited January 23, 2022 by zen Vijy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 PS To add to my post on Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Prem Rog, and Ram Teri Ganga Maili ... As discussed they are all love stories told in 4 different ways weaved with different social issues ... Also these are by and large heroine centric. Bobby is more about Dimple's Bobby, SSS is more about Zeenat (Shashi has negative shades), Prem Rog is centered around Padmini, Ram Teri Ganga Maili is centered around Mandakini's character!! Vijy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 On 1/22/2022 at 2:51 PM, Vijy said: it is not only his most ambitious film, but also the most complex, misunderstood and personal film of kapoor's career. My no. 2 pick after awaara How is it misunderstood? Have you watched it recently? Please elaborate. His biography said he fell in love with all his heroines from Nargis, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini and Zeenat. The movie is self-indulgent crap. I don’t know how it can leave strong impression @ravishingravi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 25 minutes ago, coffee_rules said: How is it misunderstood? Have you watched it recently? Please elaborate. His biography said he fell in love with all his heroines from Nargis, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini and Zeenat. The movie is self-indulgent crap. I don’t know how it can leave strong impression @ravishingravi I did watch it quite recently, but I don't see what the timing of my watching has anything to do with it. it is misunderstood because it was seen (and still is seen by many) as being titillating and/or mindless entertainment. In actuality, it is quite a nuanced exploration of the various stages of a performer/artist's life, what it means to be a struggling creator (in raju's case, clown), and so on. It is loosely reminiscent of chaplin's "Limelight". Both of these are flawed films (Limelight has fewer flaws), but they explore in depth the ups and downs of an artistic psyche. any movie list is subjective. I wrote it was "My no. 2 pick", not that it should be everyone's no. 2 pick. zen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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