Cinema
Awaara
आवारा
Raj Kapoor · 1951
Synopsis
In Bombay, Judge Raghunath's wife, Leela, is abducted by the bandit Jagga; when she returns, pregnant, the judge suspects her of adultery and drives her out. Leela gives birth to a son, Raj, who grows up in the misery of the streets and becomes friends with a rich little girl, Rita, before Jagga makes a thief of him. Years later, Raj meets Rita again, now a lawyer.
Context
The film was written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and V. P. Sathe, and produced by R. K. Films, the company the director had founded three years earlier. Raj Kapoor gave the role of the judge to his own father, Prithviraj Kapoor, and that of Rita to Nargis; the music is by Shankar-Jaikishan, the title song sung by Mukesh to lyrics by Shailendra. The film was presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953.
Who it is for
A long film, over three hours, in Hindi, punctuated with songs; available as video on demand with French subtitles.
Prizes and reception
An immense success in the Soviet Union, China and the Near East, where its title song, Awaara Hoon, is still well known; it was said to be one of Mao's favourites.
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