50 Fun Facts About Raj Kapoor

Raj Kapoor is nicknamed the Indian version of which Hollywood star, whose Tramp inspired him?

He played the tramp-like innocent in Awaara, Shree 420 and Mera Naam Joker, cheerful and honest whatever the world threw at him.

In which city was Raj Kapoor born in 1924?

The family later moved to India's film capital; his father was then still touring city to city as a stage and film actor.

What was Raj Kapoor's name at birth?

His father changed the family's Nath names to Raj; the discarded first name Ranbir was later given to a grandson.

Which two younger brothers of Raj Kapoor also became major film actors?

Two other brothers born between Raj and Shammi died in infancy within a fortnight of each other in 1931.

Raj Kapoor first appeared on screen at what age, in the 1935 film Inquilab?

His first leading role came in 1947 with Neel Kamal, opposite Madhubala and Begum Para; it flopped.

What was the name of the production banner Raj Kapoor founded in 1948?

Its first film was also his directing debut and the first time he and Nargis were paired on screen.

Which 1948 film marked Raj Kapoor's debut as a director?

It was only an average earner but critics liked it, and it launched the Kapoor-Nargis pairing.

Which 1949 Raj Kapoor film became the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, beating Kismet?

It ran for almost two years at one Kolkata cinema, introduced the actress Nimmi, and its profits let him buy RK Studios in 1950.

Which composer duo, introduced by Raj Kapoor, scored 20 of his films from 1949 onwards?

Their Awaara soundtrack was the best-selling Hindi film album of the 1950s; Kapoor also introduced the lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri.

Which screenwriter wrote Awaara, Shree 420, Mera Naam Joker and Bobby for Raj Kapoor?

He had originally wanted Mehboob Khan to direct Awaara, but they fell out over casting.

Who played Judge Raghunath, who disowns Raj, in Awaara?

Mehboob Khan had wanted Ashok Kumar as the judge and Dilip Kumar as the son; the writer took his script to Kapoor, who cast his own father instead.

Roughly how many cinema admissions did Awaara draw in the Soviet Union?

It remains the third-most-watched foreign film there, and sold another 100 million tickets or so in China.

Which two Raj Kapoor films competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes?

Jagte Raho separately took the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary.

Who sang 'Awaara Hoon', the song that made Raj Kapoor a star from Turkey to China?

He was Kapoor's usual singing voice, along with Manna Dey; Kishore Kumar sang for him only once, in the 1950 flop Pyar.

In Shree 420, Raj's country boy travels from Allahabad to which city, on foot?

There he is seduced by a crooked businessman's Ponzi scheme promising the poor homes for 100 rupees.

Which 2016 Hollywood film used the Shree 420 song 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' in its opening sequence?

The song's lyric about Japanese shoes, English trousers, a Russian cap and an Indian heart became a patriotic anthem of newly independent India.

How many Soviet viewers did Shree 420 draw in 1956, the year's top foreign film there?

It was imported at an unusually high price and still finished second at the Soviet box office that year.

For which 1959 comedy did Raj Kapoor win his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor?

Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed it, with Nutan, Motilal and Lalita Pawar; it was the year's number one at the box office.

Raj Kapoor's 1960 film Chhalia was based on a story by which Russian novelist?

Manmohan Desai directed it from White Nights; Kapoor's Soviet fan base made Russian material a natural fit.

Which 1964 Raj Kapoor film was his first in colour and the first Indian film shot entirely abroad?

Shot in London, Paris and Switzerland with Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar, it was the decade's second-biggest hit behind Mughal-E-Azam.

Mera Naam Joker is one of only two Hindi films ever to have what?

It runs well over three hours; the only other film with the same feature is Kapoor's own 1964 epic.

How long did Mera Naam Joker take to make?

After his 1964 blockbuster it was hugely anticipated, then flopped so badly it left Kapoor in a financial crisis before becoming a cult classic.

What profession does Raj Kapoor's character Raju follow in Mera Naam Joker?

Three women from his life are invited to his last performance, and the film ends with the words 'Positively Not The End'.

Which of Raj Kapoor's sons made his screen debut playing the young Raju in Mera Naam Joker?

He would headline Bobby three years later and, decades on, his son Ranbir became a star in turn.

Which actress made her debut opposite Raj Kapoor's son in Bobby (1973)?

Neetu Singh also auditioned for the part; she later married the film's hero in real life.

Bobby was thematically inspired by which American comics?

It launched the Bollywood teenage romance and the rich-boy-poor-girl template that many films copied.

According to its leading man, why was Bobby really made?

His father wanted a love story but could not afford a superstar like Rajesh Khanna, so he cast his own son.

Bobby Braganza, the heroine of Bobby, is the daughter of what?

The plot turns on the class and religious gap between her family and Raj's rich Hindu businessman father, played by Pran.

Raj Kapoor's 1978 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram, starring Zeenat Aman, drew accusations of what?

It was still well received and earned him a Filmfare nomination for Best Director.

Which 1985 film, starring newcomer Mandakini and his son Rajiv, was Raj Kapoor's last as director?

With no stars at all it topped the year's box office and won five Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Which unfinished Raj Kapoor love story was completed by his sons and released in 1991?

He was working on it when he collapsed in 1988; Randhir directed the finished film and it was a major hit.

Whom did Raj Kapoor marry in 1946, when she was 15 and he was 21?

Her brothers Prem Nath, Rajendra Nath and Narendra Nath all followed her into films, and her sister married the actor Prem Chopra.

Nargis left Raj Kapoor after which film, going on to marry her Mother India co-star?

Kapoor would not leave his wife and children; the pair never publicly admitted the affair, which his son confirmed in a 2017 memoir.

Whom did Nargis marry in 1958?

They met on Mother India; their son Sanjay Dutt made his film debut three days after her death in 1981.

Under what name was Nargis born in Calcutta in 1929?

Her screen name is Persian for narcissus, the daffodil; she was first credited as Baby Nargis at six.

Which of Raj Kapoor's granddaughters became leading Bollywood actresses?

They are the daughters of his eldest son Randhir and the actress Babita; grandson Ranbir is his second son's boy.

Raj Kapoor's father appeared in a supporting role in which landmark 1931 film, India's first talkie?

He had already made nine silent films after arriving in the film capital in 1928 on a loan from an aunt.

What theatre company did Raj Kapoor's father found in 1944?

A troupe of up to 80 people toured India for months at a time until cinema made travelling theatre unviable by the late 1950s.

What was the cause of Raj Kapoor's death in 1988?

He spent a month in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences before dying at 63.

Where did Raj Kapoor collapse shortly before his death?

India's highest cinema honour was thus presented to a dying man; he had received the Padma Bhushan in 1971.

How many Filmfare Awards did Raj Kapoor win in his career?

He also took three National Film Awards, and Stardust named him Best Director of the Millennium in 2001.

Where is the Kapoor family memorial, on the farm where Raj Kapoor shot Bobby and Prem Rog?

The farm sits on the Mula-Mutha river; the family bungalow where 'Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho' was filmed is preserved there.

Vysotsky's 1967 'Song about Yogis' names Raj Kapoor as a Soviet symbol of India alongside yoga and which deity?

His Soviet popularity outlasted his stardom at home: the 1980 flop Abdullah still did well there.

In which film did Raj Kapoor play a full-fledged villain, the only time in his career?

Papi, the same era, is his only double role; both were 1952-53 films opposite Nargis that did middling business.

Which unreleased 1986 Raj Kapoor film with Ashok Kumar was blocked by legal problems?

Its songs survive even though the film never came out; his last released screen appearance was Vakil Babu in 1982.

Google marked which Raj Kapoor anniversary with a doodle in 2014?

For his centenary in December 2024, his best-known films were screened in 135 theatres across 40 Indian cities.

Which feature of Raj Kapoor did Asha Parekh call 'so magnetic' she could watch for a lifetime?

Mala Sinha said his smile always carried a layer of pathos, sorrow and joy at once.

Which of these actresses did Raj Kapoor introduce to the screen?

He also revived or launched the careers of all three of his sons.

Raj Kapoor's 1971 film Kal Aaj Aur Kal was notable for what casting?

It was also the last film his long-time composer duo scored for the family banner.

Which civilian honour did the Government of India confer on Raj Kapoor in 1971?

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award followed in 1987, and Stardust named him 'Best Director of the Millennium' in 2001.