Raj Kapoor, The Master Showman Options

[nandi]

Swarpriya,
Thank you so much for uploading these songs in such good quality. Please keep up your great effort. I especially admire the way in which you have organized your posts. The addition of posters and the songs list is valuable information.

[swarapriya]

Missing song :

Main Hoon Alladin - MP3 128 - 5.52




Main Hoon Ek Khalasi - MP3 128 - 3.57

Thanks a whole bunch for sharing the missing songs Devji. Cheers. -S

[swarapriya]

Swarpriya,
Thank you so much for uploading these songs in such good quality. Please keep up your great effort. I especially admire the way in which you have organized your posts. The addition of posters and the songs list is valuable information.

Thanks for such encouragingly nice words. With many cheers, -S.

[swarapriya]

Awara (1951)

K.A. Abbas had a tremendous influence over the movies Raj Kapoor made early in his career. He wrote either stories, dialogues, or screenplays for some of Raj’s best movies. These include “Awara” (1951 - screenplay and dialogue), “Shri 420” (1955 - story, screenplay, and dialogue), “Jagte Raho” (1956 - screenplay), “Mera Naam Joker” (1970 - story and screenplay), “Bobby” (1973 - story and screenplay), and “Henna” (1991 - story). Almost all these movies were smashing successes except for “Jagte Raho” and “Mera Naam Joker”. Even these two became kind of cult classics many years after their releases.

Abbas ji came from a distinguished family background. One of his forefathers was a student of Mirza Ghalib. His grandfather was one of the chief rebels of the 1857 Rebellion movement. His father was also educated and practiced Unani medicine.

After graduating Abbas ji worked as a contributing editor for various magazines. He came to Bombay as a film critic for a magazine and during this time got an opportunity to know film folks. He started writing screenplays and submitted them to various directors. Chetan Anand made “Neecha Nagar” based on one of his scripts. This movie won the prestigious Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. To date this is the only Indian movie to achieve such a distinction. Shantaram’s “Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani”, a true story, was also based on Abbas ji’s screenplay.

Later Abbas ji found his own company to make social dramas that were close to his heart. One of his films “Munna” won wide acclaim. His “Shehar Aur Sapna” won the National Film Award. Abbas ji directed well over 30 movies.

Abbas ji was a prodigal when it came to writing. He published over 70 books in Hindi, Urdu, and English. He also published several short stories. “Inquilaab” was one of his best known fictions that drew its story from communal violence. His books were translated into several Indian as well as foreign languages such as Arabic, French, German, Italic, and Russian.

Apart from writing stories and books and making movies, Abbas ji was also a weekly contributor to the Blitz magazine. He wrote the column “The Last Page” week after week for nearly 25 years. A collection of these writings were published as books.

In a lifetime that was rich with so many accomplishments to his credit, Abbas ji was showered with numerous awards throughout his distinguished career. Among them was the honor of Padma Shri that was bestowed on him by The Government of India.

Abbas ji in an interview fondly recalled his association with Raj Kapoor as follows: "While Raj Kapoor is no great ideologue, he is not allergic to ideas. Indeed, with his basic sympathy for the common man, he is more than amenable to socially progressive ideas and humanist ideals, so long as their presentation does not interfere with the popularity potential of his film".

What did Raj Kapoor thought of Abbas ji? Here is what Raj said in one interview: “Fortunately, I have from the very start been happy in my professional associations and it was quite early in my film career, when I was scarcely a film and a half old, that my association with K.A. Abbas began. That was ‘Awara’, an exciting intellectual adventure, which set off an exchange of ideas and a way of working between Abbas sahib and myself that continues to this day. ‘Awara’ embodies my earliest fashioning of the sort of universal humanity symbol which was to go on taking finer shape through a succession of films until ‘Mera Naam Joker’, where it emerged as the crystallization of my entire philosophy of life.”

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Nov 10 2008, 10:33 AM

[swarapriya]

Songs Of "Awara (1951)"

There is a saying in English that goes "like father, like son". How far this adage can be true? This movie, bold in its theme when it was first released, tests this statement to its ultimate and unexpected but its eventual result. Raj Kapoor was not simply a master showman (take the stunning dream sequence from this movie), but was making a social commentary through these movies in his own entertaining way.

Every song in this movie still sparkles like a gem. All songs except the two extended ones are from a CD. The extended ones are either a DVD rip or from the contributions of the Forum members.

Now for details of the songs and the songs themselves ...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs of "Awara (1951)"

Here are the rest of the songs from "Awara (1951)" ...

[RajanCS]

Swarapriya,

Thanks for uploading this great album. Particularly for the longer versions of Tere Bina and Ghar Aaya.

- Rajan

[desai2rn]

Swarapriya thanks fro Awara u/l and write up.

The movie and the music, specially the title song by Mukesh is perheps
the most popular of its time or (all time) outside India. The title song is
just as refreshing and popuar today.

One of the interesting thing about Awara was that K Abbas had initially approached Mehboob Khan with condtion that the hero and his father would have to be played by real life father - son actors. He had suggested PrithviRaj - Raj Kapoor. Things did not work out because Mehboob Khan inisted on Dilip Kumar as hero.

Raj Kapoor was impressed with the script but the only question was if
PrithviRaj can be convinced to act in RK banner & direction.
The rest is history.

Raj Kapoor was once asked if any of his films were closer to his heart. He had an interesting answer.

"A mother loves all her kids but the ones that are a little weak are closer to her heart. He spared no efforts in all his movies.
The one's that were sucessful made its own destiny. But couple of them, namley Jagte Raho and Joker fell behind for wahtever
weakness or may be the audience just did not understand the movie."

IMHO Jagte Raho was brilliant and Joker was very good (may be a little too long ) and their commercial failure was due to
later reason he gave.







This post has been edited by desai2rn: Nov 10 2008, 12:54 AM

[swarapriya]

Swarapriya,

Thanks for uploading this great album. Particularly for the longer versions of Tere Bina and Ghar Aaya.

- Rajan

You're welcome Rajan.

[swarapriya]

Swarapriya thanks fro Awara u/l and write up.

The movie and the music, specially the title song by Mukesh is perheps
the most popular of its time or (all time) outside India. The title song is
just as refreshing and popuar today.

One of the interesting thing about Awara was that K Abbas had initially approached Mehboob Khan with condtion that the hero and his father would have to be played by real life father - son actors. He had suggested PrithviRaj - Raj Kapoor. Things did not work out because Mehboob Khan inisted on Dilip Kumar as hero.

Raj Kapoor was impressed with the script but the only question was if
PrithviRaj can be convinced to act in RK banner & direction.
The rest is history.

Raj Kapoor was once asked if any of his films were closer to his heart. He had an interesting answer.

"A mother loves all her kids but the ones that are a little weak are closer to her heart. He spared no efforts in all his movies.
The one's that were sucessful made its own destiny. But couple of them, namley Jagte Raho and Joker fell behind for wahtever
weakness or may be the audience just did not understand the movie."

IMHO Jagte Raho was brilliant and Joker was very good (may be a little too long ) and their commercial failure was due to
later reason he gave.

Ramesh,

Thanks for the information. I didn't know that Mehboob Khan was approached originally. It is interesting to note that Mehboob Khan and Dilip Kumar stopped talking to each other from 1957 onwards. This was because Dilip always felt that he was going to play the role of Birjoo in "Mother India". When Sunil Dutt was cast for that role, Dilip stopped talking to Mehboob Khan. Later on he produced his own version of the movie, "Gunga Jumna" which was also a highly successful movie.

I agree with you about "Jagte Raho". It was a masterpiece of movie making. However, I didn't like "Joker". Length is definitely a downer but Raj was out of his element. Both he and Padmini were too much overweight. It did have its moments. Music was definitely one of its highlights.

Thanks again,
Swarapriya

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Nov 10 2008, 02:27 AM

[simplefable]

One of the interesting thing about Awara was that K Abbas had initially approached Mehboob Khan
IMHO Jagte Raho was brilliant and Joker was very good (may be a little too long ) and their commercial failure was due to later reason he gave.

Ramesh ..thanks for the info. I too agree that Jagte Raho was brilliant. I saw it in eighties, when they had this three day fest on TV. I sat through it in the dead of night..yet was rivetted to the screen. It had anticipation which is the lifeline of any movie..which was totally lacking in Joker.

I agree with you about "Jagte Raho". It was a masterpiece of movie making. However, I didn't like "Joker". Length is definitely a downer but Raj was out of his element. Both he and Padmini were too much overweight. It did have its moments. Music was definitely one of its highlights.

SP, thanks a lot for this fine album. The film is as fresh today, as it were then. Couldnt agree with you more regarding Jagte Raho. It was film way ahead of it's time. With majority of the film shot in a single building, the editing was just brilliant. None could forget the last shot of Nargis as she starts watering the plants..and starts singing the " Jago mohana pyare jago...". Lighting was so brilliant for those shots...
The only saving grace of Joker was it's fantastic music. Type cast for so long, i think Raj kapoor had the destiny written on his face, indicating the way the film is progressing...the length didnt help in anyway.

This post has been edited by simplefable: Nov 10 2008, 07:21 AM

[swarapriya]

SP, thanks a lot for this fine album. The film is as fresh today, as it were then. Couldnt agree with you more regarding Jagte Raho. It was film way ahead of it's time. With majority of the film shot in a single building, the editing was just brilliant. None could forget the last shot of Nargis as she starts watering the plants..and starts singing the " Jago mohana pyare jago...". Lighting was so brilliant for those shots...
The only saving grace of Joker was it's fantastic music. Type cast for so long, i think Raj kapoor had the destiny written on his face, indicating the way the film is progressing...the length didnt help in anyway.

Thanks, SF, for sharing your thoughts. Cheers.

[swarapriya]

Amber (1952)

Songs of "Amber (1952)" were recently uploaded by Mahesh ji in the fine thread on "Ghulam Mohammed" in "Sangeet Ke Sitare" section. You can access these songs from the following path, posts 56 through 59:

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...59132&st=45

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Nov 14 2008, 10:17 PM

[swarapriya]

Anhonee (1952)

Here is another Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer that was written and directed by K.A. Abbas. Here Roshan Saab has Talat Mahmood sing for Raj. It is interesting to note that so many different playback singers lent their voice to Raj before Mukesh ji became his "permanent" voice.

Now for the details of the songs and the songs themselves ...

[Exon]

Anhonee (1952)

Here is another Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer that was written and directed by K.A. Abbas. Here Roshan Saab has Talat Mahmood sing for Raj. It is interesting to note that so many different playback singers lent their voice to Raj before Mukesh ji became his "permanent" voice.

Now for the details of the songs and the songs themselves ...

Swarapriya,

Once again another nice album from you.
Some people consider 'yeh jilmil karte' as an extension of 'main hoon ek armaan' song. Some 40sec of dialogue intervenes the two parts. Here is the extended song. The audio originated from HF member.


Exon