At a time when “nepotism in Bollywood” is being debated heatedly, it might be worth remembering that Prithviraj Kapoor, pioneering personality of Indian theatre in 1940s and who is still remembered for his cult roles in the films like Sikandar, Mughal-e-Azam and Nanak Naam Jahaj Hai, didn’t launch his talented, blue-eyed son — Raj Kapoor — in Hindi filmdom. Raj travelled in the local trains to various studios with a small lunch box and honed his skills from the scratch; from a spot boy, he rose to be an assistant of Kedar Sharma who once famously slapped him across his face when he messed up a shot! A born genius with infectious passion for films and irrepressible ambition to succeed, Raj had courage to take risks, so he produced and directed his first film Aag in 1948 when he was barely 25! And he did it without burning his dad’s money.
Even if Raj Kapoor hadn’t produced and directed any other film, his initial trilogy — Awaara, Sri 420 and Jagte Raho — would have secured him a high place in the pantheon of Bollywood. Arguably, he has been India’s biggest international film star. When there were no colour televisions, Internet, Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, and actors weren’t hopping from place to place promoting their films and releasing the trailers and teasers, with the release of Awaara, Raj Kapoor became a huge international star in the Soviet Union, China, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Greece, Afghanistan, Turkey, Egypt and several countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America. It’s song, “Awaara Hoon...”, was translated into 16 languages. In1953, there were no NRIs or PIOs when Raj and Nargis arrived in Moscow for Awaara’s premier; still such a large number of Muscovites thronged the hotel that they had to call the police! The folklore goes that the fans lifted the car in which Raj and Nargis were travelling!
Awaara set several enviable records which have stood the test of time. It is the only Hindi film which was seen by 3 history shaping personalities — Mao Zedong, Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev. And it’s the only Indian film mentioned in Nobel Laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous novel “Cancer Ward”. Awaara was nominated for the Palme d’ Or at the Cannes in 1953.
The Time magazine ranked Raj’s performance in Awaara as one of the 10 best performances of all times and included Awaara in the addition to the list of100 greatest films ever. By 1954, Awaara had earned '5.7 crores worldwide ('739 crores in 2016). Are Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh listening?
A passionate filmmaker, after Joker’s failure, Raj mortgaged everything he possessed and produced and directed a teenage love story: Bobby, which became a trend setter and made Rishi Kapoor and Dimple a national craze; it gave them the biggest hit of their career!
Jagga Jasoos poster
Ranbir Kapoor is a diehard fan and an unabashed admirer of his grandfather. Once, on the show Koffee with Karan, when asked which of the three Khans he would like to emulate, he replied unhesitatingly that he would rather emulate his grandpa and, one day, like him, produce and direct films. Now, by producing Jagga Jasoos, he has fulfilled half his ambition.
Beautifully shot in the Northeast and Africa, influenced by Tin Tin strip and Jim Carey, Anurag Basu takes spectators on a rollicking roller coaster. However, bereft of sexy item numbers, macho fights and doses of six packs and slapstick comedy, narrated in un-Indian musical style, the film has bombed at the box office in spite of Ranbir’s heroic efforts!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya was a dud, yet it heralded the arrival of Ranbir Kapoor as a gifted talent and a future superstar. Bachana Ae Haseeno tried to exploit his raw masculinity and Casanova image; drawn by soulful songs, his fan following surged overnight.
But it was the year 2009 which showcased the whole repertoire of histrionic abilities in the films Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year.
All the three films were so different in genre, stories and roles but Ranbir lived up to expectations and gave flawless performances. Not surprisingly, he received critical acclaim and awards for them. Next year, in Praksh Jha’s ambitious film Rajneeti, loosely based on Mahabharat and Hollywood masterpiece Godfather, which also featured stalwarts like Nana Patekar and Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir’s restraint and convincing act reminds of Michael Corleone of Godfather Part II.
But the films which established his credentials a great thespian were Rock Star, directed by Imtiaz Ali, and Barfi, directed by Anurag Basu. He got Film-fare’s Best Actor award for them in consecutive years. Rock Star takes the viewers on an emotional journey along with the main protagonist’s trials and tribulations for fulfilling his dream as a musician.
The portrayal of the role of a dumb and deaf character in Barfi remains Ranbir’s most memorable performance so far.
While “Badtameez Dil” of Jawani Hai Diwanee still rocks the party circuits, it also hit the bull’s eye at the box office. However, his attempts to try an out and out masala film like Besharam a la Salman Khan and a film noir, Bombay Velvet, fell flat; even his loyal fans started deserting him.
But having inherited the genes of Raj Kapoor, he couldn’t give up; Ranbir bounced back with Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and reprised his status as one of the finest actors.
The film’s songs have become a rage and his passionate and confused romance with Aishwarya and Anushka brought his fans back. He looked good, acted effortlessly and left the viewers in awe with his performance.
In Tamasha too, with Deepika, he gave a brouhaha performance.
At a time when every hero from Ranbeer Singh to Ayushmann Khurrana flaunts his six packs and goes over the top copying Michael Jackson or doing a “tapori” act or trying loud comedy like Gol Maal, Ranbir Kapoor should continue doing niche roles which only he can.
Who else would dare to do a Jagga Jasoos? Notwithstanding its fate at the box office, it’s a role worth enacting. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Jagga are milestones! His biopic of Sunjay Dutt and Dragon with Alai Bhatt should be films to watch out.
In pursuit of an unforgettable film of mass appeal, he should produce Devdas with Alia as Paro and Shradha Kapoor as Chandramuklhi. The movie should have Gulzar’s lyrics and Rehman’s music, which should be directed by Ayan Mukerji. Ayan should keep Bimal Roy’s Devdas in mind; it can catapult Ranbir as the idol of millions as Dilip Kumar was, once!
The writer is a former ambassador
