Just wanted to give an update for any future watchers: Awaara has been remastered in 4K and is gonna be at the Toronto International Film Festival: tiff.net/events/awara
omg sameee!! i used watch indian films with my mom when i was a child. she used to tell me that there was nothing else to watch on tv so she and her siblings would gather around the screen and watch it.
same reason mexican cinema was popular in romania and yugoslavia, they didn’t want to encourage capitalism by importing 1st world cinema so they looked to third world countries for neutrality Yugoslavia was also not on good terms with russia and romania was also roman country so it seemed like the best option.
India and Russia had had a deal where India got Russian literature and Russia got Indian films, that also why a lot of Indian boomers grew up reading a lot of Russian literature. But my absolute favourite story that came out of this cultural exchange was that Raj Kapoor landed in Russia completely unannounced in the 60s and people recognised him and lifted his car up on their shoulders.
Before the 1990s, Indian cinema was a powerhouse of extraordinary storytelling, known simply as Indian cinema. The term "Bollywood" was coined in the '90s by a small group of individuals who had neither made memorable films nor significantly contributed to the industry. Fueled by corruption and foreign influence, they reduced this vibrant and influential industry to the label "Bollywood," akin to Nollywood, Kollywood, and Tollywood. Today, the world refers to Indian cinema as Bollywood with a dismissive smile, a tragic testament to the cultural diminishment orchestrated by those who sought to undermine its legacy.
You are right to an extent, but the term "Bollywood" was coined 1970s with emergence of blockbusters like Sholay. Around that time, the conventions of commercial Hindi masala films were defined. In the 90s, nepotism started becoming powerful, and the art side of films started to fall behind. Tbh, there's nothing wrong about calling some regional industries some "...wood". Its about quality
Add to it, the influence of Mafias in the Bollywood during the same time. Filmmakers wanted money, and these mafias wanted to be close to celebrities(you know what I mean). Mafias influenced the stories, making them more vile and idiolising violence and guns.
It's sad that the last wave of alternate films were in the 80s and then never again. It was the last time Filmfare had actual credibility and gave actually good and artistic films the win regardless of box office.
Holy crap, i watched this and expected it to have 200k views at least, extremely high quality video essay, optimistic and realistic in all the right places, opens your eyes, and gives you an appreciation for art. Fantastic. Subbed.
@@LowercaseJai very welcome! Surprised I'd get a response, and thank you RUclips doesn't like to recommend people good intelligent content anymore, in my opnion, latley the home page algorithm has been pretty horrible and only existing to get the lowest common demoniminator hooked on clicks, and video essays on your level of quality just don't get shown to the public eye like they used to be I found your channel through your video on the fresh prince ytp and loved it, since I'm both someone who grew up on deranged spongebob ytps and is a lover of experimental art, now I'm getting to learn about what's probably the most famous socialist movie of all time I wish it was easier for common people to find out about this stuff, but the internet unfortunately doesn't provide that anymore, especially as stupid AI algorithms become more and more dominant over the control of information Your video is awesome, and I can promise they're informative and very entertaining. If you mind me asking, what's some other topics you're thinking about covering next?
@@drakep.5857 i haven't really decided on another topic yet, but i was thinking maybe something with gordon ramsay... his shows are so engaging despite the fact he's so clearly a horrible guy. there's definitely something there. mind's blank otherwise. thanks for the nice words again!
@@LowercaseJai that'd be a fun topic, a little delve into reality TV I've found I really love your videoes on foreign topics like the japenese director and Awaara Always intrested to see your work! I'll be sure to comment n more on anything new you make Btw, in case you're looking to any inspiration or great content regarding what I personally consider the peak of modern video essays, check out: Jimmy Mcgee, for grim but focused and smart talk on video games and society, and video game's strength as an art form Cloud Cuckoo Country, for book and literature analysis and discussion of the literary form And finally Paper Will, whom made two excellent, extensive and entertainment filled videoes on Cults and Children's Entertainment! You might join the ranks of these excellent video essayists in my mind soon, and gain the cult followings they have, all I can recommend is keep doing what you're doing now, because it's pretty damn great and nigh professional (and definitely cream of the crop and not as wilted as more popular algorithm driven RUclips media essays)
As an Arab girl, I grew up watching both Hollywood and Bollywood movies and even Turkish series. All this gave me an idea about cultures that were unknown to me.
@ArtVandelay-av Sorry, but how is having a glimpse of the hindi language and the popular food in India subjugating the Hindus? Most Indian actors I know are Hindus? Most movies I watched had little to no Muslim representation in them?
@@africandaisy310 Ignore him he as known in is Modibkhat..Arabs should avoid interacting with indians this days..they become so delusional and aggressive..yet still working in Arab countries 😂😅..
@@africandaisy310 Ignore him those known as Modibkhat in India..Arabs should avoid interacting with indians this days..they become so delusional and aggressive..and still working in the Arab countries😅😂..
Fun fact: Mehboob Khan, the one who was originally going to make this film instead of Raj Kapoor, was such an open communist that he made his film studio's logo a literal M with a hammer and sickle around it. Check it out, Mehboob Studio. Makes a lot of sense that Abbas wrote this for him!
@br0ken_107 Socialism is the dictatorship of the proletariat part if you want to get technical. The OP is correct. Stop with your Wordplay. It did have socialist / communist influence whatever u wanna call it
Communism does not work. Socialism is great on paper but it still won't work long term. Unregulated capitalism is dangerous af. Social Market economy is where it's at.
This is one of the best videos I have ever seen. I'm from Brazil and have been watching Bollywood for +10 years now and it saddens me how much indian cinema is underestimated. And even after all of that time watching these movies, there were informations here that I did not know, this was such a informative and educative video. I watched Awaara when I was probably 13 and I cannot tell you how stunned I was by it. I'm glad there are more people who appreciate this movie as much as I do. Another cool fact that I think you missed, was that young Raj is played by Shashi Kapoor, Raj's younger brother, and also a very talented actor and maybe one of the nicest Kapoors skskskskks Great video, I do hope that you make more about Bollywood, I will certainly be here to watch!
@@sayakchoudhury9711 Yeah! Raj Kapoor seemed to like to put his family in his movies a lot, in Shree 420 in Pyaar Hya Ikrar Hua you can see all of his children (Rishi, Ritu and Randhir) walking in the rain
@@darkodonnie2729 I am not, I am from Brazil. I just have been watching Hindi movies for more than half of my life so I ended up knowing a lot and researching a lot.
Back then india cinema had great art of story telling and even music was just used for showing emotions in particular of situations. Now todays bollywood which tried to copy hollywood action genre derived bollywood as " na ghar ka na ghat ka " 😂
I am happy that people are getting to know more about good indian movies. I would also recommend you to check the works of Gurudutt also. His movies and his life was also nothing short of extraodinary. Definitely check out Pyaasa(1957) and Kagaz Ke Phool(1959), based on the same themes but presented so differently that its a film class in itself.
Commenting for the algorithm. I'm Turkish and saw neither the original film nor any of the remakes (weirdly) but the song "Awara Hoon" was so popular as well, and parodies of it keep coming up in Turkish films from 60s/70s. Edit: I commented this below but decided to edit here as well. Looking back, I can't very easily substantiate my specific claim (i.e. the song itself was featured in films that weren't remakes). I know I knew the melody before I even knew the original movie existed, I don't remember seeing any of the remakes, and I'm fairly certain I saw multiple old-timey Turkish movies in which characters "pretend" to be Indian (usually nobility) and break into song. So when I discovered the real "Awara Hoon" (as a teenager, I think) I just went "Oh, I know this song, from the movies". But when I went to check the one specific scene I remember from a specific movie was a different song. In any case, as explained in the video, the movie was super popular in Turkey, and it obviously wasn't a coincidence that there suddenly was this fad of doing "Indian" skits. (This is the scene I remembered by the way, it's from a movie called Fosforlu Cevriye: ruclips.net/video/sk1fa9srrOs/видео.htmlsi=zoU86ZN0QZ3Qof_L )
Anyway, if anybody reads this far down, I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that looking back, I can't very easily substantiate my specific claim (i.e. the song itself was featured in films that weren't remakes). I know I knew the melody before I even knew the original movie existed, I don't remember seeing any of the remakes, and I'm fairly certain I saw multiple old-timey Turkish movies in which characters "pretend" to be Indian (usually nobility) and break into song. So when I discovered the real "Awara Hoon" (as a teenager, I think) I just went "Oh, I know this song, from the movies". But when I went to check the one specific scene I remember from a specific movie was a different song. In any case, as explained in the video, the movie _was_ super popular in Turkey, and it obviously wasn't a coincidence that there suddenly was this fad of doing "Indian" skits. (This is the scene I remembered by the way, it's from a movie called Fosforlu Cevriye: ruclips.net/video/sk1fa9srrOs/видео.htmlsi=zoU86ZN0QZ3Qof_L )
I still cannot comprehend how popular he was, because nobody in my own country (India) speaks about him anymore. This might be because of me staying in southern india, but both my parents have been watching hindi films and Bollywood films from as young as 8 years old. I am so confused as to why he is so obscure in india now. None of my parents introduced me to him. And the fact that the only reference to him that i have is from a lesson in our 10th standard hindi textbook is pretty fucking wild
here in North people know about him but he kinda get muddied as just "one of the Kapoors" because of oversaturation of celebrities and maybe people who like him don't act like Salman Khan or Rajnikanth fans so we don't see the fanatic hype on Raj Kapoor he maybe has more Amir Khan like fans that are more chill and tame in comparison to other bollywood celebrity fandoms. Also he is dead since 1988 maybe that's the reason you don't see people talking about him
@@scrapanimation3813 You needed talent back then, and even though Raj Kapoor is the epitome of a nepo baby, no one can dispute that he was superb filmmaker and actor.
@@cyn1clcynideHe was/is never the epitome of Nepo baby. His father asked him to start from the lowest jobs at a film studio so that he will learn the nitty-gritties of film business. He was a clapper boy to begin with.
Loved the video, but have to take exception to 'He had a rich dad.' Prithviraj Kapoor wasn't rich. Every penny of his money went into his first love - the theatre. Prithvi Theatres was his baby. He toured a lot with his theatre company and Raj Kapoor worked in that same theatre company as an ordinary assistant. Prithviraj Kapoor was insistent that his son learn the trade from the ground up. None of his children were launched by him or given money to produce films. When Raj came into movies, he wanted to be a music director. But he worked his way up from being a clapper boy to being an an AD. Then, Kidar Sharma, whom he was assisting, offered him the lead role in Neel Kamal. Raj was famously slapped by the Sharma for looking into the mirror too often. (Despite the fact that he was Prithviraj Kapoor's son. Raj later recalled that his father had told Sharma not to give him any preferential treatment and Sharma, anyway, was a stickler for discipline.) Aag was Raj Kapoor's baby - no help from his dad there. When that failed, he made Barsaat on a shoe-string budget, and put all the money from that film's success into building RK Studios. Which he mortgaged to make Awara. And so on and so forth.
Yes wanted to say the same thing!! It saddened me to see how the creator labelled him son of a rich dad when it is famously known that he worked his way from ground up. Raj kapoor famously went bankrupt at the time Mera naam joker became a blockbuster hit in the Soviet union. So I think he was more than a son who used his dad's connection to work around flop movies, he paid for each and every consequence of his action on his own. Though the creator is a foreign researcher so I give him the benefit of the doubt, but still it was sad to see especially when raj kapoor is one of my favourite legendary actor.
Bollywood is a huge thing in my family (we’re Cameroonian and European). My dad has a huge soft spot for the B&W films in particular. I need to ask him if he’s heard of Awara. If you’re into classic films like these, I recommend Mughal-e-Azam (which stars Raj Kapoor’s father!). It got a remaster 20 years ago and it’s amazingly shot.
The actor who plays the judge in the climax scene of Awaara is Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor, father of Prithviraj Kapoor, and grandfather of Raj Kapoor.
The Beatles JRPG photo gave me whiplash. Like, I thought it was an ironic edit for a moment, then realized "No, that's their names". Cultural association is wild, man.
I remember watching movies like Mera Naam Joker(My Name is Joker) and Awara(Vagabond) while I was extremely young. I wasn't even a teenager. But I rewatched those movies again and again. I barely remember the stories now but the melancholy I feel when I am reminded of the movies is something that you can only understand if you have seen these movies. Songs like 'Jeena yaha, marna yaha ' feel like the most exquisite poetry. I'm not even in my twenties yet. But these movies have a way of making you feel like, you have experienced a lifetime of emotions. That's how good these movies are.
Hmm interesting because in India Raj Kapoor's most famous film would still be Mera Naam Joker, but I never would have imagined Awaara touched so many people throughout the Second World. So much so it seems if Indian PM Nehru would have sent Raj Kapoor as an Indian ambassador to Mao, it might have solved our initial diplomatic problems!
Mere naam joker was a flop when it it came out. An absolute gem of a film but it flopped the box office when it was released unlike Awaara. So if we are taking into account both present and past...Awaara kinda has more traction than Mera naam joker given that it was a box office hit back in the day whereas Mera naam joker became more popular as a Cult classic and then to one of greatest classic films in Hindi film industry.
That Bastard Nehru was himself alone responsible for the loss of Bharat in both the wars with Pakistan and China. The fact is that even if Raj Kapoor was sent as a diplomat that brainless comiee would not agree. My thoughts not debating
Nehru Chacha himself was an asset of CCP just like his great-grandson Rahul Baba who was caught with his Chinese handler in Nepal just a couple of years ago. This entire family have been serving China for generations.
@@LowercaseJaiactually its mlayalam industry thats the pinnacle of indian cinema be it script camera,direction or acting and being realistic .its always been peak content even though bollywood was more popular bcz of the language belt .now Malayalam is getting its recognition and is ruling indian boxoffice for content oriented cinema and technical cinema ..ar rahman , rasool pookutty etc the only indians to get oscars are from there
i will always have a love for indian films. even the ones that are cheaper than many american films have great production and costumes, and lengthy enough to get the full story out. in the west people see them as silly movies with dramatic transitions and convoluted plots when in actuality thats only a fraction of what their films and series have to offer
really need to watch awaara now... some of those shots were beyond gorgeous and even if you didn't say it's partly a romantic film, you can sense it's oozing with it just from how its shot for sure. it's nuts to me something this huge of a global cultural phenomenon like this wasn't ever mentioned in any of the film classes i've taken over the years. writing my old film professors now to beat the shit out of them
As a Bengali from India, I would recommend you to watch "Pather Panchali" (Song of the Road) by the greatest Indian director Satyajit Ray. Ray has inspired directors like Spielberg, Scorsese and many others so much so that he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars. And do a bit of research into the director and the making of the film too.
As an Indian that has never heard of Awaara, This Video was absolutely breathtaking. Saying that he was ahead of his time seems like an understatement. I'll definitely watch this movie now.
@@cheeru6457 lmao what tf has a movie has to do with being indian? Not everywhere is free enough to watch movies all the time. Some people don't like movies or have different taste. 🙄😮💨
Not even kidding, as a kid I used to tell ppl it's my dream to meet 'The Raj Kapoor'....I still remember how heartbroken I was the day he passed away....not that I'd have the chance to meet him even now...he was such a huge deal even after his actual glory days were long gone. Salute to the one of the greatest artists to have ever walk this planet.
At 24:32 the translation is wrong. In the context of the song, 'Gardish mein hoon' does not mean 'I'm in troubled times'. 'Gardish means orbit' 'Awara hoon. Gardish mein hoon aasman ka taara hoon,' means I'm a free spirit, like the star in orbit in space.
@@sourabhmookherjee4218Gardish means both misfortune and revolution around something, what the op said is about the sentence which I believe is more appropriate for the meaning here...
There is something tragicomedically ironic about an upper class dynasty being born out of the success of a socialist film movement. Fascinating video, btw. I have heard of Awara before because of William Patrick's Bollywood video, but he didn't go into such detail about the circumstances of it. (Which is fair, his video was about a bunch of movies in slighly more than an hour). It was interesting to learn more about it.
i'm glad you liked it! i don't really watch patrick willems' stuff, but i checked out that vid based on your suggestion. really good video! can't believe he talks about Pyaasa in that, that's one of my favourite films of all time!
Great video! The movies having a socialist touch makes sense - India had been very socilaist oriented after independence. This makes sense you consider that we just got our independence in 1947, and there was mass poverty and blood shed (from the freedom struggle and partition of India and Pakistan), combined with political beliefs of our leaders at that time.
This view is kind of revisionist and doesn't capture the full picture. Real Marxist leaders in India, like E.M.S. Namboodiripad and A.K. Gopalan, had a much more radical vision for change. They wanted a complete overhaul of the system to truly benefit the working class. However, their revolutionary ideas were largely sidelined in favor of a more moderate approach that was more acceptable to the ruling elite. This led to the adoption of policies that mixed state control with capitalist elements, rather than implementing a full-scale socialist revolution. The so-called socialism of Nehru's era ended up preserving the existing class structures instead of dismantling them. While it included some state planning and public sector dominance, it didn't fundamentally challenge the capitalist property relations or the power of the elite. Instead, it created a mixed economy that often benefited the upper classes more than the working class. Even today, the promise of true socialism in India remains unfulfilled. Despite some progress, the conditions for the working class and marginalized communities haven't significantly improved. In many ways, the economic disparities and social injustices are as severe, if not worse, than they were at the time of independence. The policies that were supposed to uplift the masses have often been co-opted to serve the interests of the powerful, leaving the fundamental issues of poverty and inequality unresolved. So when you say that India's post-independence socialism was a natural response to its conditions, you're ignoring the radical change that real Marxist leaders fought for and the ongoing struggles of the working class. This revisionist view oversimplifies the complex class dynamics and downplays the ruling class's use of socialist rhetoric to maintain their power without making real, revolutionary changes.
@@Observer-f5k by vision do you mean taking away the wealth of the rich and giving it to poor who does not have a right on that wealth or keeping a check on the oppressing rich and giving opportunities to the poor. What I'm trying to say is that if people are becoming rich by their hardwork will the government take the wealth of that rich and give it to poor. I'm asking this as fellow Keralite who does not like LDF.
@@aasamspb967 From a Marxist perspective, it is essential to understand the fundamental workings of the capitalist system and the nature of wealth accumulation. In capitalism, wealth is not merely the result of individual hard work; it is also deeply connected to the exploitation of labor and the control of the means of production. According to Marx, the capitalist system operates by extracting surplus value from workers. Surplus value is the difference between the value produced by labor and the wages paid to the laborer. This surplus value is appropriated by the capitalist as profit, leading to the accumulation of wealth at one pole of society and the corresponding accumulation of poverty at the other. Marx's theory of labor posits that labor is the source of all value. In a capitalist economy, workers sell their labor power to capitalists in exchange for wages. However, the value created by their labor exceeds the wages they receive. This excess value, or surplus value, is retained by the capitalists, enabling them to accumulate wealth. This process inherently involves the exploitation of workers, as they are not compensated for the full value of their labor. From a Marxist viewpoint, the role of the government in a capitalist society is often to maintain and perpetuate the conditions favorable to capital accumulation. This includes protecting property rights and ensuring the continued exploitation of labor. While some governments may implement policies to redistribute wealth or provide social welfare, these measures do not fundamentally alter the capitalist relations of production but rather serve to mitigate the most egregious effects of capitalism and maintain social stability. The wealth distribution you're referring to aligns more with social democracy(And academically Kerala has being referred to as a social democratic state), which aims to balance capitalist markets with strong social welfare programs. However, this model has significant flaws, especially in a country like India. Social democracy in Europe relies heavily on wealth generated from global economic structures that often exploit developing countries(including ours), maintaining their own high standards of living at the expense of the global periphery. India, being the exploited country by western social democratic structures cannot easily replicate this model. The structural issues of inequality and exploitation within and between countries mean that simply redistributing wealth without addressing the underlying capitalist framework won't lead to genuine social justice. Social democracy may offer temporary relief but does not fundamentally challenge the capitalist system that creates and perpetuates inequality. Marxist theory also critiques electoral politics under capitalism as inherently revisionist. Electoral parties, including the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, are seen as operating within the constraints of the capitalist system and, therefore, unable to bring about genuine socialist transformation. Instead, they are viewed as attempting to reform the system in ways that are ultimately insufficient to address the root causes of exploitation and inequality. This critique suggests that true emancipation of the working class requires a revolutionary transformation of society, transcending the limitations of electoral politics and addressing the fundamental contradictions of capitalism.
please make a video on pyaasa directed by guru dutt from 1957. the story is about a poet named vijay and how after independence he struggles to make a name for himself. it shows how artists are not respected enough.
Another movie that I watched recently was kagaz ke phool (1959)(translation:"paper flowers"), it was directed by Guru dutt that movie is also forward thinking but it didn't get the fame it deserves then , but now it's a cult classic and the director/actor also had a tragic life , I would like to see a video on that
if you like awara, you will definitely like 'mera naam joker' a movie that had a 5 hour run time. that version i think isn't available anywhere. it's a story about a clown who kept looking for love all his life and where his life ends and how. that movie baffles me everytime I think about it. one more movie in this class is boot polish. a couple of kids who are trying to make a living polishing shoes. grab those tissues before you start
I've had this film on my to watch list for years! I never knew what it was about, and how much of a visual masterpiece it was though. Thanks for the video--I'll be watching it this weekend.
@@dsbdsb6637 I've seen some of Satyajit Ray's films--Pather Panchali, Jalsaghar, and Ghare Baire. Amazing films. There are several more I still want to watch though, like The Big City, Charulata, and the rest of the Apu trilogy. I have some Guru Dutt films on my list too! Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam and Pyaasa. So much to watch...
I am so glad that this appeared in my youtube recommendations. Great piece of cinema history that i didn't know about and great video. keep em coming. new favorite channel on youtube,
Back then india cinema had great art of story telling and even music was just used for showing emotions in particular of situations. Now todays bollywood which tried to copy hollywood action genre derived bollywood as " na ghar ka na ghat ka " 😂
it is, there's plenty of stuff out there. it's just that the people don't have taste, they run after the artists rather than the art, celebrity worship is all they know. when the general population doesn't even have good taste, how do you expect them to watch the good movies? so they don't.
Also, this film was released only 4 years after India's independence (and partition) and a year after the constitution was adopted and India officially became a republic. As a result of the independence struggle, the division of India, World War II, and a variety of surrounding political and societal issues and movements in a newly independent (after over 2 centuries of British Rule) India, poverty was widespread and there was an almost pre-French-Revolution-esque huge gap between the common people who were struggling to find jobs and live under a new government, and the rich, most of whom had remained loyal servants of the British and reaped huge financial benefits as a result. This mean a lot of people were pretty poor and Awara was an extremely relatable and poetic commentary on the lives they were living as well as an intimate look at the complexity of interpersonal relationships. (Can you tell I really love this movie?)
I dont know if anyone you have watched movies by Rittwik Ghatak. Everyone talks about the genius that is Satyajit Ray, and rightfully so, we should. But Ghatak is more complex and has poignant stories to talk about. Meghe Dhaka Tara, Reason Debate and a Story, Ajantrik, are some of the many, where his mastery reflects. Please watch these movies. We have some of these movies on Amazon Prime India.
You are right.... The trio of bengal ritwik, mrinal, satyajit.... Satyajit and mrinal bith received much fane for Their films but ritwik is truly underrated especially "titas ekti nodir nam"
crazzy thing about finding the name of waves of danube is as an indian kid whose never watched awaara, i am so intimately familiar with it because sooo many bollywood movies still use it to this day. i didn't know where you were going with it but as soon as i heard it in the video i was already drifitng away to sitting in front of the tv watching set max
I saw this movie as a kid in India when we had a black and white tv but never thought too much of it. Once we got color tv, I watched more newer films from 90s. Then moved on to watching western movies, korean, Chinese, lot of Malayalam. I have been prejudiced against old black and white films. But watching you talk about it brings back old memories. It was these old movies that captivated me as a child, i would watch the whole thing without moving. I don't think movies do that for me anymore.
I am glad that so many classics and art works of respected directers and writers like Premchand ji, Dada saheb phalke, Satyajit Ray are instilled in our national treasures. Its a pitty really to those who only watches entertainment when hype is created. Awara hoon is one of my favourite songs and the movie I unfotunately didnt see it cuz I was born in the 2000s and the tv timming didnt sit right with me. But trust me Raj kapoor with kishore da songs was perfect back then and are still samples and remixed.
Plz look at Satyajit Ray and his works. He is an Oscar winner for lifetime achievement. One of the best directors not only in India but the world, an absolute genius storyteller.
None from Bollywood or any other Indian film industry has inspired giants like Scorsese, Kurosawa, Coppola, etc. , downrighting influencing these people in their own words. But Satyajit Ray did. Also, people like Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen from Indian Bengali film industry deserves recognition who are truly underrated. Ray is still pretty famous around the world and the country in film circles. It's a shame that the Indian Bengali film industry is not producing that many classics nowadays but South Indian cinema like Malayalam and occasionally Telugu films like Bahubali are doing good.
This is such an important assessment of an Indian cinema that it opened my eyes to look at Raj Kapoor through a completely different lence! Amazing observations you have made about the socio-political angle during that time. Your efforts show in studying this film. Thank you ❤
This video essay is on another level. This truly made my day. And the nuances that you went into, I can only imagine a lot of hard work that went into it. I was watching it on my TV and had to come to my phone just to comment and appreciate it. While the movie definitely is a masterpiece, your video is also a masterpiece on its own. Lots of Love, From India
❤ great work bro Btw, prithviraj kapoor was not rich, he worked hard to become famous and popular and he poured all his money into theatre. Raj kapoor was very entrepreneurial too. He built a studio, built strong next gen actors/directors in sons n grandchildren. He was way ahead of his time Fun facts : the young Raj is Raj Kapoor's youngest brother Shashi. The judge in the flashback story is Raj Kapoor's grandfather. The dream sequence was the first of its kind in India. The extensive use of background score music, title, music and tunes from the music composers library is seen in all of his movies. So much so, that he actually created albums after albums in the 70s and early 80s (films under the RK banner) after the composers passed away!
Do a video on Mera Naam Joker. When it was released he was received harsh comments from Critics and the movie tanked but the movie is now considered a cult classic. Plus the movie has more than one kapoor too 😅 Thank You for making this video. 🤗
Thanks for making this vid. My dad has been a fan of Raj Kapoor movies and always talked to me about it ever since I was a kid. The songs were practically stuck in my head. Despite how big Raj Kapoor was in his time, I still believe he's extremely underrated as a film-maker. Much of his decline came through Mera Naam Joker, but even that movie was something I still remember fondly.
The reason I know about this absolute unit of kino entertainment is because one of our professors screened it in film class on actual print, sadly we saw the shorter EU cut from what he told us so when I revisit it later on I'm gonna have to go with the full 3 hour shabang Definitely one of the most surprising cinematic experiences I've had since even though I had seen one or two Indian films before, my judgmental side thought this was gonna be a bit of a stale classic that set the template and not much more, but it turned out that every single student myself included had a fabulous blast of a time with it !
that was such an interedting video. i was not expecting that. as somebody whose grandmother enjoys bollywood serials i was surprised to learn all of this.
My grandmother still hums to the tune of his song awara hoon in the morning, it was a legendary film with a brilliant person raj kapoor. Sad to see that todays generation know a very little about him and his great works in india, but regardless a great essay ❤
I am presently surprised how passionately you have done your research and meticulously you have made this video! This is a true homage to Shri Raj kapoor Ji and his legacy. I bow down to your dedication!
Raj Kapoor's another movie and the movie he considered his 'Magnum Opus' named 'Mera Name Joker' took 6 years to make and because it got over budget he even mortgaged his house, Sadly The movie Flopped in India , but Became Blockbuster Hit in USSR . and The movie is considered a cult classic in today's Indian Cinema.
The song's lyrics doesn't mean "troubled times". The lyric means "Im under an overcast, I sill am a star in the sky". Meaning that he is still a star, though ignored, obscured and unseen.
I have studied from Russia and I have seen russian people watching retro indian movies even today there... Unfortunately, we Indians dont know the value of these movies anymore😢
First off this is such a great video essay on a movie I love and have always thought represented Indian Cinema far better than most of its modern counterparts. Second what mad research have you done to go into such depth it surprises and impresses me. Seriously especially the Dune song bit I mean that was fascinating. Third a thank you for making such a great video on Awara a movie so beloved to cinema lovers in India and people abroad.
Raj Kapoor’s family is full of superstars. His grandchildren are Ranbir Kapoor , Kareena Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor.All huge superstars in Bollywood.Just Amazing!
Damn even though I'm Indian and have lived in India all my life , i didn't know about the sheer impact and popularity of this movie !! great research work and a beautiful video.
Not just Awaara, many B&W Hindi movies of 1950s were the 'wet dream' of communists, as they glorified poverty, with a "poor hero wooing rich heroine" theme. Many of Raj Kapoor's films of that era, like "Shree 420", "Boot Polish", and "Chori Chori" among others were as good or better than "Awaara" was. Some of these movies are being digitally remastered and re-released in 4K in movie halls in recent times, but they simply don't have the charm of the original prints.
You shld check out Parasakthi. A Tamil film with similar themes but was a controversial film at the time of release where it almost got banned. It's one of the films I watched as a kid and some of the scenes impacted me making me question morality at quite a young age...
Awara was and has been a cultural phenomenon in India. Honestly, all of Raj Kapoor's films were, especially the titular songs. Awara Hoon is so popular that my doorbell comes pre-installed with a jingle of the song. It is one of the few songs that are (or were, at least) so entrenched rooted in the very blood of Indians that you can whistle it and see 5 heads turn. The current downwards trajectory of bollywood means predominantly vapid songs are overtaking these songs, but I hope people don't completely forget about these songs. Some other songs from the period that evoke similar emotions are - Jeena isi ka naam hai - (This is what living is) Jeena Yaha marna yaha - (This is where I have lived and where I'll die) Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya - (I kept on being loyal to life) Basically Indian My Way thematically.
Ah... the song lingers in my memory... Awara hu hmmm awara hu. It has a sense of peace yet sad nostalgia to it. It feels like the last song I want to listen with someone I love, when you get that feeling that "its over".
this video really challenged my perceptions of my own country's film industry!! thanku:) also as a 2000s kid, I can't believe I recognize that tune 18:40 haha
@@ankit_67-mc2uq huhh?? u ok? i said it challenged my perceptions. i love bollywood but i have never been exposed to this side of it. i didn't even mention bollywood. social stances expressed in such a huge manner are not common anymore. i was gonna say sorry if it seemed like i don't like bollywood, but honestly ik u just assumed that oooh i'm some nri or smth
19:04 there’s a good song in this movie in the beginning, I can’t remember the exact title but it translated to something like I am not a poet but you make me sing verses… a really good somg
Superbbb Analysis. Mann I loved it, the way you explained the details of moviemaking in this video is just amazing. I think I need to watch RK movies with more passion from now on. I never thought about the craft in this manner before. Shameful for me as a cinephile. Thank you for such intensive research and work man, hope you grow exponentially. You deserve it. Subscribed.😎
Algorithm brought me here I wanna add not just Raj Kapoor Guru Dutt Mehboob khan K. Asif Satyajit Ray Mrinal Sen Ritwick Ghatak And many more directors from that era of Indian cinema is on par with the greats of Hollywood and other international cinema and the movies they made r still relevant today and can be enjoyed by today's audience.
The character Raj Kapoor plays is usually considered an Indian version of Charlie Chaplin's character in films like The Modern World Still, it spoke to the Indian psyche
![Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement - Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IiyBo-qLDeM/mqdefault.jpg)
Just wanted to give an update for any future watchers: Awaara has been remastered in 4K and is gonna be at the Toronto International Film Festival: tiff.net/events/awara
Sold out😢
Do you know The judge in the film is real life Rajkapoor Father
Prithviraj kapoor
@@sodhapruthavirajsinh4722 He did say that
Try mera naam joker
Bollywood movies were HUGE in Soviet Union! My mom used to tell me how much of a fan of India she was because of that.
Thanks for telling.
Cold war relations
omg sameee!! i used watch indian films with my mom when i was a child. she used to tell me that there was nothing else to watch on tv so she and her siblings would gather around the screen and watch it.
I mean it’s very close to Asia
same reason mexican cinema was popular in romania and yugoslavia, they didn’t want to encourage capitalism by importing 1st world cinema so they looked to third world countries for neutrality
Yugoslavia was also not on good terms with russia and romania was also roman country so it seemed like the best option.
Tbh old Indian black and white movie had beautiful camera work and lighting.
They are the peak of indian cinema. Modern bollywood has lost its visual language
They had to. You can shoot a movie on a phone now. Back then it was an undertaking of huge magnitude.
i always have loved how they use panning shots excessively in old movies in general
What about 12th fail? @@nihaalsandim9986
As an Indian film school student I can confidently say that the cinematographer of Raj Kapoor films is considered a god among the industry people
India and Russia had had a deal where India got Russian literature and Russia got Indian films, that also why a lot of Indian boomers grew up reading a lot of Russian literature. But my absolute favourite story that came out of this cultural exchange was that Raj Kapoor landed in Russia completely unannounced in the 60s and people recognised him and lifted his car up on their shoulders.
Raj Kapoor was loved in Russia
+ He landed there without a visa
Roosi lok kathayen 🙌🏻 - My fav nostalgic book
Lifted his car? Damn russians are strong
@@gamanaskumarmkavg Russian behavior 💀
Before the 1990s, Indian cinema was a powerhouse of extraordinary storytelling, known simply as Indian cinema. The term "Bollywood" was coined in the '90s by a small group of individuals who had neither made memorable films nor significantly contributed to the industry. Fueled by corruption and foreign influence, they reduced this vibrant and influential industry to the label "Bollywood," akin to Nollywood, Kollywood, and Tollywood. Today, the world refers to Indian cinema as Bollywood with a dismissive smile, a tragic testament to the cultural diminishment orchestrated by those who sought to undermine its legacy.
You are right to an extent, but the term "Bollywood" was coined 1970s with emergence of blockbusters like Sholay. Around that time, the conventions of commercial Hindi masala films were defined. In the 90s, nepotism started becoming powerful, and the art side of films started to fall behind. Tbh, there's nothing wrong about calling some regional industries some "...wood". Its about quality
Add to it, the influence of Mafias in the Bollywood during the same time. Filmmakers wanted money, and these mafias wanted to be close to celebrities(you know what I mean).
Mafias influenced the stories, making them more vile and idiolising violence and guns.
It's sad that the last wave of alternate films were in the 80s and then never again. It was the last time Filmfare had actual credibility and gave actually good and artistic films the win regardless of box office.
yeah but now with the rise of pan Indian movies these regional terms is also getting eliminated now
@@riderchallenge4250 and what are these pan Indian movies? Kgf, Pushpa, RRR Lol
Holy crap, i watched this and expected it to have 200k views at least, extremely high quality video essay, optimistic and realistic in all the right places, opens your eyes, and gives you an appreciation for art. Fantastic. Subbed.
that is incredibly kind of you to say! thank you so much!
@@LowercaseJai very welcome! Surprised I'd get a response, and thank you
RUclips doesn't like to recommend people good intelligent content anymore, in my opnion, latley the home page algorithm has been pretty horrible and only existing to get the lowest common demoniminator hooked on clicks, and video essays on your level of quality just don't get shown to the public eye like they used to be
I found your channel through your video on the fresh prince ytp and loved it, since I'm both someone who grew up on deranged spongebob ytps and is a lover of experimental art, now I'm getting to learn about what's probably the most famous socialist movie of all time
I wish it was easier for common people to find out about this stuff, but the internet unfortunately doesn't provide that anymore, especially as stupid AI algorithms become more and more dominant over the control of information
Your video is awesome, and I can promise they're informative and very entertaining. If you mind me asking, what's some other topics you're thinking about covering next?
@@drakep.5857 i haven't really decided on another topic yet, but i was thinking maybe something with gordon ramsay... his shows are so engaging despite the fact he's so clearly a horrible guy. there's definitely something there. mind's blank otherwise. thanks for the nice words again!
@@LowercaseJai that'd be a fun topic, a little delve into reality TV
I've found I really love your videoes on foreign topics like the japenese director and Awaara
Always intrested to see your work! I'll be sure to comment n more on anything new you make
Btw, in case you're looking to any inspiration or great content regarding what I personally consider the peak of modern video essays, check out:
Jimmy Mcgee, for grim but focused and smart talk on video games and society, and video game's strength as an art form
Cloud Cuckoo Country, for book and literature analysis and discussion of the literary form
And finally Paper Will, whom made two excellent, extensive and entertainment filled videoes on Cults and Children's Entertainment!
You might join the ranks of these excellent video essayists in my mind soon, and gain the cult followings they have, all I can recommend is keep doing what you're doing now, because it's pretty damn great and nigh professional (and definitely cream of the crop and not as wilted as more popular algorithm driven RUclips media essays)
@@LowercaseJai made a video on raj Kapoor in other films like Mera naam joker(translated to my name is joker)
As an Arab girl, I grew up watching both Hollywood and Bollywood movies and even Turkish series. All this gave me an idea about cultures that were unknown to me.
But your name is african daisy , not Arabian daisy
@@Q_QQ_Q
African Daisy is a type of flowers
@ArtVandelay-av
Sorry, but how is having a glimpse of the hindi language and the popular food in India subjugating the Hindus?
Most Indian actors I know are Hindus? Most movies I watched had little to no Muslim representation in them?
@@africandaisy310
Ignore him he as known in is Modibkhat..Arabs should avoid interacting with indians this days..they become so delusional and aggressive..yet still working in Arab countries 😂😅..
@@africandaisy310
Ignore him those known as Modibkhat in India..Arabs should avoid interacting with indians this days..they become so delusional and aggressive..and still working in the Arab countries😅😂..
Fun fact: Mehboob Khan, the one who was originally going to make this film instead of Raj Kapoor, was such an open communist that he made his film studio's logo a literal M with a hammer and sickle around it. Check it out, Mehboob Studio. Makes a lot of sense that Abbas wrote this for him!
@br0ken_107socialism made india the 3rd world shithole it is today
@br0ken_107 Socialism is the dictatorship of the proletariat part if you want to get technical.
The OP is correct. Stop with your Wordplay. It did have socialist / communist influence whatever u wanna call it
@br0ken_107 CCP is not at all socialist. They're State Capitalists more or less.
Communism does not work. Socialism is great on paper but it still won't work long term. Unregulated capitalism is dangerous af. Social Market economy is where it's at.
Wow
the mao vouch 70 seconds in : unreal
This is one of the best videos I have ever seen. I'm from Brazil and have been watching Bollywood for +10 years now and it saddens me how much indian cinema is underestimated. And even after all of that time watching these movies, there were informations here that I did not know, this was such a informative and educative video. I watched Awaara when I was probably 13 and I cannot tell you how stunned I was by it. I'm glad there are more people who appreciate this movie as much as I do.
Another cool fact that I think you missed, was that young Raj is played by Shashi Kapoor, Raj's younger brother, and also a very talented actor and maybe one of the nicest Kapoors skskskskks
Great video, I do hope that you make more about Bollywood, I will certainly be here to watch!
No wonder he looks so similar to the adult Raj. I was wondering where did they find the mini Raj Kapoor.
@@sayakchoudhury9711 Yeah! Raj Kapoor seemed to like to put his family in his movies a lot, in Shree 420 in Pyaar Hya Ikrar Hua you can see all of his children (Rishi, Ritu and Randhir) walking in the rain
@@filmfitoor you know alot about Bollywood. Are you of Indian origin ?
@@darkodonnie2729 I am not, I am from Brazil. I just have been watching Hindi movies for more than half of my life so I ended up knowing a lot and researching a lot.
Back then india cinema had great art of story telling and even music was just used for showing emotions in particular of situations.
Now todays bollywood which tried to copy hollywood action genre derived bollywood as " na ghar ka na ghat ka " 😂
I am happy that people are getting to know more about good indian movies. I would also recommend you to check the works of Gurudutt also. His movies and his life was also nothing short of extraodinary. Definitely check out Pyaasa(1957) and Kagaz Ke Phool(1959), based on the same themes but presented so differently that its a film class in itself.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I agree! Gurudutt's movies speak to the soul. He's really under appreciated...
Pyasa is my favourite. A movie about the condition of women in a patriarchal society
Guru Dutt is often compared to Orson Wells
Commenting for the algorithm. I'm Turkish and saw neither the original film nor any of the remakes (weirdly) but the song "Awara Hoon" was so popular as well, and parodies of it keep coming up in Turkish films from 60s/70s. Edit: I commented this below but decided to edit here as well. Looking back, I can't very easily substantiate my specific claim (i.e. the song itself was featured in films that weren't remakes). I know I knew the melody before I even knew the original movie existed, I don't remember seeing any of the remakes, and I'm fairly certain I saw multiple old-timey Turkish movies in which characters "pretend" to be Indian (usually nobility) and break into song. So when I discovered the real "Awara Hoon" (as a teenager, I think) I just went "Oh, I know this song, from the movies". But when I went to check the one specific scene I remember from a specific movie was a different song. In any case, as explained in the video, the movie was super popular in Turkey, and it obviously wasn't a coincidence that there suddenly was this fad of doing "Indian" skits. (This is the scene I remembered by the way, it's from a movie called Fosforlu Cevriye: ruclips.net/video/sk1fa9srrOs/видео.htmlsi=zoU86ZN0QZ3Qof_L )
Bro u live in usa
@@gyukgaming6037 So?
Anyway, if anybody reads this far down, I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that looking back, I can't very easily substantiate my specific claim (i.e. the song itself was featured in films that weren't remakes). I know I knew the melody before I even knew the original movie existed, I don't remember seeing any of the remakes, and I'm fairly certain I saw multiple old-timey Turkish movies in which characters "pretend" to be Indian (usually nobility) and break into song. So when I discovered the real "Awara Hoon" (as a teenager, I think) I just went "Oh, I know this song, from the movies". But when I went to check the one specific scene I remember from a specific movie was a different song. In any case, as explained in the video, the movie _was_ super popular in Turkey, and it obviously wasn't a coincidence that there suddenly was this fad of doing "Indian" skits. (This is the scene I remembered by the way, it's from a movie called Fosforlu Cevriye: ruclips.net/video/sk1fa9srrOs/видео.htmlsi=zoU86ZN0QZ3Qof_L )
This song was from one of his films, sangam
I still cannot comprehend how popular he was, because nobody in my own country (India) speaks about him anymore. This might be because of me staying in southern india, but both my parents have been watching hindi films and Bollywood films from as young as 8 years old. I am so confused as to why he is so obscure in india now. None of my parents introduced me to him. And the fact that the only reference to him that i have is from a lesson in our 10th standard hindi textbook is pretty fucking wild
here in North people know about him but he kinda get muddied as just "one of the Kapoors" because of oversaturation of celebrities and maybe people who like him don't act like Salman Khan or Rajnikanth fans so we don't see the fanatic hype on Raj Kapoor he maybe has more Amir Khan like fans that are more chill and tame in comparison to other bollywood celebrity fandoms.
Also he is dead since 1988 maybe that's the reason you don't see people talking about him
@@Observer-f5k i dont think he was seen as a star, probably like a famous artist and that's all.
@@scrapanimation3813 You needed talent back then, and even though Raj Kapoor is the epitome of a nepo baby, no one can dispute that he was superb filmmaker and actor.
@@cyn1clcynideHe was/is never the epitome of Nepo baby. His father asked him to start from the lowest jobs at a film studio so that he will learn the nitty-gritties of film business. He was a clapper boy to begin with.
@@scrapanimation3813he was and remains a great star and artist.
Forgot to comment here, but this is one of the best videos I've watched in 2024.
Indian cinema criticism like this is absolutely rare on YT
Loved the video, but have to take exception to 'He had a rich dad.' Prithviraj Kapoor wasn't rich. Every penny of his money went into his first love - the theatre. Prithvi Theatres was his baby. He toured a lot with his theatre company and Raj Kapoor worked in that same theatre company as an ordinary assistant. Prithviraj Kapoor was insistent that his son learn the trade from the ground up. None of his children were launched by him or given money to produce films.
When Raj came into movies, he wanted to be a music director. But he worked his way up from being a clapper boy to being an an AD. Then, Kidar Sharma, whom he was assisting, offered him the lead role in Neel Kamal. Raj was famously slapped by the Sharma for looking into the mirror too often. (Despite the fact that he was Prithviraj Kapoor's son. Raj later recalled that his father had told Sharma not to give him any preferential treatment and Sharma, anyway, was a stickler for discipline.)
Aag was Raj Kapoor's baby - no help from his dad there. When that failed, he made Barsaat on a shoe-string budget, and put all the money from that film's success into building RK Studios. Which he mortgaged to make Awara. And so on and so forth.
Yes wanted to say the same thing!! It saddened me to see how the creator labelled him son of a rich dad when it is famously known that he worked his way from ground up. Raj kapoor famously went bankrupt at the time Mera naam joker became a blockbuster hit in the Soviet union. So I think he was more than a son who used his dad's connection to work around flop movies, he paid for each and every consequence of his action on his own. Though the creator is a foreign researcher so I give him the benefit of the doubt, but still it was sad to see especially when raj kapoor is one of my favourite legendary actor.
Bollywood is a huge thing in my family (we’re Cameroonian and European). My dad has a huge soft spot for the B&W films in particular. I need to ask him if he’s heard of Awara. If you’re into classic films like these, I recommend Mughal-e-Azam (which stars Raj Kapoor’s father!). It got a remaster 20 years ago and it’s amazingly shot.
Have you asked him yet?
Sad movie 😢
Mugle e azam is a fake story that made on mugal .
In historic prof that not even exist
@@Chad.Commenter I did ask him a few months earlier. He’s heard of the film but never watched it. We did a watch party and it was great!
@@crazyboy19934 stop muslim hate bro, it's also an Indian heritage
The actor who plays the judge in the climax scene of Awaara is Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor, father of Prithviraj Kapoor, and grandfather of Raj Kapoor.
😮😮😮😮. Woah. Didn't know this.
I thought he must be part of the family because he looks a lot like them!
yup and small raj is shashi kapoor. watched this movie in DD national Sunday raj kapoor special. I loved jagte raho, shree 420 and awaara
"Mera naam joker" is the master piece by raj kapoor
The Beatles JRPG photo gave me whiplash. Like, I thought it was an ironic edit for a moment, then realized "No, that's their names". Cultural association is wild, man.
They were just really into Chrono Trigger
the original photo says jpgr
@@gonerkid Ah, so it is a minor edit. But still.
I remember watching movies like Mera Naam Joker(My Name is Joker) and Awara(Vagabond) while I was extremely young. I wasn't even a teenager. But I rewatched those movies again and again. I barely remember the stories now but the melancholy I feel when I am reminded of the movies is something that you can only understand if you have seen these movies. Songs like 'Jeena yaha, marna yaha ' feel like the most exquisite poetry. I'm not even in my twenties yet. But these movies have a way of making you feel like, you have experienced a lifetime of emotions. That's how good these movies are.
Hmm interesting because in India Raj Kapoor's most famous film would still be Mera Naam Joker, but I never would have imagined Awaara touched so many people throughout the Second World. So much so it seems if Indian PM Nehru would have sent Raj Kapoor as an Indian ambassador to Mao, it might have solved our initial diplomatic problems!
Mere naam joker was a flop when it it came out. An absolute gem of a film but it flopped the box office when it was released unlike Awaara. So if we are taking into account both present and past...Awaara kinda has more traction than Mera naam joker given that it was a box office hit back in the day whereas Mera naam joker became more popular as a Cult classic and then to one of greatest classic films in Hindi film industry.
That Bastard Nehru was himself alone responsible for the loss of Bharat in both the wars with Pakistan and China.
The fact is that even if Raj Kapoor was sent as a diplomat that brainless comiee would not agree.
My thoughts not debating
Lmao
I shouldn't laugh, but damn 😂😂😂😂😂
Nehru Chacha himself was an asset of CCP just like his great-grandson Rahul Baba who was caught with his Chinese handler in Nepal just a couple of years ago. This entire family have been serving China for generations.
Check out Mera Naam Joker movie by Raj Kapoor. This movie definitely made him famous in Russia.
Mera Naam Joker is a masterpiece! one of my favourite movies of all time
It was wayyyyy ahead of its time
@@LowercaseJaiactually its mlayalam industry thats the pinnacle of indian cinema be it script camera,direction or acting and being realistic .its always been peak content even though bollywood was more popular bcz of the language belt .now Malayalam is getting its recognition and is ruling indian boxoffice for content oriented cinema and technical cinema ..ar rahman , rasool pookutty etc the only indians to get oscars are from there
@@prodigalfraudaddy-es1glright now may be but overall it's bengali films they are not film releated the first Indian to get Oscar was satyajit ray
@@rishavmalveeyathis guy's are like that just ignore them
i will always have a love for indian films. even the ones that are cheaper than many american films have great production and costumes, and lengthy enough to get the full story out. in the west people see them as silly movies with dramatic transitions and convoluted plots when in actuality thats only a fraction of what their films and series have to offer
really need to watch awaara now... some of those shots were beyond gorgeous and even if you didn't say it's partly a romantic film, you can sense it's oozing with it just from how its shot for sure. it's nuts to me something this huge of a global cultural phenomenon like this wasn't ever mentioned in any of the film classes i've taken over the years. writing my old film professors now to beat the shit out of them
As a Bengali from India, I would recommend you to watch "Pather Panchali" (Song of the Road) by the greatest Indian director Satyajit Ray. Ray has inspired directors like Spielberg, Scorsese and many others so much so that he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars. And do a bit of research into the director and the making of the film too.
@@jaydeepsen4769yooo satyajit ray mentioned. i appreciate that, bengali to bengali haha
As an Indian that has never heard of Awaara, This Video was absolutely breathtaking. Saying that he was ahead of his time seems like an understatement. I'll definitely watch this movie now.
I think you never watched Doordarshan
That's bizarre. Good luck 😂
@@brascoperryjoe6425how is this bizzare? 😮💨
@@RachaelWill Being an Indian and never heard of Awaara.
@@cheeru6457 lmao what tf has a movie has to do with being indian? Not everywhere is free enough to watch movies all the time. Some people don't like movies or have different taste. 🙄😮💨
Not even kidding, as a kid I used to tell ppl it's my dream to meet 'The Raj Kapoor'....I still remember how heartbroken I was the day he passed away....not that I'd have the chance to meet him even now...he was such a huge deal even after his actual glory days were long gone. Salute to the one of the greatest artists to have ever walk this planet.
Never knew Bergman did Persona 4 Golden, that’s so cool!
At 24:32 the translation is wrong. In the context of the song, 'Gardish mein hoon' does not mean 'I'm in troubled times'. 'Gardish means orbit' 'Awara hoon. Gardish mein hoon aasman ka taara hoon,' means I'm a free spirit, like the star in orbit in space.
You're wrong... Google it
gardish means trouble. the first line that shailender wrote for raj kapoor. and that is where the name of the movie came from.
@@sourabhmookherjee4218Gardish means both misfortune and revolution around something, what the op said is about the sentence which I believe is more appropriate for the meaning here...
Gardish in this context means bound to fate; not free, shackled.
☝️🤓
There is something tragicomedically ironic about an upper class dynasty being born out of the success of a socialist film movement. Fascinating video, btw. I have heard of Awara before because of William Patrick's Bollywood video, but he didn't go into such detail about the circumstances of it. (Which is fair, his video was about a bunch of movies in slighly more than an hour). It was interesting to learn more about it.
i'm glad you liked it! i don't really watch patrick willems' stuff, but i checked out that vid based on your suggestion. really good video! can't believe he talks about Pyaasa in that, that's one of my favourite films of all time!
Great video! The movies having a socialist touch makes sense - India had been very socilaist oriented after independence. This makes sense you consider that we just got our independence in 1947, and there was mass poverty and blood shed (from the freedom struggle and partition of India and Pakistan), combined with political beliefs of our leaders at that time.
This view is kind of revisionist and doesn't capture the full picture.
Real Marxist leaders in India, like E.M.S. Namboodiripad and A.K. Gopalan, had a much more radical vision for change. They wanted a complete overhaul of the system to truly benefit the working class. However, their revolutionary ideas were largely sidelined in favor of a more moderate approach that was more acceptable to the ruling elite. This led to the adoption of policies that mixed state control with capitalist elements, rather than implementing a full-scale socialist revolution. The so-called socialism of Nehru's era ended up preserving the existing class structures instead of dismantling them. While it included some state planning and public sector dominance, it didn't fundamentally challenge the capitalist property relations or the power of the elite. Instead, it created a mixed economy that often benefited the upper classes more than the working class.
Even today, the promise of true socialism in India remains unfulfilled. Despite some progress, the conditions for the working class and marginalized communities haven't significantly improved. In many ways, the economic disparities and social injustices are as severe, if not worse, than they were at the time of independence. The policies that were supposed to uplift the masses have often been co-opted to serve the interests of the powerful, leaving the fundamental issues of poverty and inequality unresolved.
So when you say that India's post-independence socialism was a natural response to its conditions, you're ignoring the radical change that real Marxist leaders fought for and the ongoing struggles of the working class. This revisionist view oversimplifies the complex class dynamics and downplays the ruling class's use of socialist rhetoric to maintain their power without making real, revolutionary changes.
You really can’t blame India. After being ruled and abused by a corporation, no one would want capitalism.
@@Observer-f5k by vision do you mean taking away the wealth of the rich and giving it to poor who does not have a right on that wealth or keeping a check on the oppressing rich and giving opportunities to the poor. What I'm trying to say is that if people are becoming rich by their hardwork will the government take the wealth of that rich and give it to poor.
I'm asking this as fellow Keralite who does not like LDF.
@@aasamspb967 From a Marxist perspective, it is essential to understand the fundamental workings of the capitalist system and the nature of wealth accumulation. In capitalism, wealth is not merely the result of individual hard work; it is also deeply connected to the exploitation of labor and the control of the means of production. According to Marx, the capitalist system operates by extracting surplus value from workers. Surplus value is the difference between the value produced by labor and the wages paid to the laborer. This surplus value is appropriated by the capitalist as profit, leading to the accumulation of wealth at one pole of society and the corresponding accumulation of poverty at the other.
Marx's theory of labor posits that labor is the source of all value. In a capitalist economy, workers sell their labor power to capitalists in exchange for wages. However, the value created by their labor exceeds the wages they receive. This excess value, or surplus value, is retained by the capitalists, enabling them to accumulate wealth. This process inherently involves the exploitation of workers, as they are not compensated for the full value of their labor.
From a Marxist viewpoint, the role of the government in a capitalist society is often to maintain and perpetuate the conditions favorable to capital accumulation. This includes protecting property rights and ensuring the continued exploitation of labor. While some governments may implement policies to redistribute wealth or provide social welfare, these measures do not fundamentally alter the capitalist relations of production but rather serve to mitigate the most egregious effects of capitalism and maintain social stability.
The wealth distribution you're referring to aligns more with social democracy(And academically Kerala has being referred to as a social democratic state), which aims to balance capitalist markets with strong social welfare programs. However, this model has significant flaws, especially in a country like India. Social democracy in Europe relies heavily on wealth generated from global economic structures that often exploit developing countries(including ours), maintaining their own high standards of living at the expense of the global periphery. India, being the exploited country by western social democratic structures cannot easily replicate this model. The structural issues of inequality and exploitation within and between countries mean that simply redistributing wealth without addressing the underlying capitalist framework won't lead to genuine social justice. Social democracy may offer temporary relief but does not fundamentally challenge the capitalist system that creates and perpetuates inequality.
Marxist theory also critiques electoral politics under capitalism as inherently revisionist. Electoral parties, including the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, are seen as operating within the constraints of the capitalist system and, therefore, unable to bring about genuine socialist transformation. Instead, they are viewed as attempting to reform the system in ways that are ultimately insufficient to address the root causes of exploitation and inequality. This critique suggests that true emancipation of the working class requires a revolutionary transformation of society, transcending the limitations of electoral politics and addressing the fundamental contradictions of capitalism.
@@Observer-f5k Very interesting writeup. Where can I learn more about this?
I used to watch Indian films growing up in Peru in the 90s 😂😂 my uncle used to take me all the time since they were always discounted movies.
Me watching this video like a roti in prison, smiling sardonically
please make a video on pyaasa directed by guru dutt from 1957. the story is about a poet named vijay and how after independence he struggles to make a name for himself. it shows how artists are not respected enough.
Even if you don't consider making another essay on Indian cinema , do consider watching this as a recommendation, it's brilliant in its own right.
One of the greatest movie ever made in world cinema.
fuck, I'm glad that your video on Two and a Half Men popped up in my recommended feed. instant new fav channel
Wonderful. Beautifully researched, nicely narrated and 30 min video that zipps past. Makes me want to watch the movie. Keep up the good job. Cheers.
I only knew this movie because of the songs “Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi” and “Awaara Hoon”. Never knew the movie was this big.
Another movie that I watched recently was kagaz ke phool (1959)(translation:"paper flowers"), it was directed by Guru dutt that movie is also forward thinking but it didn't get the fame it deserves then , but now it's a cult classic and the director/actor also had a tragic life , I would like to see a video on that
This is one of the best critic videos I have seen on YT for Indian cinema. Time to watch Awara at 1am. 😂 Thanks man, cheers 🥳🥂
Probably one of my favourite video essays out there.
if you like awara, you will definitely like 'mera naam joker' a movie that had a 5 hour run time. that version i think isn't available anywhere. it's a story about a clown who kept looking for love all his life and where his life ends and how. that movie baffles me everytime I think about it.
one more movie in this class is boot polish. a couple of kids who are trying to make a living polishing shoes. grab those tissues before you start
I've had this film on my to watch list for years! I never knew what it was about, and how much of a visual masterpiece it was though. Thanks for the video--I'll be watching it this weekend.
Watch all movies of Raj kapoor, Guru datt & esp. Satyajit ray etc. if you want to experience the classics of Indian cinema.
@@dsbdsb6637 I've seen some of Satyajit Ray's films--Pather Panchali, Jalsaghar, and Ghare Baire. Amazing films. There are several more I still want to watch though, like The Big City, Charulata, and the rest of the Apu trilogy. I have some Guru Dutt films on my list too! Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam and Pyaasa. So much to watch...
Just found this channel and binged all the videos, very well written and well thought out videos. I cannot wait for more !
I am so glad that this appeared in my youtube recommendations. Great piece of cinema history that i didn't know about and great video. keep em coming. new favorite channel on youtube,
I wish indian cinema again becomes this creative
Back then india cinema had great art of story telling and even music was just used for showing emotions in particular of situations.
Now todays bollywood which tried to copy hollywood action genre derived bollywood as " na ghar ka na ghat ka " 😂
it is, there's plenty of stuff out there. it's just that the people don't have taste, they run after the artists rather than the art, celebrity worship is all they know. when the general population doesn't even have good taste, how do you expect them to watch the good movies? so they don't.
@@rayjynxThis!!!
Also, this film was released only 4 years after India's independence (and partition) and a year after the constitution was adopted and India officially became a republic. As a result of the independence struggle, the division of India, World War II, and a variety of surrounding political and societal issues and movements in a newly independent (after over 2 centuries of British Rule) India, poverty was widespread and there was an almost pre-French-Revolution-esque huge gap between the common people who were struggling to find jobs and live under a new government, and the rich, most of whom had remained loyal servants of the British and reaped huge financial benefits as a result. This mean a lot of people were pretty poor and Awara was an extremely relatable and poetic commentary on the lives they were living as well as an intimate look at the complexity of interpersonal relationships. (Can you tell I really love this movie?)
well this video rocks and is super educational and now i wanna watch more movies. thanks jai
great video as always!
i definitely need to dive more into bollywood, watching pyaasa earlier this year was very great
I dont know if anyone you have watched movies by Rittwik Ghatak. Everyone talks about the genius that is Satyajit Ray, and rightfully so, we should. But Ghatak is more complex and has poignant stories to talk about. Meghe Dhaka Tara, Reason Debate and a Story, Ajantrik, are some of the many, where his mastery reflects. Please watch these movies. We have some of these movies on Amazon Prime India.
You are right.... The trio of bengal ritwik, mrinal, satyajit.... Satyajit and mrinal bith received much fane for Their films but ritwik is truly underrated especially "titas ekti nodir nam"
crazzy thing about finding the name of waves of danube is as an indian kid whose never watched awaara, i am so intimately familiar with it because sooo many bollywood movies still use it to this day. i didn't know where you were going with it but as soon as i heard it in the video i was already drifitng away to sitting in front of the tv watching set max
I saw this movie as a kid in India when we had a black and white tv but never thought too much of it. Once we got color tv, I watched more newer films from 90s. Then moved on to watching western movies, korean, Chinese, lot of Malayalam. I have been prejudiced against old black and white films. But watching you talk about it brings back old memories. It was these old movies that captivated me as a child, i would watch the whole thing without moving. I don't think movies do that for me anymore.
I am glad that so many classics and art works of respected directers and writers like Premchand ji, Dada saheb phalke, Satyajit Ray are instilled in our national treasures. Its a pitty really to those who only watches entertainment when hype is created. Awara hoon is one of my favourite songs and the movie I unfotunately didnt see it cuz I was born in the 2000s and the tv timming didnt sit right with me. But trust me Raj kapoor with kishore da songs was perfect back then and are still samples and remixed.
Plz look at Satyajit Ray and his works. He is an Oscar winner for lifetime achievement. One of the best directors not only in India but the world, an absolute genius storyteller.
Most indians haven't even watched his films
In india, people don't remember this movie, but we still know this song it's a classic and timeless song.
Y'all need to check out satyajit ray, he's so underrated even in India.
None from Bollywood or any other Indian film industry has inspired giants like Scorsese, Kurosawa, Coppola, etc. , downrighting influencing these people in their own words. But Satyajit Ray did.
Also, people like Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen from Indian Bengali film industry deserves recognition who are truly underrated. Ray is still pretty famous around the world and the country in film circles. It's a shame that the Indian Bengali film industry is not producing that many classics nowadays but South Indian cinema like Malayalam and occasionally Telugu films like Bahubali are doing good.
you clearly don't understand what underrated means if you think Ray is underrated in India.
He isnt underrated. We had his name in our GK Books.
Bruh Mr Ray is recognised as greatest directors in indian cinema
This is such an important assessment of an Indian cinema that it opened my eyes to look at Raj Kapoor through a completely different lence! Amazing observations you have made about the socio-political angle during that time. Your efforts show in studying this film. Thank you ❤
The character of judge was played by Raj Kapoor's father, Prithviraj Kapoor and younger Raj was played by his brother Sashi Kapoor.
This video essay is on another level. This truly made my day. And the nuances that you went into, I can only imagine a lot of hard work that went into it. I was watching it on my TV and had to come to my phone just to comment and appreciate it. While the movie definitely is a masterpiece, your video is also a masterpiece on its own.
Lots of Love,
From India
they say the best video essays have to come to you.. this being in my recommended was fate
❤ great work bro
Btw, prithviraj kapoor was not rich, he worked hard to become famous and popular and he poured all his money into theatre.
Raj kapoor was very entrepreneurial too. He built a studio, built strong next gen actors/directors in sons n grandchildren. He was way ahead of his time
Fun facts : the young Raj is Raj Kapoor's youngest brother Shashi. The judge in the flashback story is Raj Kapoor's grandfather. The dream sequence was the first of its kind in India. The extensive use of background score music, title, music and tunes from the music composers library is seen in all of his movies. So much so, that he actually created albums after albums in the 70s and early 80s (films under the RK banner) after the composers passed away!
Do a video on Mera Naam Joker. When it was released he was received harsh comments from Critics and the movie tanked but the movie is now considered a cult classic. Plus the movie has more than one kapoor too 😅
Thank You for making this video. 🤗
Thanks for making this vid. My dad has been a fan of Raj Kapoor movies and always talked to me about it ever since I was a kid. The songs were practically stuck in my head. Despite how big Raj Kapoor was in his time, I still believe he's extremely underrated as a film-maker. Much of his decline came through Mera Naam Joker, but even that movie was something I still remember fondly.
The reason I know about this absolute unit of kino entertainment is because one of our professors screened it in film class on actual print, sadly we saw the shorter EU cut from what he told us so when I revisit it later on I'm gonna have to go with the full 3 hour shabang
Definitely one of the most surprising cinematic experiences I've had since even though I had seen one or two Indian films before, my judgmental side thought this was gonna be a bit of a stale classic that set the template and not much more, but it turned out that every single student myself included had a fabulous blast of a time with it !
that was such an interedting video. i was not expecting that. as somebody whose grandmother enjoys bollywood serials i was surprised to learn all of this.
This is one of the best videos i have seen on the internet, the production and quality is great!!!!
This was a really interesting video. Great job mate.
My grandmother still hums to the tune of his song awara hoon in the morning, it was a legendary film with a brilliant person raj kapoor. Sad to see that todays generation know a very little about him and his great works in india, but regardless a great essay ❤
I am presently surprised how passionately you have done your research and meticulously you have made this video! This is a true homage to Shri Raj kapoor Ji and his legacy.
I bow down to your dedication!
Fascinating!!Superb analysis!!
Raj Kapoor's another movie and the movie he considered his 'Magnum Opus' named 'Mera Name Joker' took 6 years to make and because it got over budget he even mortgaged his house, Sadly The movie Flopped in India , but Became Blockbuster Hit in USSR .
and The movie is considered a cult classic in today's Indian Cinema.
The song's lyrics doesn't mean "troubled times". The lyric means "Im under an overcast, I sill am a star in the sky".
Meaning that he is still a star, though ignored, obscured and unseen.
I love to see a break down of Charulata or Pather panchali by one of the greatest filmmaker Satyajit ray.
I have studied from Russia and I have seen russian people watching retro indian movies even today there... Unfortunately, we Indians dont know the value of these movies anymore😢
dude this is a masterpiece of a video essay
This is a very researched video , more than I expected , bud keep the work going .
Awaara means something aimless or wandering. In the context of the movie, it's more like abandoned or stray.
First off this is such a great video essay on a movie I love and have always thought represented Indian Cinema far better than most of its modern counterparts.
Second what mad research have you done to go into such depth it surprises and impresses me. Seriously especially the Dune song bit I mean that was fascinating.
Third a thank you for making such a great video on Awara a movie so beloved to cinema lovers in India and people abroad.
I honestly love your research so much! I swear!!
Dude, thank you so much for this. Like really thank you. Raj Kapoor is a friggen legend!
Raj Kapoor’s family is full of superstars. His grandchildren are Ranbir Kapoor , Kareena Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor.All huge superstars in Bollywood.Just Amazing!
Damn even though I'm Indian and have lived in India all my life , i didn't know about the sheer impact and popularity of this movie !! great research work and a beautiful video.
Not just Awaara, many B&W Hindi movies of 1950s were the 'wet dream' of communists, as they glorified poverty, with a "poor hero wooing rich heroine" theme. Many of Raj Kapoor's films of that era, like "Shree 420", "Boot Polish", and "Chori Chori" among others were as good or better than "Awaara" was. Some of these movies are being digitally remastered and re-released in 4K in movie halls in recent times, but they simply don't have the charm of the original prints.
back when writers used to write, directors used to direct and actors used to act.
You shld check out Parasakthi. A Tamil film with similar themes but was a controversial film at the time of release where it almost got banned. It's one of the films I watched as a kid and some of the scenes impacted me making me question morality at quite a young age...
Such a small channel. And still having such a video quality. Really impressive hopefully u grow big.
Okay now i feel like an idiot for never watching this film before . Will be correcting this mistake very soon. Love you insights into this film!
half of world knows this man
What a brilliant video essay. The detailed research must be applauded. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Awara was and has been a cultural phenomenon in India. Honestly, all of Raj Kapoor's films were, especially the titular songs. Awara Hoon is so popular that my doorbell comes pre-installed with a jingle of the song. It is one of the few songs that are (or were, at least) so entrenched rooted in the very blood of Indians that you can whistle it and see 5 heads turn.
The current downwards trajectory of bollywood means predominantly vapid songs are overtaking these songs, but I hope people don't completely forget about these songs.
Some other songs from the period that evoke similar emotions are -
Jeena isi ka naam hai - (This is what living is)
Jeena Yaha marna yaha - (This is where I have lived and where I'll die)
Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya - (I kept on being loyal to life) Basically Indian My Way thematically.
Brilliant video and looks like an amazing film (which I’d never heard of also). Looking forward to watching it. Thanks.
Ah... the song lingers in my memory... Awara hu hmmm awara hu. It has a sense of peace yet sad nostalgia to it. It feels like the last song I want to listen with someone I love, when you get that feeling that "its over".
this video really challenged my perceptions of my own country's film industry!! thanku:)
also as a 2000s kid, I can't believe I recognize that tune 18:40 haha
Agar tumhe bollywood pasand nhi to tum jabardasti bollywood ko praise mat karo
@@ankit_67-mc2uq huhh?? u ok? i said it challenged my perceptions. i love bollywood but i have never been exposed to this side of it. i didn't even mention bollywood. social stances expressed in such a huge manner are not common anymore. i was gonna say sorry if it seemed like i don't like bollywood, but honestly ik u just assumed that oooh i'm some nri or smth
Your videos are a work of art by itself! Really well made!
Terrific review! Thanks for doing this.
Great duo Shankar-Jaikishan composed this movie music. Jaikishan Panchal was my grandfather’s elder brother.
nice video
19:04 there’s a good song in this movie in the beginning, I can’t remember the exact title but it translated to something like I am not a poet but you make me sing verses… a really good somg
Me shayar to nahi (search in youtube , if it does not show that song than add "bollywood song")
You are welcome.
Superbbb Analysis. Mann I loved it, the way you explained the details of moviemaking in this video is just amazing.
I think I need to watch RK movies with more passion from now on. I never thought about the craft in this manner before.
Shameful for me as a cinephile. Thank you for such intensive research and work man, hope you grow exponentially. You deserve it. Subscribed.😎
Algorithm brought me here
I wanna add not just Raj Kapoor
Guru Dutt
Mehboob khan
K. Asif
Satyajit Ray
Mrinal Sen
Ritwick Ghatak
And many more directors from that era of Indian cinema is on par with the greats of Hollywood and other international cinema and the movies they made r still relevant today and can be enjoyed by today's audience.
The character Raj Kapoor plays is usually considered an Indian version of Charlie Chaplin's character in films like The Modern World
Still, it spoke to the Indian psyche
Ok , imma go watch it first and come back later.