Memorable, crazy movie

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I saw it as a kid, sometime in 1957 or 1958. I was marveled and for a long time the movie remained in my heart. I was humming the Awaara Hum all the time, I was imagining myself as Raj, I was thinking at Rita. I started to consider myself a grown up: after all also Raj started in the movie as a kid and became a grown up. I knew now his songs, I knew so all I needed to be a grown up.Well, I was a kid; it seems that also grown ups were in love with Awara; someone told me of a respectable physician who had been seen hanging around and humming Awaara Hum.And this was what was happening those times in Romania. And in Bulgaria. And in the Soviet Union. And in Turkey. Kids and grown ups were humming the songs, imagining themselves as Raj, unconditionally in love for Rita, kids considering themselves grown ups, grown ups behaving like kids.The life of this movie was becoming a legend.I watched again the movie, a couple of days ago, on TV. Of course it gave me an immense pleasure and I began (jokingly this time, while clearly happy) to sing Awaara Hum again.Did I notice this time something that I had missed years ago? Well, this time I was able to examine the fascination conveyed by this movie, surrounding this movie. I was able to examine it, as I was now detached; long time ago I had been immersed in the fascinating universe of Awara.I was able this time to observe that the fascination was not coming from the plot; it was from somewhere beyond. The actor playing the father of Raj was also in real life the father of Raj Kapoor. The same with the actor playing Raj as kid: he was the brother of Raj Kapoor. As for Nargis, the great actress playing Rita, she was in real life the great love of Raj Kapoor. And all the rest of the cast was infused with the chemistry among these guys: their reciprocal chemistry, their chemistry for the cinematic art.I think at the secret of this movie: it has a secret, no doubt about. You see, in 1949 the Japanese Ozu had created Late Spring, followed by Early Summer in 1951, the same year Raj Kapoor created Awara; I consider Ozu one of the greatest masters of cinema; in 1956 the Indian Satyajit Ray would create Pather Panchali, which is maybe one of the most profound movies of all times; followed by Aparajito and then by The World of Apu. Well, Awara stands, courageously, in my preferences among the movies of these titans, and this because it has a secret of his own.Many noted the Chaplinesque dimension of the tramp created by Raj Kapoor in Awara. And clearly Kapoor had Charlot in his mind: the same humorous courage to stand against all odds. But, it's not only Charlot in Awara; you feel there also the air of films noirs, while the romance, saturated with music, has a surrealist poetry.And maybe here is where the secret lies: this movie was created with the pleasure for creating cinema; with the passion to succeed in bringing on the screen a perfectly popular movie. If you want to understand what Bollywood means, you should see this movie from 1951. A movie openly looking for popularity because made by someone in love for the people, someone loving to tell stories to enjoy the attendance. Awara has a clear social message, but, as someone has very well observed, it is not a popular movie made to convey the message, rather the opposite: the message serves to convey a popular movie.

Actor-producer-director Raj Kapoor has given many excellent movies to the Hindi movie audience, yet Aawara stands tall among them all. It's a movie which is not only considered a classic by critics from all strata and categories but also got thumping commercial success also. Its song in Mukesh's immortal voice - Aawara hoon, found itself echoeing not only in the streets and corners of India but also Russia and China.Nature vs. Nurture is an ages old controversy starting from the plants and small creatures but extended to human-beings also. Can the acquired characteristics be transferred through genes ? Is it necessary that a baddie's offspring will turn into a baddie only and good soul's offspring will develop as a good and virtuous human-being only ? No ! The movie answers. As far the development of characteristics and personality traits are concerned, nurture has a much bigger (perhaps the only) role in that instead of nature or the acquiring of things by birth.Aawara starts with the trial of Raj Kapoor with his biological father, Prithvi Raj Kapoor being on the other side and his lady-love, Nargis as his defence attorney. The story moves to flash back with the abduction of Prithvi Raj Kapoor's wife, Leela Chitnis by a baddie, K.N. Singh. However when she returns, she has to face the horrible truth of suspicion in the eyes of her household members that she was raped by K.N. Singh and the child being carried by her in her womb belongs to K.N. Singh and not Prithvi Raj Kapoor. The insect of suspicion, eats up the wisdom of Prithvi Raj Kapoor and he expells his pregnant wife from his home. She gives birth to a son and fosters him under the hope that he will become a learned man like his father. However, poverty and hunger throws him in the arms of K.N. Singh only who is hell-bent upon inflicting a life-long bitter revenge upon Prithvi Raj Kapoor who had ensured a harsh sentence for him. He develops Raj Kapoor as a baddie only and one day himself gets killed by him. When Raj Kapoor is tried for the murder charge, Nargis reveals the truth that Raj Kapoor is none else but the son of Prithvi Raj Kapoor himself. Ultimately the father recognizes and embraces his son who is sentenced to prison for the murder.Aawara emphatically underscores the fact that it is ultimately the nurturing and the environment which matters in the development of the personality of a child. The child of a highly learned, pious and virtuous family may become a criminal in the company of bad guys and the child of a sinful person may become a very nice and admirable person by getting the fosterage of a pious family / group. Raj Kapoor has given admirable direction to the story, written by Khwaza Ahmed Abbas. The narrative has been made entertaining, not sermon-heavy. There is ample doz of comedy, romance and melody in the movie. The scene in which Raj Kapoor beats himself behind the wall to win the heart of Nargis, is hilarious. The master story-teller has used symbols quite artistically to signify different events. The use of moon in the song - Dumb Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere is a marvellous example in this context.Raj Kapoor was a shrewd filmmaker. He used to deliver entertainment enveloped in message instead of delivering message enveloped in entertainment. He has done the same thing in Aawara too. The movie supposedly underscore the supersession of nurture over nature. However when Nargis tries to convince Prithvi Raj Kapoor that Raj Kapoor is indeed his son, she brings the point of his anger which is a ditto of his father. What does it underscores ? Definitely the transition of acquired characteristic through genes. Further, if Raju becomes a good man in the end, ultimately the theory of his father only comes true that a good man's offspring is meant to be a good one. This shows the triumph of nature, not nurture.The technical and production value aspects are quite according to the standards set by Raj Kapoor for the movies of his banner. This black and white movie reminds of the noir cinema of the forties. Raj Kapoor's permanent cameraman, Radhu Karmakar has caught the mood of the movie very well through his camera.The music of Shanker-Jaikishan is great. The song - Aawara hoon had almost become the national anthem at the time of the release of the movie and even today, after sixty years, it is as popular as it was at that time. The other songs of the movie are also no less by any means.The performances of Nargis, Leela Chitnis, K.N. Singh etc. are very good. I will mention two actors- Prithvi Raj Kapoor who has delivered a towering performance in the role of judge Raghunath and Shashi Kapoor who has played the childhood version of Raj Kapoor quite briliiantly at the tender age of 13 years. Raj Kapoor, as the perennial Raju, has again done well with his mannerisms.In the end, I just put up one point which always haunts me whenever I read any such thing or any such movie (including the Ramayan) that to which extent it is justified to harass a woman under suspicion of being raped and carrying an illegitimate child in her womb due to that incident. Though the movie was made in 1951, still the people's psyche is more or less the same in the Indian society. Had Raj Kapoor's mother, Leela Chitnis been actually raped by K.N. Singh, would Prithvi Raj Kapoor be justified in expelling her from the house (that too in the pregnancy state) ? Why should a woman be punished for a crime committed by a man and that too by quoting Lord Rama and justifying this injustice to the woman with the example of Lady Sita ? This question always makes me uncomfortable.

I have always like watching movies. However, as time went by, I have only known of Hollywood, European, Japanese, and Filipino cinema. When I learned that Awara is one of Time Magazine's Top 100, I got a copy. The movie called my attention because I haven't seen a Bollywood movie. I watched Awara, and I was entertained. All the genre you can think of, you'll find it there. Name it: melodrama, action, comedy, romance, music, fantasy. Raj Kapoor craftily weaved them in the almost three hour-long classic.Behind the melodrama is the social commentary. The conflict between a person versus the orthodox beliefs of the milieu is a recurring theme each of us face in everyday life. Pressures to adhere to the norm led the main character to his plight. Children growing up in squalid areas is an important issue tackled.The musical sequences showed the movie's multi-faceted nature. It showed references to Chaplin, Rodgers/Hammerstein, and the like. Particularly amazing is the dream sequence in an east meets west setting. Elements of Hindu-Buddhist mythology are mingled with those of ancient Greco-Roman.The eclectic experience solidified my belief that Bollywood is indeed a pillar of world cinema. I look forward to watching more.

A magnificent film - entertainment (singing dancing, sweet, sweet pathos) and excitement - who can forget the crazy Heaven/Hell sequence. The film is marred only by Raj's occasional violence to the character played by Nargis.The songs are of a consistent hight quality. I have only one question - whatever happened to Honey O'Brien?