Awaara
About Awaara
Judge Raghunath, sure that criminals are born to criminals, casts out his pregnant wife Leela after the bandit Jagga kidnaps her. Their son Raj grows up poor, steals for Jagga, and falls in love with his school friend Rita, now the judge's ward. Raj kills Jagga while defending Leela, then escapes jail and tries to kill Raghunath. Rita defends him, the court hears that the judge is his father, and Raj is sentenced to three years instead of execution.
Cast & crew
More about Awaara
Raj Kapoor produced and directed. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas is the writer on Wikidata, Wikipedia also credits V.P. Sathe, and Prithviraj Kapoor, Nargis, and Leela Chitnis play the judge, Rita, and Leela. Wikidata lists 193 minutes and a box office of 12,500,000 Indian rupees.
Themes
In film history
In 2012 Time placed the film among 20 new All-Time 100 entries. In 2023 Time Out ranked it 20th on a list of 100 Bollywood movies.
Audiences
Wikipedia describes wide circulation of Awaara Hoon in the Soviet Union, China, and elsewhere, and gives Chinese ticket sales of 40 million on the first run and more than 100 million after a 1978 re-release.
Look
Radhu Karmakar photographed the film. G.G. Mayekar edited it.
Music
Shankar-Jaikishan composed the score. Mukesh sings Awaara Hoon, lyrics by Shailendra.
Notes
- Shashi Kapoor plays the young Raj. Dewan Basheshwarnath Singh Kapoor, Prithviraj's father, makes his only film appearance.
- K.N. Singh plays Jagga. The overseas title on Wikipedia is The Vagabond.
- Mukesh sings Awaara Hoon, with lyrics by Shailendra.
- A Greek recording, Stelios Kazantzidis's Mantoubala (1959), adapts the song Aajao Tadapte Hain Armaan.
- Wikipedia says the film was remade in Turkey eight times, first as Avare (1964).
Scenes
- Rita shows the court that Judge Raghunath is Raj's father.
- Raj is sentenced to three years and Rita says she will wait.
Influenced by
- Charlie Chaplin's tramp, referenced in Raj's poor-man costume
Influenced
- Shree 420
- Avare (1964)
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Awaara (1951).webm)
Quotes
good people are born to good people, and criminals are born to criminals
