Shree 420
About Shree 420
Raj walks from a small town into Bombay and is robbed of what he carries. Vidya, a poor schoolteacher, takes him in. Maya, who has money, pulls him into a fraud. The number 420 is the fraud section of the old Indian Penal Code, and the title means Mr. 420. He leaves the scheme and goes back to Vidya. Raj Kapoor plays Raj. Nargis plays Vidya. Nadira plays Maya.
Cast & crew
More about Shree 420
Kapoor directed and produced. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas wrote the story. Radhu Karmakar photographed. Shankar-Jaikishan composed. Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the lyrics. G. G. Mayekar edited. Released September 6, 1955. The listed length is 164 minutes. Mukesh sings "Mera Joota Hai Japani." The wiki calls the film the highest-grossing Indian release of 1955. A copy is on the Internet Archive as shree-420-1955-raj-kapoor.
Themes
Look
Radhu Karmakar shot the Bombay streets and the rain duet.
Music
Shankar-Jaikishan composed. Mukesh sings "Mera Joota Hai Japani." Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri wrote lyrics.
Preservation
A print survives.
Notes
- 420 is a penal-code section, not a street number.
- The tramp walk is the same idea Kapoor used in Awaara (1951).
- Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua" is the duet in the rain with Nargis.
- Abbas's use of Shree in front of 420 drew argument at the time.
Scenes
- He sings "Mera Joota Hai Japani" on the road into the city.
- He and Vidya share an umbrella in the rain.
Also available
- Internet Archive (shree-420-1955-raj-kapoor)
