#FlashbackFriday: Raj Kapoor’s 7 Black & White Films That Were Way Ahead Of Its Time

Raj Kapoor, the genius actor, director, and producer, was a star of the earliest days of the Hindi film industry. Not only did he display great acting prowess, his direction too was extraordinary, and still stands as a landmark and a guide to aspiring filmmakers. As we make a note of #FlashbackFriday, let us take a tour of the past and look at some of Raj Kapoor’s black and white films, which were way ahead of their times.

Aag

A film from 1948, Aag was the directorial debut of Raj Kapoor. Written by Inder Raj Anand, the film revolves around a man whose face is disfigured due to burns, and he shares the story of how he suffered those burns. His story then follows the journey of his dedication towards his passion, his love, and his friendship. It also explores the theme of attraction to outer beauty versus the love for inner beauty. The film also stars Nargis and Prem Nath.

You can watch Aag on ZEE5.

Aah

Aah is a film from 1953, written by Inder Raj Anand and directed by Raja Nawathe. The film revolves around the story of a couple who fall in love via the exchange of letters but don’t know who they really are in person. The film very beautifully explores themes of love and sacrifice. Aah originally had a realistic and tragic end, which was not accepted by the audience of that time, because of which, the climax of the film was changed to a happy one. The film also stars Nargis, Pran, and Vijayalaxmi.

You can watch Aah on ZEE5.

Barsaat

Barsaat is another Raj Kapoor directorial. Written by Ramanand Sagar, the film revolves around the story of two couples who face hardships in love – while one couple (Raj Kapoor and Nargis) is madly in love, their love is not accepted by the woman’s parents. And among the second couple (Prem Nath and Nimmi), while the woman is deeply in love, the man is only faking love, and leaves the woman, saying that he will return with the monsoons. Rains are portrayed as a metaphor in this story of love and pain.

You can watch Barsaat on ZEE5.

Shree 420

Written by KA Abbas and directed by Raj Kapoor, Shree 420 was a film that revolved around the theme of con-men disguised as respectable figures of society, calling them Shree 420. While Raj Kapoor’s character, named Raj, gets involved with these conmen, Nargis’ character, Vidya, tries to make him realise the truth.

Watch Shree 420 on ZEE5.

Also read: Rajiv Kapoor Passes Away: The Actor Rumouredly Didn’t Get Along Well With Father Raj Kapoor

Awaara

Awaara was another film written by KA Abbas and directed by Raj Kapoor. The film revolves around the theme of crime and the belief built around criminals. The plot of Awaara is about how a misunderstanding forces a judge to disown his wife, and she starts living in the slums, where she delivers a baby boy. Her son, Raj (Raj Kapoor) grows up and becomes a criminal. Raj’s father, the judge, is shown to have a belief that ‘criminals are born to criminals’, which is later shattered. The film also starred Nargis and Prithviraj Kapoor.

You can watch Awaara on ZEE5.

Jagte Raho

Jagte Raho is arguably the best name on this list. Written by KA Abbas and directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, the film revolves around the story of a poor man who arrives in a big city in search of work, and one night enters a chawl to get some drinking water. He gets mistaken as a thief and gets trapped in a web of greed and corruption. The film is about the story of just that one night, where a man’s search for drinking water, leads to shocking revelations.

You can watch Jagte Raho on ZEE5.

Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai

Written by Arjun Dev Rashk and directed by Radhu Karmarkar, the film revolves around the story of a man, who one day gets to live among bandits and after knowing of their goodness, gets attached to them. However, an event leads him to approach the cops, where he sees them stooping to low levels. The film explores his dilemma of who to side with and who really is the good entity. The film also stars Pran and Padmini.

You can watch Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai on ZEE5.

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