Reigniting Aag: 100 Years Of Raj Kapoor

We are celebrating the 100th Birth anniversary of India’s greatest showman Raj Kapoor, whose contribution to Indian cinema is second to none. Born as Ranbir Raj Kapoor on 14th December 1924, to the legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor, in Peshawar Pakistan. He made a name for himself not only as an actor but also as a director and a producer of the ever-iconic R.K Films with legendary films like Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Sangam, etc.

Image Credits: Youtube

On the occasion of India’s greatest showman’s birth centenary let's dive into a retro revisit of a film where it all began, a film that paved the way for Kapoor’s upcoming wonders, a film where the iconic Raj-Nargis Jodi came into the picture, also marking the inception of his dream production house, R.K Studios.

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The project was his brave attempt to live his dream of becoming a director, a film even though it was not a Box Office success at the time of release, it was enough for him to be a fearless filmmaker giving him the courage to take risks for his upcoming ventures like Awara and Shree 420.

The film I am talking about is Aag (1948), which set the stage, changing Hindi Cinema forever, making the showman the youngest director in India at the age of 24.

Credits & Info :

Directed by Raj Kapoor

Written by Inder Raj Anand

Produced by Raj Kapoor

Cast: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Premnath, Kamini Kaushal, and Kamal Kapoor.

Music by Ram Ganguly

Production company: R. K. Films

Release date: 6 August 1948

Running time: 130 mins

Synopsis:

The story revolves around Kewal Kapoor (played by Raj Kapoor, and Shaasi Kapoor playing the younger version), a young man consumed by his passion for art and love. As a child, Kewal dreams of becoming a theater artist, but his strict father(Kamal Kapoor) forces him to pursue a traditional career like pursuing law. Despite this, Kewal's love for theater remains undeterred.

Kewal's life takes a series of struggling turns like failing the law exam and getting thrown out of the house, additionally, when he falls in love with multiple women at different stages of his life, each relationship leaves him more disillusioned. His childhood sweetheart Nirmala (played by Kamini Kaushal) is separated from him, leading to a void in his heart. Later, falling for a mysterious woman Nimmi(played by Nargis) fuels his artistic fire but eventually walks away. Each love is fleeting, leaving Kewal to grapple with heartbreak and longing.

Kewal's passion for theater finally manifests when he starts his own theater group, but his obsession with his craft alienates him from others. Fire (Aag), a recurring metaphor in the film, symbolizes both his burning desires and the destruction caused by his unfulfilled aspirations and emotional turmoil.

Even though the film was critically well acclaimed it couldn't perform well at the Box Office. Kapoor had his first major hit the next year with his second directorial Barsaat (1949).

You can watch the film for free here.