Raj Kapoor- The fascination of seeing his heroines wearing a white saree

Raj Kapoor(14 Dec 1924), who was one of the greatest and most successful directors who started at a young age of 24 and also one of the best actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was a pioneer in making Hindi cinema bolder, by making his heroine show off their beauty on the silver screen. He had a fascination of seeing his heroines wearing a white saree in at least one scene in his films.
One may recall the white-saree clad heroines of RK Films as Nargis in Awara, Padmini in Mera Naam Joker, Vyjayanthimala in Sangam, Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Mail and also Padmini Kolhapure in Premrog. His ‘woman in white’ fascination can be traced from his wife Krishna. It started before he marrying Krishna. It is said that Raj Kapoor once saw Krishna a young girl in a white saree with mogas in her hair, playing the sitar. That was the time when Krishna taking music lessons. Being an artiste, he reacted to the visual. He was reminded of Goddess Saraswati. The image of the ‘lady in white’ stayed in his mind and was later seen in his films.If you recall Krishna, his wife always wore white and had a flower in her hair.

Very few know that Nargis who was Raj Kapoor's heroine in Barsaat 1949 and Awara 1951  was dubbed as the Lady in White, given her penchant for white sarees. “She wore only cotton and organza with a little embroidery.
Raj Kapoor the person was not very different from the personality. A flair for flamboyance was the hallmark 

Song of Awara 1951

Song of Satyam Shivam Sundaram 1978

Song of Prem Rog 1982

Song of Ram Teri Ganga Meli 1985

The Great Architects Of Golden Era Of Bollywood

The 50s and 60s was the Golden Period of Bollywood. It was the period that saw the Hindi cinema with melodious socials and melodramas with melodious & immortal songs.The films made during that time not only gave entertainment but also social & moral message..this period saw the production of some of India’s most critically acclaimed directors, actors and actresses,Music Directors,Lyricist and films of all time.  

V SHANTARAM -

 In 1929, he founded the Prabhat Film Company along with Vishnupant Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni, which made Ayodhyecha Raja, the first Marathi language film in 1932 under his direction.He left Prabhat co. in 1942 to form "Rajkamal Kalamandir" in Mumbai. In time, "Rajkamal" became one of the most sophisticated studios of the country. Through his 66-year-old career, was known to use cinema as an instrument to effect social change, advocate humanism and expose bigotry and injustice. He was also interested in music and actively participated in the music creation and production of his films. He was also remembered to have ‘ghost-written’ music for many of his music directors.He is most known for films such as Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Navrang (1959),
BIMAL ROY

-  He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Golden Era of Hindi cinema.He was a filmmaker of great and in-depth understanding of human strengths and weaknesses.He introduced the genius composer Salil Chowdhury to Hindi Cinema with Do Beegha Zameen , but also utilised his writing skills in at least three films. Do Beegha was based on a story Rikshawala written by him back in the ’40s. Parakh was also based on his story and Salil da wrote the screenplay of Prem Patra .

MEHBOOB KHAN -

 The maker of bold saga Aurat (1940),Anmol Ghadi (1946), the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling musical Aan (1951) and the grand social epic Mother India (1957).He set up his production company – Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio – Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954.

K ASIF -

 A film director, film producer and screenwriter who is famous for his work on the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam (1960)..His directorial debut, Phool (1945), did very well at the box-office due to the casting of and portrayals by famous actors and actresses of the time such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote and Suraiya. He became a successful director due to his perfectionism in weaving his imagination into an art form and gave birth to Mughal-e-Azam, a legendary film in the Indian Film Industry. He died at age 48. 

Raj Kapoor

Raj Kapoor  is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of cinema.^[5] He was the winner of several accolades including 3 National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards in India.  He was a two-time nominee for the Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his films Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish (1954).He established R K Studio in 1948  and became the youngest film director of his time making his directorial debut with Aag starring himself, He went on to produce and star in several hit films made under his R. K. Banner including Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Jagte Raho (1956) and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960)

B R CHOPRA -

He was one of the architects of golden era,Best known for making Hindi films like Naya Daur (1957), Sadhna (1958), Kanoon (1961), Gumrah (1963) and Humraaz (1967).His first film as a director, Afsana, was released in 1951 and featured Ashok Kumar in a double role – the film was a hit and established his name in Bollywood. Chopra made Chandni Chowk, with Meena Kumari as a lead, in 1954. In 1955, B.R. formed his own production house, B.R Films. His first movie for this production house was the highly successful Naya Daur (1957) starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala Bali, the film became a golden jubilee hit. He was instrumental in developing the career of singer Mahendra Kapoor, 

GURU DUTT -

 He was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He made 1950s and 1960s classics such as Baazi, Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvin Ka Chand. In particular, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are now included among the greatest films of all time, both by Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies.His first film as Director, Navketan's Baazi, was released in 1951..He also produced Aar Paar 1954 and C I D in 1956.

VIJAY ANAND-

 Also known as Goldie Anand, was a filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, editor and actor, who is known for acclaimed films such as Guide (1965) and Johny Mera Naam (1970). He made most of his films for the in-house banner Navketan Films.He was also the director of Teesri Manzil(1966).He gave us the films like  Nau Do Gyarah(1957),  Kala Bazar (1960),Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963),Jewel Thief (1967),Tere Mere Sapne (1971).

Actors of Golden Era
The three most popular male Indian actors of the 1950s and 1960s were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand, each with their own unique acting style.Other actors were Ashok Kumar. Balraj Sahni,Guru Dutt,Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar,Johny Walker and Mehmood while successful actresses included  Nargis, Suraiya, Vyjayanthimala, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Madhubala, Sadhana, Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha.

Music Directors Of Golden Era
Naushd,S D Burman,Shankar Jaikishan,O P Nayyar.Madan Mohan,C Ramchandra.Hemant Kumar and Roshan were few of the great composer of that time.

Singers of Golden Era
Lata,Geeta Dutt,Asha Bhosle,Suriya among the female Rafi,Talat Manna De Mukesh and Kishore Kumar were among the male singers.

Major Fire Gutted the Iconic R K STUDIO

A major fire on 16th Sept 2017  gutted the iconic RK Studio, founded by Indian film legend Raj Kapoor.The Studio was founded in 1945 and the first film was released in 1948.What an Irony that the studio's first film was Aag got gutted withAag(Fire).

The films made under the R K banner include "Aag", "Barsaat", "Awaara", "Shri 420", "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai", "Mera Naam Joker", "Bobby", "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", "Ram Teri Ganga Maili", among others. The last film made under the banner was "Aa Ab Laut Chalen".As per Rishi Kapoor the the iconic Stage where the song Om Shanti Om of Karz was  shot is completely gutted.Several Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra films have also been shot at the same set. Some costumes of RK Studio were burnt in the fire."

No one was present on the set while the studio caught fire. There is no casualty or injuries whatsoever. Cost of damage is not ascertained yet,The blaze has gutted one of the main shooting venues – the set of dance reality TV show ‘Super Dancer Season 2’, but the shooting was not underway. 

Glory of R K Films and Studio

The golden era of Bollywood starts from this studio, though its first film Aag that couldn’t do well at the box office. Many super hit films were made by R.K. Films including,Awaara, Boot Polish, Shree 420 and Bobby. Raj Kapoor, the show man of Indian cinema was behind this time initiative ahead of its time. 
 The studio complex still stands as a proud symbol in Chembur, a suburb in eastern Mumbai.

Raj Kapoor established RK Films in 1948. The first film under the banner 'Aag' was a failure. In 1949, Raj Kapoor's first commercial success came with 'Barsaat', starring Nargis. One of the posters of Barsaat showed Raj Kapoor holding Nargis in one arm and a violin in another. The poster itself became iconic.

The studio started in 1950.As per Raj Kapoor“Once when I was shooting for Awara, I had completed 13 days of shooting in a studio when on the 14th day I was asked to dismantle my sets because the studio had been hired to someone else. I was very upset and that day I decided to make my own studio. I put together all the money I had and laid the foundation of RK Studio.” 

After the success Awara 1951 Aah was released in 1953 The film was produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Raja Nawathe. The film was rated "Below Average" at the box office but has various hit songs like "Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat", "Aaja Re Ab Mera Dil Pukara" and "Jaane Na Nazar".By this time Nargis became the in house heroine of R K Films.  Boot Polish, Jagte Raho and Shri 420 followed. 

Shri 420 was the third film directed by Raj Kapoor,it  was the highest-grossing Indian film of 1955, and the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani", sung by Mukesh, became popular and a patriotic symbol of the newly independent India.In 1960 Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai released.The film was directed by Radhu Karmakar and produced by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Kapoor, Pran and Padmini in lead roles. This was the first directorial venture of Karmakar who had previously been cinematographer for many of Kapoor's films. The film was declared "Hit" at the box office.

Another Gem from R K Films came in 1964,Sangam a Bollywood Romance film written by Inder Raj Anand, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Vyjayanthimala in the lead role opposite Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar.It was Raj Kapoor's first colour film, distinguished by its technicolor and epic length (even by Bollywood standards). It is also considered the Magnum Opus or best work of Raj Kapoor.One of the features of the film that became widely used later on in Bollywood is the use of foreign locales for on-location shooting, such as Venice, Paris, and Switzerland.   

After Sangam became a blockbuster, Mera Naam Joker was highly anticipated as it was under production for six years and was heavily publicized to be loosely based on Raj Kapoor's own life. Upon release the film turned out to be a critical and commercial disaster putting Kapoor into a financial crisis.In1971 Kal Aaj aur Kal produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by his son Randhir Kapoor released. The film's USP is the appearance of three generations of the famous Kapoor Family starring Prithviraj Kapoor, his son Raj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's son Randhir Kapoor (in his acting debut) and Randhir's real-life wife-to-be Babita. It was a a moderate success at the box office.

After the debacle of Mera Naam Joker the financiers and distributors were dictating terms to RK so Bobby a teenage love story was planned.Bobby released in 1973 The film became a blockbuster, the top-grossing Indian hit of 1973,
R K Films were now making films under the direction of Randhir Kapoor also, Dharam Karam is a 1975 Hindi film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Randhir Kapoor, who also star as father and son in the film, respectively. The film performed "below average" at the box office.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram was the next R K Film released in 1978,starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman, directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Jainendra Jain.After this Raj Kapoor directed 2 films Prem Rog(1982)  and Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1985). It was Raj Kapoor's last film. The film became a "Blockbuster" at the box office and went on to be the highest grossing Hindi film of 1985. 
When Raj Kapoor died in 1988 in the middle of shooting 'Henna', Randhir took over the studio. His younger brother Rajiv Kapoor directed PremGranth in 1996; Rishi Kapoor directed Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999). Hereafter the Kapoors have produced no  film under the R.K. Films banner. 
TOP 10 HIT SONGS OF R K FILMS

Song from Aag 1948

Song from Barsat 1949

Song from Awara 1951

Song from Aah 1953

Song from Boot Polish 1954

Song from Shree 420 1955

Song from Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai 1960

Song from Sangam  1964

Song from Mera Naam Joker 1970

Song from Bobby 1973