Raj Kapoor,the Showman of Bollywood (December 14, 1924 - June 2, 1988)

Raj Kapoor was one of the legendary trio - the other two being Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar - who formed the triumvirate that dominated the screen of the Fifties and Sixties.

Raj Kapoor, the legend started small. The eldest son of the late Prithviraj Kapoor - a Pathan from Peshawar, stunningly built and spectacular looking, who abandoned a career in law for the magic of the screen and stage - Raj Kapoor's first job was that of a clapper boy in a Kedar Sharma film in 1942.

Hired by Ranjit Movietone at the princely sum of ten rupees a month, Raj occasionally managed an extra rupee bonus whenever he was lucky enough to be selected as an 'extra'. Bombay Talkies was his next stop.

Raj Kapoor at the age of 21 produced and acted in Aag(1948) which was a modest success

 Raj Kapoor in 1949 co-starred alongside Dilip Kumar and Nargisin Mehboob Khan's blockbuster ''Andaz'' which was his first major success as an actor

Raj Kapoor next made Barsaat(1949), which straight away rocketed him into big time. Teaming with Nargis, this film set the tone for the R.K. movies and established a team of outstanding professionals - Shanker-Jaikishen, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Shailendra, Hasrat - without peer

And then came Awara. A father-son story scripted by K.A. Abbas.A super smash in every department - music, photography, acting, direction - Awara marked the beginning of a long and successful association with Abbas which was to run its course through three decades to Bobby (1973)

Awara(1951) also marked the beginning of Raj's 'Chaplinesque' phase: the funny walk, the blend of effervescent humour, romantic pathos, rib-tickling slapstick, the telling idealism - it was all there, desified. It was Awara that blazed his stars in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, regions where even today he remains a folk-hero. Mein Awara Hoon and Mera Joota Hai Japani continue to be signature tunes as far as Indian music go for millions in that part of the globe

With the Sixties, came a change in focus,'Style' was the thing - not 'substance' and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai(1960), a huge grosser

'Sangam'(1964), the first Hindi film which was shot extensively abroad which was a smash hit, setting a trend which other film-makers in herd-fashion followed

Mera Naam Joker(1970), a five-hour epic that attempted to document the joys and sorrows of a circus clown -a spectacular flop

Bobby(1973), a love story with two newcomers, his son Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. At a time when 'multi-starrers' and 'action' films were the flavor of the day, Bobby appeared to be a very risky business proposition, completely out of sync with every conceivable formula ruling the roost - but Raj was undaunted. "Love can never date" declared its most passionate apostle. It proved to be one of the biggest megahits of its time

Satyam Shivam Sundaram(1978),his most controversial film ever.Demolishing all accepted Indian film norms by permitting kissing on the screen, he had a scantily clad Zeenat Aman - the industry's celebrated non-actress with the body beautiful - bouncing, flouncing, jiggling through the footage. Wanting to educate the Indian Public to accept nudity as an art form, Kapoor obviously was hoping for a template to attract commercial viability - in vain.

Prem Rog(1982) came next, with love as the central theme. Successful as it was, the film was a far cry from the maker of Awara, Barsaat and Shree 420

Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1985),Raj Kapoor's last film,starring his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor and a new comer named Mandakini as heroine, set the box-office on fire. On cue, it bared its young nubile heroine's assets like never before, only propagating Kapoor's personal vision of erotica as thing of beauty 'for better or worse, I have been accused of stripping my heroines. Beauty, like evil, lies in the eyes of the beholder, and where I see beauty, others see evil.'

Raj Kapoor has won 9 Filmfare Awards -

Best Director for the films -

• Sangam(1965)
• Mera Naam Joker(1972)
• Prem Rog(1983)
• Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1986)

Best Actor for the films -

• Anari(1960)
• Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai( 1962)

Best Film Award for the films -

• Boot Polish(1955)
• Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai( 1962)
• Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1986)

Raj Kapoor won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987