Raj Kapoor directs and stars in this classic Bollywood drama, which looks at the complicated lives of a poor man (Kapoor) and a privileged woman (Nargis). In Hindi with English subtitles.
This is the fifth collaboration between the two leads and this is one film from Indian cinema that I absolutely loved from start to finish the first time and exactly the same result occurred on a re-watch.
Kapoor gives a very good performance starring as Raj Raghunath, the man who is about to have one big moment of truth in the courtroom after he kills a criminal. Preparing to take the case to court, he is backed by his lawyer Rita (Nargis), who also happens to be his long-lost love.
Kapoor suits his role very well and makes the most of the time he has on the screen, while Nargis offers really good support in her role as the woman who is strongly prepared to defend Raj in court.
Elsewhere, there are strong supporting performances to be had from Prithviraj Kapoor and Leela Chitnis in their respective roles as Judge Raghunath and Leela Raghunath. Judge is the man taking charge of the latest proceedings at the latest case in the courtroom, while Leela is the woman who is thrown out of the house as it is believed she is up to no good...
Keep an eye out for Shashi Kapoor who appears as the younger version of Raj.
The direction from Raj Kapoor is excellent because he allows the facial expressions to be seen to a strong effect throughout, as well as keeping a very good pace going from start to finish, while the script is very well written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas as he makes the movie easy to follow.
The technical aspects that stand out best are the set, camera and music, because the set is decent to view throughout, while the camera makes good use of the locations and the music is enjoyable to listen to.
Overall, Awaara is one well-acted film which terrific performances from Raj Kapoor and Nargis and this is one film that can definitely keep you gripped. One of the best Bollywood movies to have been made in the year of this release.
