Underplayed Gems

Shree 420 (1955)

Shree 420 poster
Original title
श्री ४२०
Directed by
Raj Kapoor
Genre
drama film, comedy film, romance film
Country
India
Runtime
2h 44m
Rating
7.5 of 10 from 20 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A poor but educated orphan arrives in Bombay full of hope. He struggles between honesty and the temptations of easy money in a big city.

hopefulwryromanticwhimsicalmusicalurbanmoralsentimentalclassic

What happens

Shree 420 (also spelled as Shri 420; transl. Mr. 420) is a 1955 Indian Hindi comedy-drama film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor from a story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. The film stars Nargis, Nadira, and Kapoor. The number 420 refers to Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, which prescribes the punishment for the offence of fraud; hence, "Mr. 420" is a derogatory term for a fraudster. The film centers on Raj Kapoor, a poor but educated orphan who comes to Bombay with dreams of success. Kapoor's character is influenced by Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp", much like Kapoor's character in his 1951 Awaara. The music was composed by the team of Shankar Jaikishan, and the lyrics were penned by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. Shree 420 was the highest-grossing Indian film of 1955, the highest grossing Indian film of all time at the time of its release and the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" ("My Shoes are Japanese"), sung by Mukesh, became popular and a patriotic symbol of the newly independent India. The movie had numerous other hit songs like "Pyaar hua ikrar hua", a duet with Nargis sung in monsoon old Bombay. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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