The 97th birth anniversary of Indian actor and director Raj Kapoor, a cinematic powerhouse, was marked with the release of the book, Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work in the Capital. Penned by veteran filmmaker Rahul Rawail, the memoir was released by Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of actor and director Randhir Kapoor, and Ranbir Kapoor on Tuesday evening at India Habitat Centre. Co-authored by Pranika Sharma, this book has been published by Bloomsbury India.
While addressing the audience, Naidu said, “The song Awaara Hoon became hugely popular in numerous countries of the Middle East, Central Asia and Soviet Union. Raj Kapoor ji, through his spirit, turned India’s cinema to be a vehicle of cultural diplomacy, the greatest contribution this great man has made to this great country.”
“Through Rahul uncle’s brilliant book, I have got an insight of Raj Kapoor the filmmaker, the director, the actor, the artist that he was. I am very grateful to Rahul uncle for the experience. When he [Rahul Rawail] emailed me the book, I read it in five hours flat. It is entertaining and so well-written, and has such great insight about Raj Kapoor as a filmmaker,” shared Raj Kapoor’s grandson, Ranbir Kapoor during the release. The evening was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Indian businessman Suhel Seth.
An ode to the showman
Raj Kapoor: The Master at Work outlines vivid details about Kapoor’s techniques of filmmaking, and further delves into his idiosyncrasies through a series of personal anecdotes as narrated by Rawail. Through this book (divided into 26 chapters), Rawail recounts the days he spent working with Raj Kapoor and thus, takes the readers through Kapoor’s work as well as his style of filmmaking.
The book hence, offers a unique glimpse of Kapoor’s eccentric personality. Raj Kapoor’s eldest son Randhir Kapoor has written the foreword to the book. Furthermore, the memoir is dedicated to late actor Rishi Kapoor (Raj Kapoor’s second son), who insisted that Rawail complete this book. A “humble homage” to Raj Kapoor, this book has takeaways for readers in all spheres of life. “The book is not just meant for people who are into cinema but is for people of all backgrounds,” concludes Rawail.