Raj Kapoor Held A Huge Box Office Record For 10,959 Days Straight! (Photo Credit – YouTube)
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The showman of Indian Cinema who made us believe—Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan, Iske Siwa Jaana Kahaan—the great Raj Kapoor was born exactly 100 years ago. As the Kapoors celebrate his 100th birth anniversary, we decided to take a quick recap on an insane achievement of his career.
He was the greatest – Shashi Kapoor & Shammi Kapoor’s brother, Randhir, Rishi, and Rajiv Kapoor’s father, Babita and Neetu Kapoor’s father-in-law, Karisma, Kareena, Ranbir, Riddhima Kapoor, Adar & Armaan Jain’s grandfather, Taimur, Jeh, Navya Naveli Nanda & Agastya Nanda’s great-grandfather! The legacy he left was imbibed by the youngsters of the Kapoor – Nanda family.
Raj Kapoor’s First Step In Cinema
Raj Kapoor holds an impeccable box office record that was unbeatable for 20 long years. He made his debut in 1943 with a film called Gauri, which was followed by Neelkamal and a few more in 1947. But it was RK Banners that brought him recognition overnight with Aag in 1948.
The first blockbuster by RK Films was Andaz, starring him, Dilip Kumar, and Nargis in a love triangle. This was followed by Barsaat’s humungous success, the film that turned his fate overnight, and he was suddenly one of the biggest stars in the country.
Raj Kapoor Box Office Record
The biggest record of the Raj Kapoor‘s career came with Awara. A film that ruled hearts and theaters alike. The film was released in the year 1951. It was released in the USSR in 1954, and Prithviraj Kapoor’s son was one of the biggest stars in the country. When Awara was released in USSR it earned a massive 37.75 million Ruble (Soviet currency of that time). It is close to 3 crore Indian rupee in today’s date.
Raj Kapoor’s Awara was the highest-grossing Indian film in the USSR and claimed the spot for 10,959 days till another superstar arrived to break this record. This superstar was Mithun Chakraborty, who challenged Awara’s record with Disco Dancer in 1984. Mithun’s film did a business of 60 million Ruble, close to 4.8 crore in today’s Indian currency (as per current exchange rate).
Other Raj Kapoor Films That Were A Box Office Rage In The USSR
Apart from Awara, there were some other films starring Raj Kapoor that were box office hits in USSR – Mera Naam Joker starring him and Bobby, directed by him and starring his son Rishi Kapoor.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
