Trailer
Plot summary
Raghunath is a wealthy district judge who holds that people are born good or born criminal. On thin evidence he convicts Jagga, a criminal's son, of rape. Jagga escapes and kidnaps Leela, the judge's wife, for revenge, then releases her when he learns she is pregnant. Neighbors suspect her of adultery, and Raghunath turns her out of their house. Leela gives birth to Raj on the streets, and the two live in poverty. Raj befriends Rita at school, and she later leaves for another city.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Awaara (1951)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Writer Khwaja Ahmad Abbas originally wanted Mehboob Khan to direct Awaara, but the two fell out over casting: Khan wanted Ashok Kumar as the judge and Dilip Kumar as the son. Abbas withdrew his script from Mehboob Studios and Raj Kapoor took over as director.
- Awaara and its song "Awaara Hoon" are believed to have been among Chairman Mao's favourite film and song, and the film was referenced in the 2000 Chinese film Platform.
- Awaara was remade in Turkey eight times because of its success with Turkish audiences. The first and best-known was Avare (1964) starring Sadri Alışık and Ajda Pekkan, and another was Benim Gibi Sevenler (1977) by Temel Gürsu.
- The Greek musician Stelios Kazantzidis adapted the Awaara song "Aajao Tadapte Hain Armaan" ("Ab Raat Guzarne Wali Hai") into his 1959 hit "Mantoubala", after the film became popular in Greece as The Vagabond of Bombay.
- In its initial run, Awaara drew about 64 million viewers, the highest for any film in the Soviet Union at the time, until Amphibian Man surpassed its record in 1962.
