PART 4 OF 10: THE THIRSTY GURU AND THE FIESTY KING (NO, THAT IS NOT A CHINESE MOVIE TITLE...)
Raj Kapoor was a genius at enhancing the movie experience for his audiences. He regaled them with songs and sentiments, elaborate sets and costumes, and tramped about in his favorite Chaplinesque avatar. His scorching chemistry with the stylish Nargis only added to the effect, further accentuated by the incredible camera work of Radhu Karmakar. Raj was the Ultimate Showman. For the world outside of India, he embodied Indian cinema like no one else has ever since - not even Satyajit Ray. Time magazine in its 'All Time Best Movies...' tribute called him, " India in all its vitality, humanity and poignancy". That was Raj Kapoor. There was another gentleman who was going to take that art of visually enrapturing the audience to a completely new level. The person’s name was Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone – popularly known as Guru Dutt. Guru Dutt was born to a Konkani family in current-day Karnataka but spent much of his early life in Kolkata. He debuted as a direct...