| Shree 420 | |
|---|---|
 Original poster | |
| Directed by | Raj Kapoor |
| Screenplay by | Khwaja Ahmad Abbas V.P. Sathe[1] |
| Story by | Khwaja Ahmad Abbas[1] |
| Produced by | Raj Kapoor |
| Starring | Raj Kapoor Nargis Nadira |
| Cinematography | Radhu Karmakar |
| Edited by | G.G. Mayekar |
| Music by | Shankar–Jaikishan |
Release date |
|
Running time | 168 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est.₹49.4 million |
Shree 420 (also spelled asShri 420;transl. Mr. 420) is a 1955 Indian Hindicomedy-drama film directed and produced byRaj Kapoor from a story written byKhwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. The film starsNargis,Nadira, and Kapoor. The number 420 refers toSection 420 of theIndian Penal Code, which prescribes the punishment for the offence offraud; hence, "Mr. 420" is a derogatory term for a fraudster. The film centers on Raj Kapoor, a poor but educated orphan who comes toBombay with dreams of success. Kapoor's character is influenced byCharlie Chaplin's "little tramp", much like Kapoor's character in his 1951Awaara. The music was composed by the team ofShankar Jaikishan, and the lyrics were penned byShailendra andHasrat Jaipuri.
Shree 420 was thehighest-grossing Indian film of 1955,[2] 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 byMukesh, 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 withNargis sung in monsoon old Bombay.
Raj (Raj Kapoor), a country boy fromAllahabad, travels to the big city,Bombay, by walking, to earn a living. He falls in love with the poor but virtuous Vidya (Nargis), but is soon seduced by the riches of a freewheeling and unethicallifestyle presented to him by an unscrupulous and dishonest businessman, Seth Sonachand Dharmanand (Nemo) and the sultry temptress Maya (Nadira). He eventually becomes aconfidence trickster, or "420," who even cheats in card gambling. Vidya tries hard to make Raj a good man, but fails.[3]
Meanwhile, Sonachand comes up with aPonzi scheme to exploit poor people, whereby he promises permanent homes to them at just Rs. 100. The scheme pays off, as people start hoarding money for a home, even at the cost of other important things. Vidya's contempt for Raj increases even more. Raj becomes wealthy but soon realizes that he paid a very high price for it. When Raj discovers that Sonachand has no plans to fulfill his promises, he decides to make wrongs right.
Raj takes all the bond papers of the people's homes and tries to flee Sonachand's home, only to be caught by Sonachand and his cronies. In a scuffle that occurs, Sonachand shoots Raj and he falls unconscious. When people hear the shooting, they come and see Raj nearly dead. Sonachand tells the police that Raj was trying to flee after stealing money from his safe, hence Sonachand shot him.
Upon this, the "dead" Raj springs back to life and, using pure logic, proves Sonachand's guilt. Sonachand and his partners are arrested, while Vidya happily forgives Raj. The film ends with Raj saying "Yeh 420 Nahin, Shree 420 Hain" ("These are not simply con men, they are respectable con men").
The title refers tosection 420 of theIndian penal code, where crimes of theft and deception are punished, which relates to the troubles of the main character.
InSanskrit, the name of the main character, "Vidya", means knowledge, while "Maya" means Illusion.
The title of one of the songs in the movie is "Ramaiya Vastavaiya" is inTelugu, which means "Ramaiya, come quickly". Apart from that, the rest of the song's lyrics (and the film) are in Hindi.[4]
At the beginning of the movie, the main protagonist explains to a policeman that one needs to stand on one's head to make sense of this world. He mentions that this is the reason why even great leaders stand on their heads. This is an allusion to several political leaders of that time who enjoyed practicing theShirshasana, ayogaasana where one stands on his head. In hisautobiography,Nehru described that the shirshasana was his favorite pose, and how he often did the shirshasana in jail, too.
"I had to give a shot and it was raining that day. It was difficult for the crew to make me prepare for the shot. I had just to walk without any expression. It was Nargis who came up with the idea to offer me chocolate to get the shot done. In that sense, I started taking bribes when I was two-year-old."
Raj Kapoor's real-life children Randhir, Ritu and Rishi were featured in the song "Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua", Rishi revealed that Nargis bribed him with chocolate and recalled it in a 2017 interview.[5]
The song "Mera Joota Hai Japani", in which the singer asserts his pride in being an Indian, despite his clothes being from other countries, became, and remains, a patriotic favourite among many Indians. It is often referenced, including in an acceptance speech at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2006 by Bengali authorMahasweta Devi.
The film proved to be popular in other countries, including theSoviet Union,Romania, andIsrael. In Russia, it was said that Raj Kapoor was as popular asJawaharlal Nehru, due to the success ofAwaara andShree 420. In Israel, the song "Ichak Dana Beechak Dana" (transliterated as "Ichikidana") became popular and was re-recorded by local singer Naim Rajuan.
In 2023,Time Out ranked it #23 on its list of the "100 Best Bollywood Movies."[6]
At the Indian box office in 1955, the filmgrossed₹3.9crore (equivalent to₹423 crore or US$50 million in 2023), with anet income of₹2 crore (equivalent to₹217 crore or US$26 million in 2023).[7] This record was beaten two years later byMother India in 1957.[8]
It was released in the Soviet Union in 1956, coming second on theSoviet box office charts that year.[9] Despite being imported at an unusually high price, it was the most successful foreign film of the year at the Soviet box office, drawing an audience of 35 million viewers.[10]
The songPyar Hua Iqrar Hua is also very famous. It has become a symbol of romance, and was used many times, notably for advertising.
| Territory | Gross | Adjusted gross | Footfalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic (India) | ₹3.9 crore[7] ($8.19 million)[n 1] in1955 | $96 million (₹490 crore)[12] | 35,000,000+[13] |
| Overseas (Soviet Union) | 8.75 million Rbls[n 2] ($2.19 million)[n 3] (₹1.04 crore)[n 1] | $25 million (₹128 crore)[12] | 35,000,000[10] |
| Worldwide | ₹4.94 crore ($10.38 million) | ₹618 crore ($92 million) | 70,000,000+ |
The song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" was reused in the 2016 American English-language filmDeadpool.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwaala" | Shailendra | Manna Dey | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Mera Juta Hai Japani" | Shailendra | Mukesh | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh" | Shailendra | Manna Dey,Asha Bhosle | 6:34 |
| 4. | "Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua" | Shailendra | Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Ramaiya Vastavaiya" | Shailendra | Lata Mangeshkar,Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh | 6:10 |
| 6. | "Ichak Dana Beechak Dana" | Hasrat Jaipuri | Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh | 5:08 |
| 7. | "O Janewale" | Hasrat Jaipuri | Lata Mangeshkar | 2:20 |
| 8. | "Sham Gayi Raat Aayi" | Hasrat Jaipuri | Lata Mangeshkar | 4:00 |
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