Raj Kapoor@100: Anees Bazmee, Imtiaz Ali, Hansal Mehta remember the showman

PTI Mumbai: A passionate filmmaker who effectively translated the realities of life on screen without compromising on the entertainment quotient of his films is how the current crop of directors in Hindi cinema describe Raj Kapoor, who would have turned 100 on December 14. Raj Kapoor, son of film and theatre veteran Prithviraj Kapoor, was an actor, an editor, a director and a producer who founded RK Studios in 1948. In his career spanning four decades, he directed only 10 films, starting with "Aag", "Barsaat", "Awara", "Shree 420", "Sangam", "Mera Naam Joker", "Bobby", "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", "Prem Rog", and "Ram Teri Ganga Maili".

"Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" director Anees Bazmee, who worked as a sixth assistant to Raj Kapoor on 1982's "Prem Rog", said he is proud to have studied filmmaking at what he calls the 'Raj Kapoor University'. "He made films that were ahead of their time. He understood the harsh realities of life which he beautifully brought on screen and that resonated with people. "He is among those directors whose films will never get old rather they will age with time. He was a complete director, a genius. I've learnt how to make a film with that kind of junoon (passion) from him," Bazmee told PTI. Hansal Mehta, known for acclaimed social dramas such as "Shahid" and "Aligarh", said he was fascinated with Raj Kapoor's cinema after he watched his films on Doordarshan in the early 1980s.

"He is among the generation of filmmakers who have had a lasting influence, particularly on Hindi cinema. No filmmaker can say that s/he is untouched by Raj Kapoor's cinema," Mehta told PTI. What set Kapoor apart from others, the director said, was his ability to inject social ontext in his films.