The Dialogue of Awaara: Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic

The Dialogue of Awaara, Raj Kapoor’s Immortal Classic, is a book for lovers of both cinema and language, featuring K.A. Abbas’s original screenplay and dialogue, based on a story by K.A. Abbas. Abbas and V.P. Sathe. A seriously neglected area of Indian cinema is the subject of film dialogue. Although cinema is primarily a visual experience, it is through dialogue that we come to understand the thoughts and emotions of the film’s characters. Through K.A. Abbas’s words and the poetic songs by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara’s Judge Raghunath (Prithviraj Kapoor), Raj (Raj Kapoor), and Rita (Nargis) come alive. The film features a wonderful blend of one-liners, quips, punchlines, and catchphrases while remaining modern, witty, and nuanced. Awaara’s dialogue and songs have been carefully transcribed from the film’s original soundtrack by Suhail Akhtar and Vijay Jani, and are presented in Hindi, Urdu, and Roman scripts. The English translation of the dialogue, along with an introduction and commentary, is by Nasreen Munni Kabir. With a foreword by Randhir Kapoor, this unique book also features many stills from a most loved and enduring classic by Raj Kapoor, one of Indian cinema’s master filmmakers.