You Won’t Believe Why Raj Kapoor Made Every Heroine Wear a White Saree

Anyone who has watched Raj Kapoor movies will unquestionably remember the women portrayed in them. There was a distinctive sexual appeal to the way he presented them and picturised at least one breathtaking song on their beauty. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Raj Kapoor was obsessed with the female physicality but in a humble and classy way. Of course, he was a huge romantic and had a mega love story hidden in every movie he made. Now, a very interesting fact that’s also quite visible is his obsession for white saris. It’s been quite a mystery up until now why he always insisted on his heroine having at least one scene/song draped in a white sari. The reason for this particular white fixation was his wife Krishna Kapoor. She was the one that made him fall in love with the colour. As the story goes, the Mera Naam Joker actor, all of 22 years old went to see his prospective bride for the first time with Premnath who was also the bride’s brother. 

From the window, he saw a young girl with a delicate white sari and white jasmine flowers in her hair learning to play the sitar with her guruji. This young girl was none other than his to be wife later Krishna Malhotra. That lasting image of her reminded him of the Goddess Saraswati. As they say, the first impression is always the last, the image of her in the white ensemble stayed with him and he fell in love not just with her but the colour white too. He was so inspired by his lovely bride that he made every heroine in his movie wear the colour and showcase every aspect of their splendour in a very graceful way. The young Kapoor heir used the white sari concept very cleverly on his actresses to exude their sexuality. In Barsaat (1949) and Shree 420, his first heroine Nargis wore a drenched white sari. Even in the last film Jagte Raho (1956), the Mother India actress had just one song but it picturised her wearing white.

Nargis in a Bikini? The Bold Move That Redefined Indian Cinema

Awara was a groundbreaking movie for Indian Cinema in many aspects. For instance, the actress of the movie Nargis was seen in a bold strapless gown that she carried off effortlessly much like a Hollywood actress. Nargis fans got to see her in a bikini for the very first time and her beauty and figure was portrayed in a very sensual way. Nargis and Raj Kapoor have worked together in 16 films over a span of 16 years; from Aag (1947) till Jagte Raho (1956). Their pair or ‘jodi’ was one of the most celebrated ones in Bollywood history. They created magic on screen with their romantic songs and brilliant chemistry.

Nargis was the daughter of a popular star-singer and filmmaker, Jaddanbai, hence she was born and brought up in an affluent family and was convent educated. The tall, slim and a high society modern girl, Nargis and Raj Kapoor became good friends and the rest, as they say, is history! Besides the powerful performances of the Raj and Nargis Jodi, their intimate scenes were something the audience couldn’t get enough of. Who can forget the super hit song Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua…. from Shree 420, where both actors come under one umbrella. It was absolutely a delight to see them romance each other without actually getting physical and that was the sheer cleverness of Raj Kapoor’s filmmaking.

Nargis Walked Out, Padmini Walked In – The Bollywood Story You Never Heard!

For a very long time, 16 years to be precise, Raj Kapoor was completely besotted by Nargis and did multiple movies casting her in the lead. Their most notable work includes Awara, Shree 420, Ashiana and Barsaat. It was in 1957 when Nargis got a fantastic opportunity to star in Mehboob Khan’s Mother India that would give her the most iconic role of her career. Nargis expressed deep interest in doing Mother India and informed Raj Kapoor about the same.

The Anari actor was not at all happy with his favourite heroine leaving the RK banner to work with other production houses. However, Nargis stuck to her decision and exited RK camp. On hearing of this Raj Kapoor was so traumatised that his health started deteriorating. He was so upset that he refused to direct another movie. During a brief visit to Moscow to attend Karlovy Vary International Film award function, Raj Kapoor witnessed the Moscow youth festival where a girl called Padmini won the best classical dancer prize. She caught his attention with her charm and grace. Coincidentally staying in the same hotel gave them a chance to get to know each other better. During his illness too, Padmini was by his side to cheer him up and take care of him which overwhelmed the Sangam actor beyond words. Padmini, the superstar of south was cast in Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai to honour their friendship. He captured the beauty of her face and body perfectly in the song Ho Maine Pyaar Kiya swimming and under the waterfall. This began his obsession with the drenched saree. He cast her once again in his magnum opus Mera Naam Joker (1970), where the saree clad actress dowses in water.

How Raj Kapoor Chased Vyjayanthimala for Sangam—And Changed Her Life Forever

Born in Chennai to actress Vasundhara Devi, Vyjayanthimala was a trained Bharat Natyam dancer. Her poise and elegance were noticed by many which got her easy entry into the world of films. She worked in many movies with Dilip Kumar like Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Madhumati (1958), Paigham (1959) and Ganga Jamna (1961) before being assigned into the RK banner. Raj Kapoor fell in love with her beauty and charisma and decided to cast her in his dream project Sangam in 1964. The actress politely declined due to various reasons but the Barsaat actor didn’t give up, he convinced her to do this movie and she finally agreed. Her decision to act in this film turned out to be a turning point in her career and personal life.

The Jewel Thief actress wore some of the most exquisite outfits designed by Oscar-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya. Her selection of costumes for the song ‘Main Ka Karun Ram Mujhe Buddha mil Gaya became an instant hit and is one of the most iconic songs even today. The actress’s cabaret-like performance wearing seductive clothing cleverly to adapt to Indian audiences was a jaw-dropping moment for viewers and was groundbreaking in its own way. Who can forget the red swimming costume the actress wore but reluctantly in the song Bol Radha bol Sangam hoga ke nahin… Vyjayanthimala paved the way for many more girls of her time like Sridevi, Hema Malini to make a smooth transition into Indian cinema from the south.

After a Massive Flop, Raj Kapoor Bet Everything on Bobby—And It Saved His Legacy

Mera Naam Joker was a huge dream project for Raj Kapoor. He envisioned himself with a beautiful story showing the relationship he shared with the women in his life. He was so passionate about this script that he left no stone unturned and pumped most of his lives savings into the project. The movie featured three beautiful women, Simi Garewal, Padmini and Russian actress Kseniya Ryabinkina. There were some highly emotional scenes as well as sensual scenes that did catch the viewer’s attention and was talked about. In spite of some sexual content like kissing and semi-nudity in the movie, surprisingly, Mera Naam Joker never got an Adult Certification. Despite the movie having its moments of awe and curiosity, the film bombed badly at the box office and caused huge losses to Raj Kapoor.

The Shree 420 actor was crushed and almost went bankrupt. He was losing all faith and spending his days in despair when he saw his young son Rishi Kapoor as his last ray of hope. He decided to launch him in the movie Bobby in 1973 with his friend’s daughter Dimple Kapadia. The audience fell in love with the innocence and freshness of the newcomers and the movie turned out to be a massive success. Dimple Kapadia’s outfits, especially the tie-up tops and short skirts, in particular, became a rage at the time. The movies costume designers Mani J Rabadi and Satyawan did a wonderful job and lived up the director’s expectations. The suggestive song Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho… with Dimple and Rishi Kapoor locked in a room became a chartbuster!!!

In ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ Raj Kapoor Visualized On A Story Of A Man Falling For A Woman With A Golden Voice, A Gorgeous Figure With A Scarred Face… 

Banned, Bashed, but Unforgettable: The Scandal Behind Satyam Shivam Sundaram

The subject of a beautiful face and a noble soul always enchanted Raj Kapoor. In fact, his first film Aag (1947) was based on the same subject. In this film, Raj Kapoor played a man with an ugly face but a heart of gold. But the film failed. However, Raj Kapoor‘s passion for the subject did not curb. He kept thinking and finally re-wrote a script of a gorgeous lady having a golden voice but her beauty is marred by an ugly scar on her face!

Thus he made Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) regarded as Indian Cinema’s Most Daring film. Through this film, Raj Kapoor wanted to make sex attain respectability on the Indian cinema screen. Hence Raj Kapoor went beyond the limit of portraying Zeenat Aman’s sexuality. He presented his gorgeous heroine Zeenat Aman in the most ‘Revealing’ and ‘Appealing’ style of an Adivasi in the half clad saree with a major focus on her beautiful figure and her curvy long legs. In short, Raj Kapoor marvelously exposed every contour and curves of Zeenat Aman in his camera!!! Readers would be surprised to know; earlier Raj Kapoor had offered this role to top three Bollywood actresses’ viz. Dimple Kapadia, Hema Malini, and Rekha, however, each declined due to the sexual content in the film being the reason behind their denial! Eventually, foreign-educated Zeenat Aman with the sex-appeal accepted the role and rose to fame in this distinguished work of art in the film that earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress. She wore the most revealing clothes that was then considered a taboo and was the trendsetter to have influenced many new actresses to break away from their boundaries and limits. Besides, dressing Zeenat Aman in hot and revealing sarees, Raj Kapoor, went a step ahead and taking a leaf from the Indian Sanskrit text Kama Sutra Raj Kapoor depicted some intense intimate and sensual scenes, never shown on Indian screen!!! These scenes became a major hurdle because when the film was released it was widely condemned for its obscenity and nudity. There was a huge uproar as right-wing activists created an outburst on the nudity and vulgarity. Interestingly, despite the tumult, the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) had no issues with these scenes as Raj Kapoor had edited these scenes so elegantly that they did not look crude or provocative, instead, it looks like beautiful poetry painted on the silver screen!!

Raj Kapoor’s Final Fantasy: The Making of Ram Teri Ganga Maili and the Woman Who Dared

Filmmaker Raj Kapoor started his obsession of displaying the figure of his heroines with Nargis in bikini in Awara to a completely nude Simi in Mera Naam Joker and was one of the first few filmmakers to show an intense love scene between Shashi Kapoor with Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram and eventually in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, the film that caused quite a bit of a stir with the bathing scene by Mandakini under the waterfall only with a flimsy white saree revealing the bareness of her bosom . However, there is an interesting tale behind Raj Kapoor discovering Mandakini. According to reports, after Bobby, Raj Kapoor was so obsessed by Dimple Kapadia that he desired to cast her in the lead role Satyam Shivam Sundaram. To tempt Dimple to play Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Raj Kapoor had agreed to cast Rajesh Khanna as the hero as he was a superstar then. It is said that Dimple refused the role that demanded a lot of skin show. Hence when he began Ram Teri Ganga Maili and introduced his youngest son Rajeev Kapoor in the star cast, Raj wanted to cast Dimple. Few are aware that Raj Kapoor had even auditioned Dimple for the role of Ganga but after watching her audition Raj Kapoor changed his mind as he was looking for a young and attractive new face, a fresh face having the innocence and candour of a typical ‘pahadi‘ girl. Thus Raj Kapoor hunted nationwide to search his heroine and finally, his search ended in a small town of Meerut, where he auditioned Mandakini.

Mandakini, whose real name is Yasmeen Joseph, had done only one film, Mazloom. Raj Kapoor was sure he had got his ‘Ganga’. Mandakini is the daughter of a British father and an Indian mother. Hence she had derived the best of both, the Indian looks of her mother and green eyes from her British father. Her first producer had screen named her as Madhuri which was altered to Mandakini by the Showman Raj Kapoor. Though Raj Kapoor extracted a power-house performance from Mandakini and when you think of her, you think of the beautiful innocent white saree clad girl under the waterfall splash of Ram Teri Ganga Maili!