Released in: 1956
Cast: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Motilal
Director: Sombhu Mitra/Amit Moitra
Music: Salil Chowdhury
Lyrics: Shailendra, Prem Dhawan
Moving away from the operatic opulence of his style Raj Kapoor hired 2 avant-garde Bengali filmmakers to direct a story about one thirsty man’s experiences in Kolkata during the course of one night.
Jagte Raho is largely arresting for the utterly innovative theme and tone of narration. Raj Kapoor’s encounters with various quircky, capricious and cruel characters add up to a comic and often-dark moral fable.
Shot in exquisitely expressive black-and-white, the film climaxes with the celebrated sequence where Nargis, singing ‘jago mohan pyare’ in Lata Mangeshkar’s divine voice, finally gives the tortured thirsty man his drink of water. The symbolical sequence stands out in the melee of josting, bustling scenes that occupy the plot.
