Released in: 1955
Cast: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Nadira
Director: Raj Kapoor
Music: Shankar, Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri
Aparable on the goodness of the heart as opposed to the evil designs of the city folk, Shri 420 features Raj Kapoor as the village bumpkin who finds out about the ways of the big bad city through his association with various characters, mainly the two women Vidya (Nargis) and Maya (Nadira) representing the ‘pure’ and ‘corrupt’ aspects of femininity.
In hindsight, much of the narrative energy in this film depends on Raj Kapoor’s image as the Charlie Chaplinesque hero making his way through a world of slushy machinations. The contrasts between good and bad are painstakingly recreated in sprawling studio sets. The over-elaborate climax is done as a comic outburst. The songs and dances include the classic number, ‘Mera joota hai japani’ (sung by Mukesh to accompany Raju’s tramplike trot into the city) and the night-club number ‘Mudmud ke na dekh’ where the wanton Maya tries to suck Raju into a life of crime and debauchery. The romantic duet ‘pyar hua ikrar hua’ offers a glimpse of Raj Kapoor’s 3 real-life children.
This film served as the inspiration for many later films including Aziz Mirza’s ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ featuring Shah Rukh Khan as a contemporary version of Raj Kapoor’s character.