Boot Polish (1954)
Director: Prakash Arora; Writer: Bhanu Pratap; Producer: Raj Kapoor; Cinematographer: Tara Dutt; Editor: G.G. Mayekar; Cast: Baby Naaz, Rattan Kumar, David Abraham, Chand Burque, Veera, Bhupendra Kapoor, Bhudo Advani, Shailendra, Prabhu Arora, Raj Kapoor, Mohanbali, Master Nisan
Duration: 02:17:47; Aspect Ratio: 1.345:1; Hue: 99.607; Saturation: 0.000; Lightness: 0.228; Volume: 0.184; Cuts per Minute: 8.012; Words per Minute: 62.585
Summary: Following his collaboration with Abbas on
Awara (1951), Kapoor presided over and allegedly directed most of this social melodrama credited to his assistant. It is a story about two orphan children, Bhola (R. Kumar) and Belu (Naaz), who are forced to become beggars in Bombay by their wicked aunt Kamala Chachi. They are shown the straight and narrow path by the one-legged bootlegger, Uncle John (David), who encourages them to take up the honest trade of polishing shoes. The film established a realist precedent for e.g.
Salaam Bombay (1988), which replaced its sentimental optimism with an unrelenting miserabilism. Kapoor’s film can be seen as an allegorical representation of the newly independent ‘infant’ Indian nation. As the upbeat marching song Nannhe munne bachche suggests, children can control their own destiny. Kapoor makes a guest appearance asleep on a train seat, being mistaken by Bhola as ‘Raj Kapoor the film star’ and silenced by the girl who sensibly remarks: ‘Everybody pretends to be Raj Kapoor.’ A shortened version was released in the USA in 1958.
censor certificate
Song: Raat gayi phir din aata hai
चली कौनसे देश गुजरिया तू सज-धज के
Bombay arguments
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Singer: Talat Mehmood
Song: Jaan chacha
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Song: Nanhe munne bachche teri mutthi mein kya hai
नन्हे मुन्ने बच्चे तेरी मुट्ठी में क्या है
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Singer: Madhubala Jhaveri
Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Song: Theher zara O jaanewaale
ठहर ज़रा ओ जानेवाले
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Manna Dey
Song: Lapak jhapak
लपक जपक तू आ रे बदरवा
सर की खेती सूख रही है
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Singer: Talat Mehmood
Song: Chali kaunsi desh gujariya tu
चली कौनसे देश गुजरिया तू सज-धज के
Song: Saari duniya hai mujhpe deewani
PPF police
Lyricist: Shailendra Singh
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Song: Tumhaare hain tumse dua maangte
तुम्हारे हैं तुमसे दया माँगते हैं
Song: Tu badhta chal
Indiancine.ma requires JavaScript.
