Raj Kapoor's father was the famous actor Prithviraj Kapoor and his mother was Ramsarni Devi. His brothers are actors Shammi and Shashi Kapoor. He married Krishna in 1946 and Randhir, Rishi, Rajiv and Ritu are their children. In 1935, at age 11, he appeared for the first time in the film Inquilab.In 1948, at 24, Raj Kapoor produced, directed and acted in the film Aag with his new company, RK Films.In 1949, his next production, Barsaat, was a smash hit.In 1951, he produced, directed and starred in Awaara, which was another megahit. Awaara also gained popular acclaim in Russia, where the movie and songs were dubbed into Russian. The theme song, Awaara Hoon, was popular in the East for many years.In 1964, Raj Kapoor produced, directed and starred in Sangam, which was his first film in colour.The 1970 film, Mera Naam Joker, took more than six years to complete. The film was said to be loosely based on his own life.In 1973, He launched his second son Rishi Kapoor's career when he produced and directed Bobby, which was a huge box-office success.He was adored by audiences in large parts of Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, China, and southeast Asia; his movies were global commercial successes.In 1987, Raj Kapoor was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian cinema.He died on June 2, 1988 due to asthma related complications. At the time of his death he was working on the film Henna, based on a love story between an Indian boy and a Pakistani girl. The film was later completed by his son Randhir Kapoor and was a major commercial success.He introduced the actresses Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia and Mandakini as well as launching and reviving the careers of his sons Rishi and Rajiv.
