Thanks for your very interesting message, I'm pleased to exchange with you about RK: very few people in fact seem to consider worth of anything but a polite condescencion these days.

I agree with your interpretation of the movie and what you say about RK's "guts" pleases me well too: it was indeed rather daring to start a career in such a way. But those were other times. In the fifties, money and a cheap Americanized taste were not all powerful; it was possible to retain some freedom. India had just gained its independence, and this independence was felt first and foremost in the arts.

I'd like to hear what you might have to say about Shree 420 too!

Cheers, yves

i watched "aag" just after watching my first B/W film and my first RK film "sree 420". aag is raj kapoor's first directorial venture, a time when he had not yet astablished his studio and his brilliant team of artists. the film was shot at eastern studios.

                                                           movielore has it that the entire movie crew was very young, in their 20's . the oldest being the cameraman V.N. reddy at 29.  aag is  similar to his later ambitious project 'mera naam joker', with 3 consecutive failed relationships.

                                                              movielore has it that the song from the movie"dekh chand ki or" had some intimate love scene which were later removed at the behest of india's home minister morarji desai !

                                                                  i think the movie is about the ultimate failure of kewal (raj kapoor) to realise his dream of building an ideal theatre. kewal is an unfortunate guy. everytime he thinks of organising his favorite play"bilwa mangal", misfortune happens. the first girl"nimmi" leaves the town, the second leaves to get married, the third loves physical beauty more than soul's.

                                                                   what i suppose is that raj kapoorl wants to tell that an emotional artist would always fail to realise his drem of an ideal play(where the guiding force is soul). the burning of the theatre at the climax, and of the board reading "KEWAL THEATRES" aptly demonstrates it. i think the shot of the burning of the board symbolises the burning or the annihilation of the dream of kewal. 

                                                                         true, the story is a tragic one, and given that it is raj's maiden directorial fim, i appreciate his guts to create an unconventional story and playing a daring role a a young age. his depiction of a youth's fiery idealist desire seems very real.

                                                            also, the film preaches taht infatuation melts like a wax when physical beauty is taken away(nimmi(nargis) swtching loyalties).

                                                          i think it is a piece of genuine "PARALLEL CINEMA" before any such thing existed.

I'll be doing this in due course, but thanks for your appreciation! Have you seen Aag? That's a hell of a good film ! Tell me what you thought about it, if you've seen it.

cheers

looking forward for your review on satyam shivam sundaram, raj kapoor's film which is considered a diptych of aag 1948