Jagte Raho | |
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Film poster
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Directed by | Amit Maitra Sombhu Mitra |
Produced by | Raj Kapoor |
Written by |
K. A. Abbas Amit Maitra Sombhu Mitra |
Starring | Raj Kapoor |
Music by | Salil Choudhury |
Cinematography | Radhu Karmakar |
Edited by | G. G. Mayekar Vasant Sule |
Distributed by | R.K. Films Ltd. |
Release date
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1956 |
Running time
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149 min. |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi/Bengali |
Jagte Raho (Hindi: जागते रहो, translation Stay Awake or Stay Alert) is a 1956 Bollywood film directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a city in search of a better life. However, the naive man soon becomes trapped in a web of middle-class greed and corruption. The film also features a cameo by Nargis in the final scene.
It was produced in Bengali as Ek Din Raatre, starring Raj Kapoor, Chhabi Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Nargis Dutt, Daisy Irani.
A poor peasant (Kapoor) from the village, who comes to the city in search of work, is looking for some water to quench his thirst. He unwittingly enters an apartment building, whose residents take him for a thief and chase him. He runs from one flat to the other trying to escape his predicament. Along the way, he witnesses many shady undertakings in the flats where he hides. Ironically, these crimes are being committed by the so-called "respectable" citizens of the city, who by day, lead a life totally in contrast to their nighttime deeds behind closed doors.
He is shocked by these events, and tries to escape by evading the search parties, that are patrolling the apartment building in search of the elusive thief. He is unfortunately seen, and people chase him to the roof of the building. He puts up a brave resistance, and then descends by the water pipes onto the porch of a flat. He goes in to find a young girl (Daisy Irani). She talks to him and kindles a self belief in the peasant, who determinedly tries to face the adversity waiting outside. But when he ventures out of the flat, he is surprised to find that nobody takes notice of him. He eventually leaves the apartment building, his thirst still unquenched. He hears a beautiful song and searching for its source arrives at the doorstep of a woman (Nargis) drawing water from a well. His thirst is finally assuaged.