Raj Kapoor

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12/14/1924

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Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India:

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Raj Kapoor was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema. Often referred to as "The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema" and the "Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema", his work enjoyed immense popularity and widespread acclaim not only within India but in parts of Eastern Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Africa and the Soviet bloc. Among Kapoor's numerous accolades are three National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards in India, the Padma Bhushan (India's third-highest civilian honor) in 1971 for his contributions to the arts, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema, in 1987. Kapoor's acting style was inspired by Charlie Chaplin and he played characters based on The Tramp in films such as Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955). His performance in Awaara was ranked as one of the "Top-Ten Greatest Performances of All Time in World Cinema" by Time magazine in 2005; Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish (1954), which he produced, competed for the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951 and 1955 respectively.