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{{Short description|1951 film by Raj Kapoor}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Awaara
| image          = Awaara poster.jpg
| director       = [[Raj Kapoor]]
| producer       = Raj Kapoor
| writer         = [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]]
| screenplay     = Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
| story          = [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] <br> V.P. Sathe
| starring       = [[Prithviraj Kapoor]]<br />[[Raj Kapoor]]<br />[[Nargis]]<br />[[Leela Chitnis]]<br />[[K. N. Singh]]<br />[[Shashi Kapoor]]
| cinematography = [[Radhu Karmakar]]
| editing        = [[G. G. Mayekar|G.G. Mayekar]]
| studio         = All India Film Corporation,<br />[[R.K. Films]]
| distributor    = R.K. Films
| released       = {{Film date|1951|12|14|df=y}}
| runtime        = 193 minutes
| country        = [[India]]
| language       = [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]
| music          = [[Shankar–Jaikishan]]
| budget         = 
| gross          = {{Estimation}} {{INR|15.6 crore}}
}}
[[File:Awaara (1951).webm|thumb|x150px|thumbtime=2:10:03|''Awaara'' (1951)]]
'''''Awaara''''', also written '''''Awāra'''''{{#tag:ref|{{langx|hi|[[wikt:आवारा|आवारा]]}}, {{langx|ur|{{nastaliq|[[wikt:آوارہ|آوارہ]]}}|Āvārā}}|group=n|name=HindiUrdu}} and known overseas as '''''The Vagabond''''',<ref name="ref24hovij"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Malenbaum |first=Wilfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8i8EAAAAMAAJ |title=East and West in India's Development |date=1959 |publisher=[[MIT Center for International Studies]] |page=43 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="moscow"/> is a [[1951 in film|1951]] [[Cinema of India|Indian]] [[crime drama]] film, produced and directed by [[Raj Kapoor]], and written by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] and V.P. Sathe. It stars Raj Kapoor along with his real-life father [[Prithviraj Kapoor]], as well as [[Nargis]], [[Leela Chitnis]] and [[K. N. Singh]]. Other members of the [[Kapoor family]] make an appearance, including Raj's youngest brother [[Shashi Kapoor]], who plays the younger version of his character, and Prithiviraj's father Dewan Basheshwarnath Singh Kapoor, playing a cameo in his only film appearance. The film's music was composed by [[Shankar Jaikishan]].

The film expresses [[socialist]] themes,<ref name="ref24hovij"/><ref name="ref19camuj"/> and blends [[Social problem film|social]] and [[reformist]] themes with the [[Crime film|crime]], [[romantic comedy]] and [[Musical film|musical]] [[melodrama]] genres.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Creekmur |first1=Corey K. |title=International Film Musical |date=2013 |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |isbn=978-0-7486-5430-7 |page=217 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gZJvAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT217}}</ref> The plot centers on the intertwining lives of a poor thief Raj (played by Raj Kapoor), the privileged Rita (played by Nargis), and Judge Raghunath (played by Prithviraj Kapoor) who is unaware that Raj is his son. In the film, Kapoor's poor "[[The Tramp|little tramp]]" character references [[Charlie Chaplin]] and was further developed in other Kapoor films such as ''[[Shree 420]]''. ''Awaara'' is considered a milestone in the history of [[Bollywood]].

The film became an overnight sensation in [[South Asia]], and found even greater success further afield in the [[Soviet Union]], [[East Asia]], [[Africa]], the [[Caribbean]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Eastern Europe]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Global Bollywood travels of Hindi song and dance|year=2008|publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]]|location=Minneapolis|isbn=978-0-8166-4579-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=19JBf6oDOy0C&pg=PA16|author1=Gopal |author2=Moorti |edition=[Online-Ausg.]|access-date=26 June 2011|page=16|first=Sangita|first2=Sujata}}</ref><ref name="gulfnews"/> In particular, the song "[[Awaara Hoon]]" ("I am a Vagabond"), sung by [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]] with lyrics by [[Shailendra (lyricist)|Shailendra]], became hugely popular across the [[Indian subcontinent]], as well as in countries such as the Soviet Union,<ref name="hindu_russia"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rajinder |first1=Dudrah |last2=Jigna |first2=Desai |title=The Bollywood Reader |date=1 October 2008 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education (UK) |isbn=978-0-335-22212-4 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Wz4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA65 |language=en}}</ref> [[China]],<ref name="ref24hovij"/><ref name="ref19camuj"/> [[Bulgaria]],<ref name="gulfnews"/> [[Turkey]], [[Afghanistan]], and [[Romania]]. The film was also nominated for the [[Palme d'Or|Grand Prize]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in 1953. The film is estimated to have sold over {{#expr:100+100}}{{nbsp}}million tickets overseas, including more than 100{{nbsp}}million in China and about 100{{nbsp}}million in the Soviet Union.<ref name="cctv"/><ref name="boi-soviet"/> Owing to its popularity in so many countries, the film is a candidate for the most successful film of all time and is considered to be [[List of films considered the best|one of the greatest films of all time]].<ref name="gulfnews">{{cite news|url=http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/awaara-most-successful-film-of-all-times-1.258697 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325203429/http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/awaara-most-successful-film-of-all-times-1.258697 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 March 2012 |title=Awaara 'most successful' film of all times |newspaper=[[Gulf News]] |date=1 October 2006 |access-date=16 January 2012}}</ref> In 2012, ''Awaara'' was included in the 20 new entries to [[Time's All-Time 100 Movies|All-Time 100 greatest films]] by the ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine.

==Plot==
Raghunath, a wealthy district judge who believes that "[[Anthropological criminology|good people are born to good people, and criminals are born to criminals]]", convicts Jagga, son of a criminal, of [[rape]] with thin evidence. Jagga later escapes and kidnaps the judge's wife, Leela, for revenge. When Jagga finds out that Leela has just become pregnant, he releases her after four days and changes his plan. However, people suspect Leela of [[adultery]] and Raghunath throws her out of their house, rejecting her pleas that the child is his.

Leela gives birth to Raj on the streets, and they both live in poverty. Raj befriends Rita in school. He is removed from the school rolls while trying to maintain a job as a [[shoeshining|shoeshiner]], and Rita moves to another city. Jagga convinces Raj to steal in order to save his starving mother. Raj grows up into a skilled criminal, going in and out of jail, and works for Jagga's gang. Leela thinks that he is a businessman. Raj never forgets Rita, keeping her birthday picture at his home.

For a [[bank robbery]], Jagga asks Raj to steal an automobile. He snatches a woman's purse when she steps out of the car but finds no keys. He pretends to pursue the thief in order to ward off any suspicion and returns the purse to the woman, who is charmed by his personality and apparent selflessness. Later, when Raj successfully steals a car, he hides from the police in a mansion where he meets the same woman. Seeing the same birthday picture, Raj realises that she is his school friend Rita. He tells Rita he's a thief, but his figurative statements make her think he is a finance professional. Rita, now studying law, is a ward of Raghunath, who is suspicious when he hears that Raj doesn't know who his father is. Raj and Rita fall in love. Worrying that Rita will not accept him due to his thievery, Raj starts working at a factory but is fired when the manager finds out that he was a thief.

Rita invites him to her birthday party. Raj goes back to Jagga for a loan so that he can buy a gift for her. Jagga mocks his attempts to reform and asks him to commit more crimes. Raj refuses but later steals a necklace from a man on the street, not knowing the man was Raghunath. At Rita's birthday, when Raj gives her a necklace without a case and Raghunath gives her a case without a necklace, she realises that Raj is indeed a thief. Rita goes to Raj's mother and learns his life story. She decides that Raj is not bad but was forced into committing crimes by bad influences and desperate surroundings. Raj is ashamed, still believing he is no good for her, but Rita forgives him.

Raj goes to Raghunath to ask if he can marry Rita, but the judge turns him away. Meanwhile, Jagga and the gang commit the bank robbery, but it goes wrong and they have to run from the police. Jagga hides in Raj's house, where Leela recognizes him and he attacks her. Raj enters and fights him off, killing Jagga in [[self-defense]]. Raj goes on trial for Jagga's death, with Raghunath as the judge. When Leela goes to the courthouse to provide her eyewitness account, she sees Raghunath and chases after him but is struck by a car. Rita collects the testimony from Leela in the hospital, and later Raj is allowed to visit her. Leela tells Raj that Raghunath is his father and asks her son to forgive him. Raj only becomes angry at Raghunath for making him and his mother suffer.

Raj escapes from jail and tries to kill Raghunath for revenge but is stopped by Rita. Rita defends Raj in the trial for [[assault]], who reveals the father-son relationship. Raj chooses not to defend his actions and says that he is a bad man. He asks the court not to think of him, but the millions of other children who grow up in poverty and end up turning to crime because high society does not care about them. While he awaits his verdict, Raj is visited by Raghunath, who finally accepts that Raj is his son and tearfully asks for forgiveness. In the end, Raj is spared execution but sentenced to three years in prison for his crime. He promises that after getting released, he will reform himself for Rita, who promises to wait for him.

==Cast==
* [[Prithviraj Kapoor]] as Judge Raghunath
* [[Raj Kapoor]] as Raj "Raju"
* [[Nargis]] as Rita
* [[Leela Chitnis]] as Leela
* [[K. N. Singh]] as Jagga
* [[Cuckoo Moray|Cuckoo]] as Bar dancer
* [[B. M. Vyas]] as Dubey 
* [[Leela Mishra]] as Raghunath's Sister-In-Law
* [[Shashi Kapoor]] as Young Raj
* Baby Zubeida as Young Rita
* Honey O'Brien as Dancer
* Dewan Basheshwarnath Singh Kapoor as Judge
;Supporting cast 
* Rajoo, Mansaram, Rajan, Manek Kapoor, Paryag, Ravi, Vinni, Bali, Shinde.

==Soundtrack==
The music for this film was composed by [[Shankar Jaikishan|Shankar–Jaikishan]] while the songs were written by [[Shailendra (lyricist)|Shailendra]] and [[Hasrat Jaipuri]]. The soundtrack was listed by Planet Bollywood as number 3 on their list of 100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks. The song "[[Awaara Hoon]]" was used in the Malayalam film ''[[Vishnulokam]]'' directed by [[Kamal (director)|Kamal]] and starring [[Mohanlal]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=s022608074151 |title=100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks Ever – Part 4 |publisher=Planet Bollywood |access-date=16 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306100731/http://www.planetbollywood.com/displayArticle.php?id=s022608074151 |archive-date=6 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Awaara'' was the best-selling [[Bollywood soundtrack]] album of the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Music Hits 1950-1959|url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=280&catName=MTk1MC0xOTU5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205042835/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=280&catName=MTk1MC0xOTU5|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 February 2010|website=[[Box Office India]]|date=5 February 2010}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! # !! Title !! Singer(s)!!Lyricist
![[Raga]]
|-
| 1
| "Ek Do Teen"
| [[Shamshad Begum]]
| rowspan="6"|[[Shailendra (lyricist)|Shailendra]]
|
|-
| 2
| "[[Awaara Hoon]]"
| [[Mukesh Mathur|Mukesh]]
|[[Bhairavi (Hindustani)]]
|-
| 3
| "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi"
| [[Lata Mangeshkar]]
|[[Bhairavi (Hindustani)]]
|-
| 4
| "Dam Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere"
| Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh
|
|-
| 5
| "Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni"
| Lata Mangeshkar, [[Manna Dey]]
|
|-
| 6
| "Naiya Meri Manjhdhar"
| [[Mohammed Rafi]]
|
|-
| 7
| "Hum Tujhse Mohabbat Kar Ke"
| Mukesh
| rowspan="4"|[[Hasrat Jaipuri]]
|[[Darbari Kanada]]
|-
| 8
| "Ek Bewafa Se Pyar Kiya"
| rowspan="3"|Lata Mangeshkar
|
|-
| 9
| "Ab Raat Guzarne Wali Hai"
|
|-
| 10
| "Jab Se Balam Ghar Aaye"
|[[Kafi (raga)]]
|-
|}

==Production==
The film is a collaboration of the famous team of director/producer Raj Kapoor and writer [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]]. Abbas originally wanted [[Mehboob Khan]] to direct the film, but the two disagreed over the casting. Khan wanted [[Ashok Kumar]] to play the judge and [[Dilip Kumar]] the son. In the event, Abbas withdrew his script from [[Mehboob Studio]]s and Raj Kapoor decided to direct it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abbas |first=Khwaja Ahmad |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Dialogue_of_Awaara/ln3LSAAACAAJ?hl=en |title=The Dialogue of Awaara: Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic |last2=Sāṭhe |first2=Vasanta |last3=Akhtar |first3=Suhail |last4=Jani |first4=Vijay |last5=Kabir |first5=Nasreen Munni |date=2010 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-81-89738-54-9 |location=New Delhi |pages=vi–xxiii |language=en |chapter=The Road to Awaara}}</ref> This film was filmed in [[R. K. Studio|RK Studio]] and [[Bombay]].

In his column for the ''[[The Indian Express|Indian Express]]'', Kapoor wrote, "In ''Awara'' I tried to prove that Vagabonds [[Born criminal|are not born]], but are created in the [[List of slums in India|slums of our modern cities]], in the midst of dire [[Poverty in India|poverty]] and evil environment."<ref>{{cite news |title=Why I Produced Boot Polish |work=The Indian Express |date=2 April 1954 |page=3}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
It was entered in the [[1953 Cannes Film Festival]],<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3920/year/1953.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Awaarae |access-date=19 January 2009 |work=festival-cannes.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822154347/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3920/year/1953.html |archive-date=22 August 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref> where it was nominated for the [[Palme d'Or|Grand Prize of the Festival]] (Palme d'Or). In 1955, it was voted the best film of the year by readers of Turkish daily ''[[Milliyet]]''.<ref name="Gurata">{{cite journal |last1=Gurata |first1=Ahmet |title=The Road to Vagrancy |journal=BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies |date=January 2010 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=67–90 |doi=10.1177/097492760900100108 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247789491|hdl=11693/38297 |s2cid=144112883 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

In 2003, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included it in a list of "10 Indian Films to Treasure".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/photoessays/bollywood/treasure1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031023013951/http://www.time.com/time/asia/photoessays/bollywood/treasure1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 October 2003 |magazine=Time |date=27 October 2003 |title=Best of Bollywood&nbsp;... |access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref><!--The film is listed No. 1 because it's the oldest, listed chronologically--> ''Time'' magazine also chose Raj Kapoor's performance in ''Awaara'' as one of the top ten greatest performances of all time.<ref name="time_raj">{{cite news|title=Great Performances: Raj Kapoor, ''Awaara''|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2005/02/12/all-time-100-movies/#raj-kapoor-awara|work=All-Time 100 Movies|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=24 February 2012 |author=Micahernst|date=23 January 2012}}</ref> In 2005, ''[[Indiatimes]] Movies'' ranked the movie amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films", writing: "Whenever Raj Kapoor and Nargis came together on screen, sparks flew. Their chemistry was electrifying and it crackles with raw passion in Raj Kapoor's ''Awaara''. Nargis's wild and carefree sensuality pulsates and Raj Kapoor's scruffy hair-rebellious persona only adds fuel to the fire".<ref>{{cite news |url = http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-25.cms |title = 25 Must See Bollywood Movies |access-date = 27 May 2008 |author = Rachna Kanwar |date = 3 October 2005 |work = indiatimes.com |publisher = India Times |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516063740/http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special_Features/25_Must_See_Bollywood_Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-25.cms |archive-date = 16 May 2008 |url-status = dead |df = dmy-all}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included the film among the 20 new entries added to [[Time's All-Time 100 Movies|All-Time 100 greatest films]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/17/movie-masterpieces-richard-corliss-expands-times-list-of-cinematic-greats/slide/awaara/#awaara | title=Awaara | magazine=Time| date=17 May 2012 | access-date=31 May 2012 | author=Corliss, Richard}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Raj-Kapoor-s-Awaara-in-Time-s-100-greatest-films-list/Article1-862339.aspx |title=Raj Kapoor's Awaara in Time's 100 greatest films list |work=The Hindustan Times |date=28 May 2012 |access-date=31 May 2012 |publisher=HT Media Limited |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531015323/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Raj-Kapoor-s-Awaara-in-Time-s-100-greatest-films-list/Article1-862339.aspx |archive-date=31 May 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Raj-Kapoors-Awaara-in-Times-100-greatest-films/articleshow/13593518.cms |title=Raj Kapoor's 'Awaara' in Time's 100 greatest films |work=Times of India |date=28 May 2012 |access-date=31 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530081220/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Raj-Kapoors-Awaara-in-Times-100-greatest-films/articleshow/13593518.cms |archive-date=30 May 2012 }}</ref>

==Box office==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:45%; text-align:center;"
|+ Worldwide gross ({{estimation}})
|-
! Territory
! Gross revenue
! [[Inflation-adjusted]] gross revenue (2016)
! [[List of films by box office admissions|Footfalls (ticket sales)]]
|-
| [[List of highest-grossing films in India|India]]
| {{INR|23 million|link=yes}}<ref name="boi51"/> ([[United States dollar|$]]4.83{{nbsp}}million){{#tag:ref|4.7619 [[Indian rupee]]s per [[US dollar]] from 1950 to 1965<ref name="sauder">{{cite web|title=Pacific Exchange Rate Service|url=http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/etc/USDpages.pdf#page=3|website=[[UBC Sauder School of Business]]|publisher=[[University of British Columbia]]|page=3|access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref>|group=n|name=RupeeUSD}}
| ${{Inflation|US|4.83|1951}}{{nbsp}}million ([[100 Crore Club|{{INR|3.02 billion}}]])<ref name="exchange16">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ofx.com/en-gb/forex-news/historical-exchange-rates/yearly-average-rates/ |title=67.175856 INR per USD in 2016 |access-date=17 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713183556/https://www.ofx.com/en-gb/forex-news/historical-exchange-rates/yearly-average-rates/ |archive-date=13 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 30{{nbsp}}million<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |date=17 May 2020 |title=Most Watched Bollywood (Hindi) Movies of All Time (1940-2019) - Movies with Highest Footfall Ever |url=https://www.addatoday.com/2020/05/most-watched-bollywood-hindi-films-of.html |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=Addatoday}}</ref>
|-
| [[Cinema of Turkey|Turkey]]
| {{Unknown}}
| {{Unknown}}
| 100,000 (opening)<ref name="Gurata"/><ref name="Scroll">{{cite web |last1=Raman |first1=Sruthi Ganapathy |title=How Turkey simply could not get enough of Raj Kapoor's 'Awara' |url=https://scroll.in/reel/841785/how-turkey-simply-could-not-get-enough-of-raj-kapoors-awara |website=[[Scroll.in]] |date=1 July 2017 |access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref>
|-
! [[List of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union|Soviet Union]]
! {{#expr:29+8.75}}{{nbsp}}million руб {{ndash}} {{US$|{{#expr:7.25+9.72}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:34.5+46.3}} million}})
! {{US$|{{#expr:69+77}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:4.37+4.75}} billion}})
! 100{{nbsp}}million<ref name="boi-soviet"/>
|-
| Initial run (1954)
| 29{{nbsp}}million&nbsp;[[Soviet rouble|Rbls]]<ref name="soviet211"/> {{ndash}} $7.25{{nbsp}}million{{#tag:ref|{{nowrap|4 [[Soviet rouble|Rbls]]}} per [[US$]] from 1950 to 1960<ref name="SUR-USD">{{cite web |title=Archive |url=http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229074625/http://cbr.ru/currency_base/OldDataFiles/USD.xls |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2009 |website=[[Central Bank of Russia]] |access-date=29 December 2009}}</ref>|group=n|name=RubleUSD}} ({{INR|34.5 million}})<ref group="n" name="RupeeUSD"/>
| ${{Inflation|US|7.25|1954}}{{nbsp}}million ({{INR|4.37 billion}})<ref name="exchange16"/>
| 65{{nbsp}}million<ref name="boi-soviet"/>
|-
| Re-runs (1955{{ndash}}1966)
| {{#expr:35/(100/25)}}{{nbsp}}million&nbsp;Rbls{{#tag:ref|35{{nbsp}}million re-run admissions up until 1964-1966,<ref name="boi-soviet"/> average Soviet ticket price of 25 [[kopeck]]s in the mid-1960s<ref name="moscow7">[https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=7 ''Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War'', page 48], [[Cornell University Press]], 2011</ref>|group=n}} {{ndash}} {{US$|9.72 million|long=no}}{{#tag:ref|{{nowrap|0.9 руб}} per US$ from 1961 to 1971<ref name="SUR-USD"/>|group=n}} ({{INR|{{#expr:(97.2*4.762)/10 round 1}} million}})<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1966&locations=IN&start=1964 |website=[[World Bank]] |year=1965 |access-date=12 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222954/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1966&locations=IN&start=1964|archive-date=15 December 2018}}</ref>
| {{US$|{{Inflation|US|9.72|1966}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:73*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}})/1000 round 2}} billion}})
| 35{{nbsp}}million<ref name="boi-soviet"/>
|-
! [[List of highest-grossing films in China|China]]
! {{CNY|14.8 million}} {{ndash}} {{US$|8.86 million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:88.1*8.193/10 round 1}} million}})
! {{US$|{{#expr:11+30}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:0.72+1.95}} billion}})
! 100{{nbsp}}million<ref name="cctv"/>
|-
| Initial release (1955)
| {{CNY|{{#expr:40*(100000/1430000) round 1}} million}}<ref name="sina"/> {{ndash}} {{US$|{{#expr:2.8/2.4618 round 2}} million|long=no}}<ref name="Suzuki">{{cite journal |last1=Suzuki |first1=Takamoto |title=The Renminbi Exchange Rate Reform and Its Implications for Asian Markets |journal=China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies |year=2016 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=485–506 (486) |doi=10.1142/S2377740016500317 |doi-access=free }}</ref> ({{INR|{{#expr:1140000*4.762/100000 round 0}} [[lakh]]}})<ref name="worldbank">{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1979&locations=CN-IN&start=1960 |website=[[World Bank]] |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>
| {{US$|{{Inflation|US|1.14|1955}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:{{Inflation|US|1.14|1955}}*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}}) round 0}} million}})
| 40{{nbsp}}million<ref name="sina"/>
|-
| Re-release (1978)
| {{CNY|{{#expr:60*(0.1+0.3)/2}} million}}<ref name="cctv"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Link |first1=Perry |title=The Uses of Literature: Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System |date=2000 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=9780691001982 |page=204 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhBYxOitb-MC&pg=PA204 |language=en}}</ref> {{ndash}} {{US$|{{#expr:12/1.555 round 2}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:77.2*8.126/10 round 1}} million}})<ref name="worldbank"/>
| {{US$|{{Inflation|US|7.72|1978}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:{{Inflation|US|7.72|1978}}*(1000/{{To USD|1000|IND}})/1000 round 2}} billion}})
| {{#expr:100-40}}{{nbsp}}million<ref name="cctv"/><ref name="sina"/>
|-
! [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|Worldwide]]
! {{INR|{{#expr:23+60.9+72.2}} million}} ({{US$|{{#expr:4.83+16.97+8.86}} million|long=no}})
! {{US$|{{#expr:45+146+41}} million|long=no}} ({{INR|{{#expr:3.02+9.12+2.67}} billion}})
! {{#expr:30+0.1+100+100}} million
|}

In [[India]], the film grossed a record of {{INR|2.1 crore|link=yes}} in 1951,<ref name="boi51">{{cite web |title=Box Office 1951 |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=156&catName=MTk1MQ== |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102005532/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=156&catName=MTk1MQ== |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 January 2010 |website=[[Box Office India]] |access-date=2 January 2010}}</ref> making it the highest-grossing film in India up until that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=122&catName=MTk1MC0xOTU5 |title=Top Earners 1950-1959 (Figures in Ind Rs) |website=boxofficeindia.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919200259/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=122&catName=MTk1MC0xOTU5 |archive-date=19 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This record was later beaten the next year by [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Aan]]'' (1952), starring [[Dilip Kumar]], which grossed {{INR|2.5 crore}} in 1952.<ref name="boi52">{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=158&catName=MTk1Mg%3D%3D |title=Box Office 1952 |website=boxofficeindia.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922022116/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=158&catName=MTk1Mg%3D%3D |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[Turkey]], ''Awaara'' released in 1955. The film sold 100,000 tickets in its first week of release in Turkey. The total number of box office admissions in Turkey is currently unknown.<ref name="Gurata"/><ref name="Scroll"/>

===Soviet Union===
In the [[Soviet Union]], ''Awaara'' was released in 1954,<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 August 2015 |title=Bollywood affair: how Indian cinema arrived in the USSR |url=https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/4569/bollywood-affair-indian-cinema-USSR-raj-kapoor-nargis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822133519/https://www.calvertjournal.com/articles/show/4569/bollywood-affair-indian-cinema-USSR-raj-kapoor-nargis |archive-date=2015-08-22 |access-date=2026-03-28 |website=The Calvert Journal |publisher=[[Calvert 22 Foundation]] |language=en}}</ref> debuting at Indian film festivals in [[Moscow]] and [[Leningrad]] which drew about {{nowrap|1.5 million}} viewers in four days.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rajagopalan|first=Sudha|title=Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas : the culture of movie-going after Stalin.|date=2008|publisher=[[Indiana University Press]]|isbn=978-0253220998|page=15|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpoLAQAAMAAJ&q=million |quote=According to newspaper reports, in the first four days of the festival almost a million viewers attended the shows. In Leningrad, more than half a million viewers attended the first four days of the festival.}}</ref> By the end of the year, it drew an audience of about 64{{nbsp}}million viewers in its initial run, the highest for any [[List of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union|film in the Soviet Union]] at the time, until its record was surpassed by ''[[Amphibian Man (film)|Amphibian Man]]'' in 1962.<ref name="moscow">{{Cite book |last=Roth-Ey |first=Kristin |url=https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2015/FAV291/um/Roth-Ey-Moscow_Prime_Time.pdf#page=5 |title=Moscow Prime Time: How the Soviet Union Built the Media Empire that Lost the Cultural Cold War |date=2011-05-15 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-1-5017-7142-2 |page=44 |language=en}}</ref> At the Soviet box office, ''Awaara'' remained the most-viewed [[Indian film]], the third biggest foreign hit of all time,<ref name="soviet-foreign">{{cite web|url=http://kinanet.livejournal.com/13882.html|title=Зарубежные фильмы в советском кинопрокате|author=Kudryavtsev|author-link=Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)|date=4 July 2006|first=Sergey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fedotova |first=Natalia |date=2017-01-04 |title=All time favourite Hindi movies in Russia |url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/culture/2017/01/04/all-time-favourite-hindi-movies-in-russia_663783 |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=Russia Beyond |language=en-US}}</ref> and one of the top 20 biggest hits of all time.<ref name="moscow"/><ref name="soviet-foreign"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kinanet.livejournal.com/14172.html|title=Отечественные фильмы в советском кинопрокате|author=Kudryavtsev|author-link=Sergey Kudryavtsev (film critic)|date=4 July 2006|first=Sergey}}</ref>

In terms of [[gross revenue]], ''Awaara'' earned 29{{nbsp}}million&nbsp;[[Soviet rouble|Rbls]]<ref name="soviet211">{{cite book |last=Rajagopalan |first=Sudha |title=Indian Films in Soviet Cinemas: The Culture of Movie-going After Stalin |date=2005 |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |isbn=9780253220998 |page=86 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpoLAQAAMAAJ |quote=The purchase of Shree 420 (Mr 420/''Gospodin 420'') followed a letter from a Soveksportfil'm representative in Bombay to officials in Moscow in which the former wrote: We are in a delicate situation with Raj Kapoor. He feels he is not being offered enough for Mr 420 despite the fact that 'The Vagabond' raised {{nowrap|29 million}} roubles for the Soviet state.}}</ref> ([[United States dollar|$]]7.25{{nbsp}}million,<ref group="n" name="RubleUSD"/> {{INR|34.5 million}})<ref group="n" name="RupeeUSD"/> in its initial run, surpassing ''Aan'' to become the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets|highest-grossing Indian film overseas]] at the time. ''Awaara''{{'}}s 29{{nbsp}}million руб was eventually surpassed by ''[[Disco Dancer]]'' (1982),<ref name="hindu_russia">{{cite news|title=Bollywood re-enters Russian homes via cable TV|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 September 2007|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200709270360.htm|access-date=7 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109235938/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200709270360.htm|archive-date=9 November 2012|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref name="rbth"/> which grossed 60 million руб in the Soviet Union.<ref name="rbth">{{cite news |last1=Naralenkova |first1=Oxana |title=Bollywood returns to Russian screens |url=https://www.rbth.com/articles/2009/09/10/100909_bollywood.html |access-date=25 May 2020 |work=[[Russia Beyond]] |date=10 September 2009}}</ref> Including re-runs, which were running for 10–12 years, ''Awaara''{{'}}s footfalls in the Soviet Union amounted to about 100{{nbsp}}million box office admissions, which remains among the highest for an Indian film in an overseas market.<ref name="boi-soviet">{{cite news |title=You Asked It - Padmaavat Is Bigger Than Mughal E Azam? |url=https://www.boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=3743 |work=[[Box Office India]] |date=8 March 2018}}</ref>

===China===
The film was also a success in [[China]], where it first released in 1955. In its opening week, the film sold {{nowrap|4 million}} tickets, including {{nowrap|1.43 million}} admissions earning a [[Theatrical rental|distribution rental]] income of about {{CNY|100,000|link=yes}} in [[Beijing]] alone.<ref name="sina">{{cite web |title=《流浪者》《大篷车》中国内地票房 |url=http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_62e688c70102ygwd.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209184548/http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_62e688c70102ygwd.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 February 2019 |publisher=[[Sina Corp]] |access-date=2018-11-03 |date=9 February 2019}}</ref> Its {{nowrap|4 million}} opening-week ticket sales were equivalent to estimated opening-week rentals of approximately {{CNY|{{#expr:4000000*(100000/1430000) round -4}}|link=no}}<ref name="sina"/> ({{US$|{{#expr:280000/2.4618 round -3}}|long=no}}).<ref name="Suzuki"/> Prior to its 1978 re-release, the film's initial run had sold a total of 40{{nbsp}}million tickets in China.<ref name="sina"/>

The film's 1978 re-release was a greater commercial success in China.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wan |first1=Zhang |title=How do Indian films gain recognition in China? |url=http://chinaplus.cri.cn/mychina/culture/34/20170705/7826.html |access-date=12 June 2020 |work=China Plus |agency=[[China Radio International]] |date=5 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708095557/http://chinaplus.cri.cn/mychina/culture/34/20170705/7826.html|archive-date=8 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=中方参投《神秘巨星》票房破亿，印度电影成下一个淘金地？|url=https://www.huxiu.com/article/230515.html|date=21 January 2018|work=Huxiu}}</ref> Following its re-release, the film went on to sell a total of more than 100{{nbsp}}million tickets,<ref name="cctv">{{cite news |title=异域音乐风 ——印度音乐（三至六） |url=http://www.cctv.com/program/yygs/20070704/107538.shtml |access-date=7 February 2019 |work=[[CCTV.com]] |agency=[[China Central Television]] |date=4 July 2007}}</ref>

==Legacy==
The song "[[Awaara Hoon]]" and actor [[Raj Kapoor]] were widely known across China and the Soviet Union. The film's success in both the Soviet Union and China has been attributed to the [[socialist]] themes expressed in the film.<ref name="ref24hovij">{{Citation | title=Traditions in world cinema |author1=Badley |author2=Palmer |author3=Schneider |year=2006 | publisher=Rutgers University Press, 2006 | isbn=978-0-8135-3874-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKdY0HVF0ukC | quote=To this day 'Awaara hoon' ('I'ma vagabond'), the title song of Raj Kapoor's Awaara ('The Vagabond', 1951) remains well known throughout Russia, which the director- star visited, and China, where both the song and film were said to be Chairman Mao's favourites|first=Linda|first2=R. Barton|first3=Steven Jay}}</ref><ref name="ref19camuj">{{Citation | title=World cinemas, transnational perspectives | author=Ďurovičová | date=31 August 2009 | publisher=Taylor & Francis, 2010 | isbn=978-0-415-97653-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MtHiGs5e2w8C | quote=hearing the hit theme song "Awaara Hoon" ("I am wayward") hummed on the streets of Nanjing. Then, traveling through a small town in a more remote part of China, Seth has to perform the song on request at a local gathering: 'No sooner have I begun than I find that the musicians have struck up the accompaniment behind me: they know the tune better than I do|first=Natasa}}</ref>

The film ''Awaara'' and the song "Awaara Hoon" are believed to have been among [[Mao Zedong|Chairman Mao]]'s favourite films and songs, respectively.<ref name="ref19camuj"/><ref name="time_raj"/> ''Awaara'' was referenced in the 2000 [[Cinema of China|Chinese film]] ''[[Platform (2000 film)|Platform]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Durovicová |first=Natasa |title=World cinemas, transnational perspectives |year=2008 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-415-97654-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xPQOKFF4QycC&q=World+cinemas,+transnational+perspectives |edition=1st|access-date=24 February 2012 |page=51}}</ref>

In 2023, [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] ranked it #20 on its list of the "100 Best Bollywood Movies."<ref name="best">{{cite web |date=7 February 2023 |title=The 100 best Bollywood movies |url=https://www.timeout.com/film/the-100-best-bollywood-movies-the-list |access-date=28 November 2023 |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]}}</ref>

===Remakes===
Due to the film's remarkable success with Turkish audiences, ''Awaara'' was remade in [[Turkey]] a total of eight times. The first and most prominent [[Turkish film]] remake was ''Avare'' (1964) starring actor [[Sadri Alışık]] and actress [[Ajda Pekkan]], another Turkish remake was ''{{Ill|Benim Gibi Sevenler|tr}}'' (1977) by Temel Gürsu.<ref name="Scroll"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sinematikyesilcam.com/2021/08/sadri-alisik-avare-1964/ | title=Sadri Alışık – Avare (1964) | date=21 August 2021 }}</ref>

There was also an [[Iranian film]] remake, called ''The Wheel of the Universe'' (1967). However, this version may have been a remake of the Turkish remake ''Avare'', rather than a direct remake of the original ''Awaara''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Partovi |first1=Pedram |title=Popular Iranian Cinema before the Revolution: Family and Nation in Fīlmfārsī |date=2017 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-315-38561-7 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgYqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[:Category:Films directed by Raj Kapoor|List of films directed by Raj Kapoor]]
* [[List of films by box office admissions]]
* [[List of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union]]
* [[List of highest-grossing Indian films]]
* [[List of highest-grossing Indian films in overseas markets]]
* [[List of highest-grossing non-English films]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book|author1=Khwaja Ahmad Abbas|author-link=Khwaja Ahmad Abbas|author2=Vasant Sathe|author3=Suhail Akhtar|author4=Vijay Jani |author5=Nasreen Munni Kabir|title=The Dialogue of Awaara: Raj Kapoor's Immortal Classic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ln3LSAAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=Niyogi Books|isbn=978-81-89738-54-9}}

{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0043306|title=Awaara}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4mjCJaJe-g Full movie on YouTube]
* [http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/apr/05dinesh.htm Rediff.com Classics Revisited: Awaara]
* [http://www.letstalkaboutbollywood.com/article-19805814.html Movie review at "Let's talk about Bollywood!"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120303230320/http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/awara.html University of Iowa article] {{Portal bar|Bollywood|Films|India|1950s}}
*

{{Raj Kapoor}}
{{K. A. Abbas}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1951 Hindi-language films]]
[[Category:1950s Urdu-language films]]
[[Category:1950s crime comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1950s melodrama films]]
[[Category:1950s romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1951 drama films]]
[[Category:1951 films]]
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Maharashtra Police]]
[[Category:Films about bank robbery]]
[[Category:Films about criminals]]
[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about interclass romance]]
[[Category:Films about miscarriage of justice]]
[[Category:Films about mother–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about poverty in India]]
[[Category:Films about prison escapes]]
[[Category:Films about social realism]]
[[Category:Films about squatting]]
[[Category:Films about theft]]
[[Category:Films directed by Raj Kapoor]]
[[Category:Films scored by Shankar–Jaikishan]]
[[Category:Films set in slums]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]]
[[Category:Hindi films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Indian courtroom films]]
[[Category:Indian crime comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian legal drama films]]
[[Category:Indian musical comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic musical films]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Films about runaways]]
[[Category:Films about homelessness]]