{"id":174692,"date":"2025-12-04T12:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T12:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/174692\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T12:39:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T12:39:09","slug":"long-back-this-export-by-india-wowed-russians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/174692\/","title":{"rendered":"Long back, this export by India wowed Russians"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was the 1950s, and Moscow airport was packed. Fans screamed and surged forward, all for one man, Raj Kapoor<\/a>, whose films had made him a household name in Soviet Russia. In a moment of sheer adoration, they lifted his taxi on their shoulders, carrying him like a living legend through the crowd.<\/p>\n

An Indian film critic who visited the Soviet Union in 1985 said the Russians had ”three Indian heroes: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Raj Kapoor. Such was Kapoor\u2019s stardom.<\/p>\n

The first time Kapoor landed in Moscow in 1954 without a visa, the Soviet Union, known for its strict protocols, allowed him to pass through immigration with ease.
ALSO READ: India targets autos-to-electronics export surge to Russia<\/a><\/p>\n

In his autobiography, Khullam Khulla, late actor Rishi Kapoor, said that his dad was a huge star in India but he was a demigod in Russia. \u201cI witnessed this craze for him when I accompanied him to the Tashkent and Moscow film festivals in \u201974, \u201976, \u201978 and \u201980. The Russians treated him like royalty. Elderly women were so overwhelmed to see him in flesh and blood that they wept and kissed his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ETLive Events
Kapoor\u2019s \u2018Raj\u2019 in RussiaRussians\u2019 love for Kapoor grew multifold by the release of his 1951 classic Awaara<\/a> in the USSR. Premiering in Soviet theatres three years after its Indian release, Awaara captured the imagination of millions. The film sold an astounding 64 million tickets, ranking as the third most-watched foreign film in Soviet history. <\/p>\n

ALSO READ: India-Russia tango: Putin means business, and more<\/a><\/p>\n

The film was dubbed into Russian so audiences could follow the plot, but the songs, especially the iconic Awaara Hoon, were kept in Hindi. It was an unconventional decision, and a brilliant one. Raj Kapoor\u2019s voice, his emotion-soaked singing, and Shankar\u2013Jaikishan\u2019s melodies carried the story across languages. Kapoor\u2019s portrayal of a resilient, romantic everyman resonated deeply with Soviet audiences, especially in the post-World War II era. His character embodied hope, resilience, and the pursuit of justice – values that mirrored the Soviet zeitgeist.A cultural ambassadorThe impact of Awara didn\u2019t fade with time, in fact, it sparked a cultural wave. The film opened the doors for Indian cinema<\/a> across the Soviet Union, and Kapoor\u2019s later works like Shree 420 and Sangam only deepened his hold on Russian audiences. Tunes such as Mera Joota Hai Japani and Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan soon became staples in Soviet homes.<\/p>\n

Even decades on, the affection remained unmistakable. During Prime Minister Manmohan Singh\u2019s visit to Moscow in 2011, the Kremlin<\/a>\u2019s Presidential Orchestra performed Awaara Hoon, a quiet, resonant nod to a timeless connection and to Kapoor\u2019s enduring magic.<\/p>\n

Beyond cinema, Raj Kapoor became a cultural ambassador, strengthening the ties between India and the Soviet Union. <\/p>\n

From Moscow to Georgia, he wasn\u2019t merely an actor; he was a bridge between cultures, a beacon of optimism, and a reminder of cinema’s universal language. His legacy in the USSR remains a unique chapter in Bollywood\u2019s history, reflecting the unparalleled power of art to transcend borders.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently called him a pioneer of India\u2019s soft power. \u201cIn the diplomatic world, we talk a lot about soft power. And at a time when this phrase didn\u2019t even exist, Raj Kapoor sahab established India\u2019s soft power all over the world. It was his big service to India,\u201d PM Modi said while meeting the Kapoor family.<\/p>\n

As President Putin prepares to touch down in India to ink key agreements, the warmth once reserved for Raj Kapoor serves as a subtle reminder: cultural bonds can outlast time, and the magic of cinema still casts its shadow across diplomacy and friendship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was the 1950s, and Moscow airport was packed. Fans screamed and surged forward, all for one man,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[95890,95891,72,113,61,95889,95893,95894,1121,60,22672,74780,95892,21223],"class_list":{"0":"post-174692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-awaara","9":"tag-bollywood-in-russia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-india-russia-relations","14":"tag-india-russia-ties","15":"tag-india-russia-trade","16":"tag-indian-cinema","17":"tag-ireland","18":"tag-kremlin","19":"tag-prime-minister-modi","20":"tag-putin-in-russia-today","21":"tag-raj-kapoor"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}