Raj Kapoor is equally well known as a Director and as an Actor. Raj Kapoor hailed from an 'Acting' family, his father Prithviraj, was a popular star. Although Raj had hits and won Awards in each decade till the 1980s, his best known work was without doubt from the 1950s, where he delivered many a classic such as Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955). By the 1970s, with age no longer permitting him to be a leading man, Raj relinquished his position in front of the camera and reverted to just producing/directing films.

Raj is the man responsible for making Bollywood international; the Russians loved his films and even Mao Tse-Tung named a Raj Kapoor film (Awaara) as his favourite. Raj Kapoor's company, R.K. Films, is today one of the most respected in the land. Son, Rishi Kapoor, also led a very successful acting career, and now the Kapoor grand-daughters, Karisma and Kareena, are continuing to take the Kapoor name forward.