What
made
Raj
Kapoo ‘s
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ‘
a
blockbuste
i
Russia
i
1972?(Image
C edit:
I stag am)
Released
i
1970,
Raj
Kapoo ’s
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
is
a
golde
chapte
i
I dia
ci ematic
histo y.
The
3
hou s
44
mi utes
movie
showed
p otago ist
Raju’s
life
i
th ee
chapte s
ma ked
by
diffe e t
elatio ships,
a ati g
his
tale
of
love,
loss,
a d
pu pose.
Raj
Kapoo
spe t
eve y
last
pe y
while
maki g
this
movie;
it
was
the
biggest
gamble
of
his
life.
Ahead
of
its
time,
the
movie
i itially
could ’t
do
its
magic
at
the
I dia
box
office,
but
late
it
fou d
the
co ect
audie ce
a d
made
it
ai .
Speaki g
of
the
audie ce,
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
fou d
a
huge
fa
base
i
Russia.
I
1972,
the
movie
was
eleased
i
Russia,
a d
to
date,
it
is
cou ted
amo g
the
most
popula
Bollywood
movies
i
the
cou t y.
Why
is
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
popula
i
Russia?
Repo tedly,
Raj
Kapoo
sold
the
ights
of
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
fo
Rs
15
lakhs
to
Russia
i
1972.
The
movie
made
a
stagge i g
busi ess
of
Rs
17
c o e
i
the
cou t y.
The e
a e
seve al
easo s
behi d
the
popula ity
of
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
i
Russia.‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
was
eleased
i
Russia
at
a
time
whe
othe
Hollywood
d amas
we e
ba ed.
Its
timi g
a d
placeme t
wo ked
well
fo
the
movie,
offe i g
the
Russia
audie ce
the
ight
amou t
of
d amatic
efuge
they
eeded
back
i
the
day.
So
the
sto y
c eated
a
cultu al
b idge.
Mo eove ,
how
ca
a yo e
ot
feel
fo
a
clow
who
eve
fo gets
to
mask
his
tea s
with
a
smile?
A
pictu e
of
Raj
Kapoo
f om
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ‘(Image
C edit:
I stag am)
A othe
impo ta t
facto
is
that
Raj
Kapoo
was
al eady
a
household
ame
i
Russia.
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
did
c eate
Raj
Kapoo ’s
fa base
i
Russia;
i
fact,
it
wo ked
because
the
acto
was
al eady
a
k ow
ame
i
the
cou t y.
Tha ks
to
his
films
‘Awa a’
a d
‘Sh ee
420,’
Raj
Kapoo
was
able
to
establish
his
statu e
i
Russia.
Popula ity
of
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
i
Russia:
I te et
chimes
i
The
i te et
also
echoes
the
same
se time ts,
a d
o
seve al
occasio s
etize s
have
talked
about
the
popula ity
of
Raj
Kapoo ’s
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
i
Russia.
He e
a e
a
few
accou ts“Back
i
the
soviet
u io
days,
Hollywood
a d
films
of
othe
Weste
cou t ies
we e
ba ed
i
the
soviet
u io .
Si ce
the
soviet
people
did
ot
have
a y
othe
mea s
of
cheap
e te tai me t,
Bollywood
films
shot
i to
the
limelight,”
w ote
a
i te et
use
o
Quo a,
befo e
addi g,
“Bollywood
films
that
time
we e
o -co t ove sial
a d
o -political
a d
also
p ovided
the
soviets
with
cheap
mea s
of
e te tai me t.
Besides,
ou
movies
at
that
time
focused
mo e
o
pa titio
a d
the
st uggle
fo
f eedom
f om
colo ial
ule,
which
the
st uggli g
masses
of
Russia
could
elate
to.
Raj
Kapoo ,
i
pa ticula ,
was
ve y
popula
i
Russia,
with
the
film
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
u i g
to
packed
houses
i
Russia
(‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’
also
sta ed
Russia
act ess
‘Kse iya
Ryabi ki a
‘).
Apa t
f om
Raj
Kapoo ’s
classics
such
as
Awa a
a d
Sh ee
420,
Sita
au
Gita
was
also
a
ve y
popula
film
the e.”
Raj
Kapoo
cha med
all
with
his
o
sc ee
p ese ce
i
‘Me a
Naam
Joke .'(Image
C edit:
I stag am)
Almost
a
decade
ago,
a othe
use
me tio ed,
“I
have
family
i
Russia,
a d
the
last
time
I
was
the e
i
Moscow,
the
cab
d ive
was
playi g
‘Me a
Joota
Hai
Japa i’.
He
was
about
70
yea s
old.”He
co ti ued,
“I dia
movies
we e
widely
show
i
Soviet
Russia,
which
had
closed
itself
to
Weste
movies
a d
egulated
what
its
people
could
see.
I dia
was
a
ally,
a d
a
fellow
socialist
cou t y
with
active
commu ist
pa ties.
Bollywood
movies
like
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ‘
a d
othe
Raj
Kapoo
movies
fit
the
a ative
they
wa ted
to
show.
Also,
Kapoo
lost
o
oppo tu ity
to
p omote
those
movies.
I
the
total
abse ce
of
Hollywood
flicks
a d
othe
Weste
movies,
the
la dscape
was
empty,
a d
Kapoo
films
flou ished.
He
made
a
few
t ips
to
Russia
to
p omote
them.”As
time
passed,
choices
cha ged;
p efe e ces
evolved;
but
did
it
affect
the
statu e
of
Raj
Kapoo
o
‘Me a
Naam
Joke ’?
The
a swe
is
o.
The
movie
to
date
has
a
special
place
i
the
hea ts
of
the
Russia
audie ce.
