| "Awaara Hoon" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Mukesh | |
| from the album Awaara | |
| Language | Hindi-Urdu |
| Released | 1951 |
| Genre | Film song |
| Songwriter(s) | Shailendra |
| Composer(s) | Shankar Jaikishan |
"Awaara Hoon" (transl. I am a Vagabond) is a song from the 1951 Indian film Awaara, directed by and starring Raj Kapoor, which was internationally popular.[1][2] The song was written in the Hindi-Urdu language[3] by lyricist Shailendra, and sung by Mukesh.[4] "Awaara Hoon" immediately struck "a chord in audiences from various classes and backgrounds all over India and beyond: in China, in the Soviet Union, in the Middle East."[5] In China, "both the song and film were said to be Chairman Mao's favourites."[1] In a May 2013 BBC poll, the song was rated the second-greatest Bollywood song of all time.[6]
... To this day 'Awaara hoon' ('I'm a 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 ...
... 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 ...
The song was written in Urdu and immediately became a favourite of many people around the globe.
... Its title song Awaara hoon, written by Shailendra, remains the best-appreciated Hindustani film song in foreign countries ...
... When Raj sings cheerfully about the pleasures of being a street-smart vagabond ("Awaara Hoon"), he strikes a chord in audiences from various classes and backgrounds all over India and beyond: in China, in the Soviet Union, in the Middle East ...