Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Nargis
Director-star Raj Kapoor was just 26 when he filmed this tale of sons disowned and justice betrayed. The lefty politics made Awaara a hit in the U.S.S.R. So did a sexy beach scene between Kapoor and his co-star (and lover), the Indian screen legend Nargis.
As the South Asian International Film Festival kicks off in New York City, feed your Bollywood fever with TIME's list of the best Bollywood classics as well as our Five Essential Bollywood movies to Netflix.