Shashi Kapoor | |
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.jpg) Kapoor in 2010 | |
| Born | Balbir Raj Kapoor (1938-03-18)18 March 1938 |
| Died | 4 December 2017(2017-12-04) (aged 79) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1948–1998 |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Father | Prithviraj Kapoor |
| Family | Kapoor family |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours |
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Shashi Kapoor (pronounced[ʃəʃi kəpuːɾ]; bornBalbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work inHindi films. He is considered as one of the greatest actors in the history ofHindi cinema,[1][2] and is a recipient ofseveral accolades, including fourNational Film Awards and twoFilmfare Awards. TheGovernment of India honoured him with thePadma Bhushan in 2011, and theDadasaheb Phalke Award in 2014, for his contribution to Indian cinema.[3]
Born into theKapoor family, he was the third and the youngest son ofPrithviraj Kapoor. He began his career as a child actor in 1948 with his brotherRaj Kapoor's maiden directorialAag, and had his first role as an adult in 1961 withYash Chopra's political dramaDharmputra.[4] He established himself in 1965 with two blockbusters -Waqt andJab Jab Phool Khile.[5] This was followed by a period of further success, withKanyadaan,Sharmeelee andAa Gale Lag Jaa.[6] His career reached new heights in 1974 withChor Machaye Shor.[7] With its success, Kapoor became the top five to six saleable stars of the time and starred in top–grossing Hindi films from the early-1970s to 1980s, such asRoti Kapada Aur Makaan,Deewaar,Chori Mera Kaam,Kabhi Kabhie,Fakira,Trishul,Suhaag,Kranti andNamak Halaal.[7][8] He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a reckless chieftain inJunoon, a businessman inKalyug, a strict father inVijeta and an upright journalist inNew Delhi Times for which he wonNational Film Award for Best Actor.[9][10] The last film that he appeared in, was the much delayedGhar Bazar which was released in 1998.[11]
Shashi Kapoor was born as Balbir Raj Kapoor[12] toPrithviraj Kapoor and his wife inCalcutta, British India, on 18 March 1938. He was the youngest brother ofRaj Kapoor andShammi Kapoor. ActorTrilok Kapoor was his paternal uncle.[13]
Kapoor acted in plays, directed and produced by his fatherPrithviraj Kapoor, while travelling withPrithvi Theatres. He started acting in films as a child in the late 1940s under the name of Shashiraj, as there was already another actor by the same name who used to act in mythological films as a child. His best-known performances as a child actor were inAag (1948) andAwaara (1951), where he played the younger version of the characters played by his older brotherRaj Kapoor,[14] and inSangram (1950), where he played the younger version ofAshok Kumar andDana Paani (1953) where he acted withBharat Bhushan. He worked in four Hindi films as a child actor from 1948 to 1954.
After appearing as a child artist in some highly successful films likeSangram (1950),Samadhi (1950) andAwaara (1951), Shashi Kapoor made his debut as a leading man in 1961 withYash Chopra'spartition dramaDharmputra.[15] This was followed by another film released the same year,Char Diwari. BothDharmputra andChar Diwari did not do well financially.[7] From 1962 to 1964, Kapoor had minor successes with -Bimal Roy'sPrem Patra (1962) and Kanak Mishra'sYeh Dil Kisko Doon (1963).[16] He also made hisEnglish film debut in 1963 withJames Ivory's acclaimedfamily dramaThe Householder.[17]
The year 1965 changed his fortune as he starred in two highest grossing films of that year with Yash Chopra'smasala filmWaqt and Suraj Prakash'sromantic musicalJab Jab Phool Khile.[18][5]Waqt went on to become a massive box office success, receiving praise for cast performances, Chopra's direction and cinematography. Today, it is widely regarded as an evergreen classic.[19] The huge box office success ofWaqt was followed by another,Jab Jab Phool Khile which had Kapoor paired oppositeNanda.[20][21] It too opened to highly positive response from critics, especially for its soundtrack composed byKalyanji–Anandji, which was the fourth best-selling Hindi film album of the 1960s with a number of melodious songs, like "Ye Samaa Samaa Hai Pyar Ka", "Affoo Khudaya", "Ek Tha Gul Aur Ek Thi Bulbul", "Na Na Karte Pyar Tumhin Se", "Pardesiyon Se Na Ankhiyan Milana".[22][23]Jab Jab Phool Khile made Kapoor a star and won him that year'sBFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi) for his moving performance of an innocent boatman in the film.[24][25]
In spite of establishing himself, Kapoor had only a few major hits and some lukewarm successes in the late-1960s.[7]
In 1966, he starred alongsideKishore Kumar,Mehmood,Kalpana Mohan,Rajasree andMumtaz inC. V. Sridhar'sromantic comedyPyar Kiye Jaa.[26]Pyar Kiye Jaa proved to be a hit, but his other releaseNeend Hamari Khwab Tumhare again opposite Nanda did only average business at the box office.[27] After seeing two more moderate successes in 1967 withDil Ne Pukara andAamne Samne, the following year, he delivered a superhit inKanyadaan oppositeAsha Parekh, followed by a hit filmHaseena Maan Jayegi co-starringBabita.[28] The soundtrack ofKanyadaan composed byShankar-Jaikishan was also very successful with two chartbusterMohammed Rafi solos - "Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe" and "Meri Zindagi Mein Aate".[29] In the beginning of the 1970s, Kapoor delivered two notable commercial successes,Samir Ganguly'sromantic thrillerSharmeelee (1971) oppositeRakhee Gulzar andManmohan Desai'sromantic dramaAa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) co-starringSharmila Tagore.[30][31][32]
The year 1974 changed the trajectory of Kapoor's career, elevating him to a new level.[7] It started with Ashok Roy'saction comedyChor Machaye Shor which also hadMumtaz,Asrani andDanny Denzongpa in the lead.[33]Chor Machaye Shor proved to be a blockbuster in India as well as overseas, putting a line of producers outside Kapoor's house and making him top five to six saleable stars of the time.[34][7] The huge box office success ofChor Machaye Shor was followed byManoj Kumar's social dramaRoti Kapada Aur Makaan.[35]Roti Kapada Aur Makaan went on to become anAll Time Blockbuster and is regarded as one of the most influential movies of its time.[34][36]Roti Kapada Aur Makaan andChor Machaye Shor took first and second spot, respectively at the box office in 1974.[37] Apart from commercial success, both the films had highly successful music and were two of the best-sellingBollywood albums of the decade.[38] The song "Le Jayenge, Le Jayenge Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" fromChor Machaye Shor was so popular that it went on to inspire the title ofShah Rukh Khan starrerDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.[39] 1975 proved to be another iconic year for Kapoor as he formed a hit pair with megastarAmitabh Bachchan and together both of them gave many successful and iconic films toHindi cinema.[40] His first releaseAnari underperformed commercially, but his second release,Deewaar directed by Yash Chopra, written bySalim-Javed and co-starring Bachchan,Parveen Babi,Neetu Singh, proved to be a widespread critical and commercial success, eventually emerging a major blockbuster.[41] Today, it is considered one of the best films ever made in the history ofIndian cinema and got featured in the book1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[42][43][44] One of Kapoor's dialogue "Mere paas maa hai" ("I have mother"), is widely known in India and has become part of Indian popular culture.[45] His impactful portrayal of a police officer torn between love for his brother and duty met with acclaim and won himFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[46] His next release wasRaj Khosla'sromantic dramaPrem Kahani which also hadRajesh Khanna and Mumtaz in the lead.[47] The film received good response from reviewers as well as the audience and proved to be a hit at the box office.[48] Kapoor delivered another huge hit that year withBrij Sadanah's action comedyChori Mera Kaam oppositeZeenat Aman, followed by a semi-hit film,Salaakhen alongsideSulakshana Pandit to go with the huge grossers.[49][50] He began 1976 with Yash Chopra's romantic musicalKabhi Kabhie.[51] It had a massive star cast comprisingWaheeda Rehman, Bachchan,Rishi Kapoor, Rakhee andNeetu Singh.[52] Despite its heavy theme,Kabhi Kabhie went on to become a superhit.[53] It also had a chartbuster soundtrack composed byKhayyam with lyrics written bySahir Ludhianvi.[38] Rakesh Budhu ofPlanet Bollywood gave 9.5 stars out of 10 to the album stating, "Kabhi Kabhie will remain an ode to brilliant melody".[54] For his performance in the film, Kapoor received a nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[55] After the huge success ofKabhi Kabhie, he reunited with the team ofChor Machaye Shor and delivered another blockbuster inFakira, which was also remade inTelugu asDongalaku Donga (1977).[50] This was followed by two more successes inShibu Mitra'sShankar Dada andMohan Kumar'sAap Beati.[50]
The following year, Kapoor reunited with Bachchan for Desh Mukherjee's highly anticipated actionerImmaan Dharam, which took a bumper opening, but collections dropped afterwards due to poor reception and it ended up as a flop venture by the conclusion of its run.[56] His most of the other releases that year, such asHira Aur Patthar,Farishta Ya Qatil,Chakkar Pe Chakkar met the same fate, with the exceptions being Prayag Raj'sChor Sipahee and Raj Tilak'sMukti.[57] This changed in 1978 as he delivered a string of successes withPhaansi,Satyam Shivam Sundaram,Trishul,Trishna,Amar Shakti andAahuti.[58][59] Kapoor also set up his own production house, Film-Valas, the same year.[60] In 1979, he reunited with Bachchan for two big-budget actioners, The first one was Yash Chopra'sKaala Patthar and the second was Manmohan Desai'sSuhaag.[61][62]Kaala Patthar written by Salim-Javed went on to become a hit.[63] One song from the film, "Ek Raasta Hai Zindagi" sung by Kishore Kumar and filmed on Kapoor remains highly popular till date.[64]Suhaag, on the other hand, was a blockbuster as well as the highest-grossing film of 1979.[7] That same year, he produced and starred inShyam Benegal's art-house filmJunoon which also hadNafisa Ali,Shabana Azmi,Jennifer Kendal andNaseeruddin Shah in the lead.[65]Junoon met with acclaim, winning KapoorNational Award for Best Feature Film (Hindi) as well asFilmfare Award for Best Film.[66]
In 1980, Kapoor delivered a hit withSwayamvar, but his other releases, such asDo Aur Do Paanch andNeeyat failed to leave a mark whileRamesh Sippy's mega-budgetaction crime filmShaan ended up as an average grosser owing to huge costs.[67] The following year, he co-starred alongsideDilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Hema Malini,Shatrughan Sinha andParveen Babi in theepic historical dramaKranti.[68] It went on to become the biggest patriotic hit of all time, topping the box office chart in 1981 and emerging anAll Time Blockbuster.[69][70] That same year, he saw a moderate success inMaan Gaye Ustaad and received acclaim for his performances in Yash Chopra's romantic dramaSilsila and Shyam Benegal'scrime dramaKalyug (which he also produced).[71][72] Kapoor had five releases in 1982. He found no success inVakil Babu andSawaal.[73] However,Bapu'scrime drama filmBezubaan oppositeReena Roy was a hit andPrakash Mehra'smasala filmNamak Halaal co-starring Bachchan,Smita Patil and Parveen Babi went on to become a blockbuster.[8] His other notable release that year wasGovind Nihalani'scoming-of-age war filmVijeta, which had his sonKunal Kapoor in his acting debut.[74] The film flopped commercially, but received immense critical acclaim and won three awards at the31st Filmfare Awards.[75][76][77]
Post-1982, Kapoor's star power began to wane as he shifted his focus majorly towards parallel cinema and limited his work in mainstream films, accepting only few offers.[7] After not seeing any success in 1983, the next year, he produced and starred inGirish Karnad's critically acclaimederotic dramaUtsav.[78] It was filmed in Hindi andEnglish simultaneously, thepost-production work of latter version was done in London.[79] He also played a supporting role inK. Bapayya's superhit drama filmGhar Ek Mandir.[80] In 1985, he appeared inBabbar Subhash'sAandhi-Toofan andShakti Samanta'sAlag Alag. WhileAandhi-Toofan emerged a success,Alag Alag flopped at the box office.[81]
1986 proved to be a notable year for Kapoor as he won his firstNational Award for Best Actor and secondBFJA Award for Best Actor (Hindi) for the extraordinary portrayal of an honest journalist in Ramesh Sharma's highly acclaimedpolitical thrillerNew Delhi Times.[82][83] His another major release of the year was Shibu Mitra's multi-starrer actionerIlzaam co-starringShatrughan Sinha,Govinda,Neelam andAnita Raj.[84] The film proved to be a huge hit and also one of the top grossers of the year.[85]
In 1987, he reunited with Govinda and Neelam forK. Ravi Shankar's actionerSindoor which also hadJaya Prada in the lead.[86] He also did a guest appearance inGulzar'sromantic musicalIjaazat.[87] AlthoughIjaazat was a commercial failure, it won massive critical acclaim.[88] On the other hand,Sindoor emerged a hit and also proved to be Kapoor's last box office success.[89] In 1988, he acted withPierce Brosnan inThe Deceivers.[90] The following year, he appeared in films, such asFarz Ki Jung,Gair Kanooni andClerk, none of which performed well critically or commercially.[91][92]
Shashi Kapoor requested Amitabh Bachchan to star in his ambitious directorial debut filmAjooba (1991).[93] Bachchan made a notable exception and agreed to do the film due to their friendship, even though at the time Amitabh was not signing any new films.[94] Despite having a lavish budget and a huge star cast, the film flopped miserably at the box office.[95] Kapoor also wonSpecial Jury Award for his performance in the 1993 filmIn Custody and played the Rajah in the TV miniseriesGulliver's Travels (1996).[96]
In 1998, he retired from acting after his final film appearances inJinnah,Side Streets and the much delayedGhar Bazar.[11] He was seen in the limelight at theShashi Kapoor Film Festival held inMuscat,Oman (September 2007). At the55th Annual Filmfare Awards in 2010, Shashi Kapoor received theFilmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.[97]
Kapoor attendedDon Bosco High School inMatunga,Mumbai. He metEnglish actressJennifer Kendal inCalcutta in 1956 while both were working for their respective theatre groups. Shashi was both assistant stage manager as well as an actor for his father's theatre group,Prithvi Theatre.Geoffrey Kendal's Shakespearean group was also present at the same time inCalcutta andJennifer was Geoffrey's daughter. After their subsequent meeting, the couple fell in love and after facing initial opposition from the Kendals and support from sister-in-lawGeeta Bali, they got married in July 1958.[98][99] They acted in a number of films together, most notably inMerchant Ivory productions. They had three children:Kunal Kapoor,Karan Kapoor andSanjana Kapoor.Jennifer and Shashi establishedPrithvi Theatre on 5 November 1978 inMumbai.Jennifer died of cancer in 1984 which shattered him. After losing her to cancer, Shashi Kapoor fell into a deep depression that he never recovered from. English actressFelicity Kendal is his sister-in-law.[100]
His eldest sonKunal is married to directorRamesh Sippy's daughter.Kunal moved on to ad film direction and established his production house Adfilm-Valas. Shashi's daughterSanjana, is a theatre personality and married to wildlife conservationistValmik Thapar.[101] They have a son named Hamir. Shashi's younger sonKaran became successful in modeling and later settled down inLondon and runs a photography company. His grandsonZahan who is son of Kunal made his debut inFaraaz (2023).[102]
Kapoor is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful actors of Indian cinema.[1] Apart from his work in mainstreamHindi films, he is known for acting and producing several acclaimed films ofparallel cinema such as,Junoon (1979),Kalyug (1981),36 Chowringhee Lane (1981),Vijeta (1982) andUtsav (1984).[103][104]
Commenting on Kapoor's career,Shubhra Gupta noted: "Kapoor belonged to a gentler, kinder era, when Hindi cinema was moving away from the nation-building stories of the ‘50s, he was gentle, debonair, and the ultimate sophisticate. Kapoor wore his looks, and his understated acting ability lightly, sometimes so lightly that you often overlooked his skills."[105] Dinesh Raheja ofRediff.com noted, "The actor who became the 1960s-1970s icon of suave, believed in pushing the envelope, while remaining rooted in commercial cinema."[106]Times Now placed him 4th in its list of the “Most Good Looking Actors on Indian Screen".[107] In 2022, he was placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[108]
Kapoor has been the solo lead in 61 films and among the lead protagonist in 116 films, more than his nephews, brothers, grand-nephews and grand-nieces.[109] Kapoor's deep attachment and commitment to theatre which started in childhood remained almost untouched even when he was immobile due to age-related complications. After renovatingPrithvi Theatre in the western part of Mumbai, he was able to successfully create an environment congenial for creative pursuits. Even today, Prithvi Theatre oozes out an infectious creative energy which can compel people to become dedicated theatre artists and earn a decent living, due to the consistent efforts of Kapoor who would be present for special theme-based theatre festivals at the theatre.[110][111] In 2016, Aseem Chhabra wrote his biography "Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star".[112]
In 2011, theGovernment of India honored him with thePadma Bhushan for his contributions toIndian cinema.[113]
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Kapoor was admitted to theKokilaben Hospital,Versova, Mumbai, for what was speculated to be chest infection, and died on 4 December 2017.[114] According toThe Guardian, he was in hospital for treatment from long-standing liver and heart complications, and was always helping other patients.[115] Officially, his cause of death was attributed toliver cirrhosis.[116][117] His body was cremated on 5 December 2017, at theSantacruz Hindu Crematorium in Mumbai.[118]
Kapoor and actressSridevi, who died in 2018, were the only two Indians to be honored posthumously in memoriam at the90th Academy Awards.[119] In his honour, his autograph was inducted into theBollywood Walk of Fame atBandra Bandstand.[120]
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