Background

He is the younger brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, the widower of Jennifer Kendal, and the father of Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and Sanjana Kapoor.

Attended Don Bosco High School in Matunga, Bombay. In July 1958, he married the English actress Jennifer Kendal and they acted in a number of films together, most notably in the Merchant Ivory productions. Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal met in Calcutta in 1956 while working for their respective theatre groups. Shashi Kapoor was both assistant stage manager as well as actor for his father’s theatre group, Prithvi. Geoffery Kendal’s Shakespearana group was also present at the same time in Calcutta and Jennifer was Geoffery’s daughter. After their subsequent meeting, the couple fell in love and after facing initial opposition from Geoffery and support from sister in law Geeta Bali, they got married. He had three children with Kendal; Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor. Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor established Prithvi theatre in 5 November 1978 in Mumbai. Kendal died of cancer in 1984. Shashi Kapoor’s children for a short while became film actors but their Caucasian looks and accented Hindi prevented them from having a successful career in Hindi films.

Career

Shashi Kapoor started acting in films as a child in the early 1940s appearing in several mythological films and commercial films including Meena (1944), Tadbir, and Bachpan (1945) under the name of Shashiraj. His best known performances as child artist were in Aag (1948) and Awaara (1951) where he played the younger version of the characters played by his older brother Raj Kapoor. From the age of four, Shashi had started acting in plays directed and produced by his father Prithviraj Kapoor, while travelling with Prithvi Theatres. He worked in 19 films as child artist from 1944–54.

Shashi Kapoor made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra and went on to appear in 116 Hindi films as main lead protagonist, including 63 films as solo lead hero and 53 multi star-cast films, as well as 22 films as supporting actor and 5 special appearances.He was a very popular debonair actor in Bollywood during the 1960s, 1970s and the mid-1980s. He was one of India's first actors to go international. In the 1960s Kapoor acted in several romantic films opposite Nanda, including Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain (1965), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare (1966), Raja Saab (1969) and Rootha Na Karo(1970). In the 1990s in an interview, Shashi Kapoor declared that Nanda was his favourite heroine and that he regarded her as one of his mentors. In another interview, Nanda stated that Shashi Kapoor was her favourite hero.

Shashi Kapoor formed on screen pairs with Raakhee, Sharmila Tagore, Zeenat Aman in the late sixties till the mid eighties. Films where Kapoor acted opposite actresses such as Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, and Moushumi Chatterjee were also commercially successful. Kapoor's most popular solo hero movies include Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968) and Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati (1969) both with Babita, Kanyadan, Pyar Ka Mausam. He also worked with Rajesh Khanna in Prem Kahani.

Between 1974 and 1977, Kapoor's solo lead films were less commercially successful, which led to him accepting multi star cast films in the period 1976–85/ In some of his successful films from the 1970s and in early 1980s he co-starred alongside Pran in 9 films which include 7 hits Biradari, Chori Mera Kaam, Phaansi, Shankar Dada, Chakkar Pe Chakkar, Rahu Ketu and Maan Gaye Ustaad and with Amitabh Bachchan in 11 films of which Roti Kapda Makaan, Deewaar (1975), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), Suhaag (1979), Namak Halaal (1982) were commercially successful and Shaan (1980), Silsila, Do Aur Do Paanch (1980) and Akayla were flops at the box office.

He was also known internationally for starring in many British and American films, notably Merchant Ivory productions run by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, such as Householder (1963), Shakespeare Wallah (1965) (opposite his sister-in-law Felicity Kendal), Bombay Talkie (1970) and Heat and Dust (1982) in which he co-starred with his wife Jennifer Kendal, The Deceivers (1988) and Side Streets (1998). He also starred in other British and American films such as Pretty Polly A Matter Of Innocence (1967) opposite Hayley Mills, Siddhartha (1972), Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), Muhafiz (1994). James Ivory directed Shashi in the first Merchant Ivory production The Householder, then in Shakespeare-Wallah, Bombay Talkie and Heat and Dust. Ismail Merchant directed Shashi Kapoor in "In Custody" Muhafiz (1994). He was the first Indian actor to work extensively in Hollywood films and British films, at the kick-start of his acting stint in Bollywood, (1960) on-wards and he started doing English films due to his failure as solo lead hero between 1960–1965 before Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain and Jab Jab Phool Khile in 1965 became hits.

In 1978, he set up his production house, Film Valas, which produced critically acclaimed films such as Junoon (1978), Kalyug (1981), 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Vijeta (1982) and Utsav (1984). In 1991 he produced and directed a fantasy film titled Ajooba which had his frequent co-star Amitabh Bachchan and nephew Rishi Kapoor in the lead but the film was a disaster at the box office.

He accepted very few roles as a character actor in films since 1987. He acted with Pierce Brosnan in The Deceivers (1988). He also won a National (special jury) Award for his performance in Muhafiz (In Custody)(1994). His last and most recent film appearances were in Jinnah (1998), a biographical film of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in which he was the narrator and another Merchant Ivory production titled Side Streets (1998). He has now retired from the film industry and did not appear in any film since. He was seen in the limelight at the "Shashi Kapoor Film Festival" held in Muscat, Oman (September 2007). He has lost a considerable amount of weight and looked healthy. Recently, at the 55th Annual Filmfare Awards, Shashi Kapoor received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Achievements

• He has also played leading roles in a number of English-speaking Indian films, including the very first Merchant Ivory production The Householder followed by such as Shakespeare-Wallah, Bombay Talkie, Heat and Dust, etc In 2011, he was honored with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India

Interests

• theather, cinema, books

Connections

Married Jennifer Kendal in 1958 (died in 1984).

Wife:

Jennifer Kendal

Jennifer Kendal was born in Southport, England, but spent much of her youth in India. Her parents (she was the elder daughter of Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Liddell and elder sister of Felicity Kendal), ran a travelling theatre company, "Shakespeareana", which traveled around India as described in the book and film, Shakespeare Wallah (in which Kendal appeared and which starred her husband Shashi Kapoor, her parents and her sister Felicity).

Son:

Kunal Kapoor

Kunal was born in the famous Kapoor family, particularly known for having produced several generations of popular actors and actresses. He is married to Sheena Sippy, daughter of film director Ramesh Sippy. They have two children, Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor & Shaira Laura Kapoor.

Daughter:

Sanjana Kapoor

Sanjna Kapoor is the daughter of Shashi Kapoor, himself a well-known face in Bollywood, and Jennifer Kendal. In her childhood, she attended the prestigious Bombay International School in Mumbai. She had a love for acting and frequented the Prithvi Theatre in Juhu.

Son:

Karan Kapoor

He started his film career with minor parts in his father's productions Junoon (1978) and 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981). He appeared in the British television series The Jewel in the Crown in 1984.

He made his debut in mainstream Bollywood films with Sultanat (1986) alongside Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. He later acted in Loha (1987) and Afsar in 1988 but did not have any success as an actor. He also modeled major Indian brands including Bombay Dyeing.

He has since become a photographer and lives in London with his wife, daughter and son.

Brother:

Shamsher Kapoor

Part of the Kapoor family, he had an older brother, Raj Kapoor and a younger one - Shashi Kapoor. They both became successful actors. He was also the son of Prithviraj Kapoor. Kapoor married twice, first to actress Geeta Bali, which ended with her death from smallpox. His second wife was Neila Devi, whom he married in 1969. Kapoor also had an affair with his Brahmachari co-star, Mumtaz

Brother:

Ranbirraj Raj Kapoor

Raj Kapoor was born in Peshawar, Pakistan (then British India) to Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni (Rama) Devi Kapoor (née Mehra). He was the eldest of six children in the family. He was the grandson of Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor and great-grandson of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor, part of the famous Kapoor family. Two of Raj's brothers are actors Shashi Kapoor (a.k.a. Balbir Raj Kapoor) and the late Shammi Kapoor (aka Shamsher Raj Kapoor); the other two died in infancy. He also had a sister named Urmila Sial.

nephew:

Randhir Kapoor

Randhir Kapoor hails from the legendary Kapoor family. He is the eldest son of Raj Kapoor. He is a fourth generation Kapoor and comes from a distinguished Punjabi Hindu family who have been part of the Hindi film industry for many years.

nephew:

Rishi Kapoor

Born in South Mumbai, Rishi Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School, Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor.

nephew:

Rajiv Kapoor

He is the youngest son of famous actor/director Raj Kapoor

Grand Niece:

Karishma Kapoor

Karisma Kapoor (born on 25 June 1974), often informally referred to as Lolo, is an Indian actress appearing in Bollywood films. Born into a family where her parents, Randhir Kapoor and Babita, were actors, Kapoor made her acting debut at the age of seventeen with Prem Qaidi in 1991. She subsequently featured in several commercially successful films such as Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu, Suhaag (1994), Coolie No. 1, Gopi Kishan (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural & Jeet (1996)

Grand Niece:

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor also known as Kareena Kapoor Khan, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from contemporary romantic dramas to comedies—Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, and has established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema

grandnephew:

Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. Born to actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Kapoor began his career by assisting director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and later made his acting debut with the director's 2007 film Saawariya for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Kapoor later earned critical praise for his performances in Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year in 2009. These performances earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, and he was later recognized for his role as an aspiring politician in the political thriller Raajneeti (2010). In 2012, Kapoor received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the Imtiaz Ali-directed drama Rockstar, and his second award for his portrayal of a deaf-mute man in Barfi! (2012). According to Rediff, Kapoor has established himself as one of the leading contemporary actors of Hindi cinema.