Mini Bio (1)
Biography
Raj Kapoor or Ranbirraj Kapoor (Hindi: राज कपूर, Pashto:
راج کپُور Rāj Kapūr, December 14, 1924 - June 2, 1988), also known as
'the show-man', was a legendary Indian film actor, producer and director
of Hindi films. He was the winner of seven Filmfare Awards and a
nominee for the Grand Prize of the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.
Early life and background
Raj
Kapoor was born in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province in
British India to Bollywood actor, Prithviraj Kapoor, and Ramsarni (Rama)
Devi née Mehra. He was the eldest of the four children in the Hindu
Pathan family. He is grandson of Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor and
great-grandson of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor, part of the famous Kapoor
family.
His younger brothers are the actors Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. He also had a sister by name Urmila Sial.
Career
Raj
Kapoor began his career as a clapper boy assisting Kidar Sharma at a
film studio. At age eleven, he appeared in films for the first time, in
the 1935 film Inquilab. After acting in several other films the next 12
years, Raj Kapoor's big break came with the lead role in Neel Kamal
(1947) opposite Madhubala in her first role as a leading lady. In 1948,
at the age of twenty-four, he established his own studio, R. K. Films,
and became the youngest film director of his time. His first movie as a
producer, director and star was the 1948 film Aag which was also the
first of his many films with actress Nargis. However the film failed to
do well at the box office. In 1949 he once again starred alongside
Nargis and Dilip kumar in Mehboob Khan's classic blockbuster Andaz which
was his first major success as an actor.
He went on to produce,
direct and star in many box office hits such as Barsaat (1949), Awaara
(1951), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956) and Jis Desh Men Ganga
Behti Hai (1960). These films established his screen image as The Tramp
modeled on Charlie Chaplin's most famous screen persona. In 1964 he
produced, directed and starred in Sangam which was his first film in
colour. This was his last major success as a leading actor. He moved
onto directing and starring in his ambitious 1970 film, Mera Naam Joker
(My name is Joker), which took more than six years to complete. The film
was said to be loosely based on his own life. When released in 1970, it
was however a box office disaster putting him into a financial crisis.
Despite this setback, the film was much later acknowledged as a
misunderstood classic and Raj himself regarded this film as his
favourite.
He bounced back in 1971 when he co-starred with his
eldest son Randhir Kapoor in Randhir's acting and directorial debut Kal
Aaj Aur Kal (1971) which also starred Raj's father Prithviraj Kapoor as
well as Randhir's wife to be Babita. From then on he acted in films as a
character actor and focused on producing and directing films. He
launched his second eldest son Rishi Kapoor's career when he produced
and directed Bobby (1973) which was not only a huge box office success
but also introduced actress Dimple Kapadia, later a very popular
actress, and was the first of a new generation of teen romances. Dimple
wore bikinis in the film which was quite unique for Indian films then.
In
the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s he produced and directed
films which focused on the female protagonists: Satyam Shivam Sundaram
(1978) with Zeenat Aman, Prem Rog (1982) with Padmini Kolhapure and Ram
Teri Ganga Maili (1985) which introduced Mandakini.
Raj Kapoor's
last major film appearance was in Vakil Babu (1982). His last acting
role was a cameo appearance in a 1984 released British
made-for-television film titled Kim.
Death
Raj Kapoor suffered
from asthma in his later years; he died of complications related to
asthma in 1988 at sixty-three years of age. At the time of his death he
was working on the movie Henna (an Indo-Pakistani love story). The film
was later completed by his son Randhir Kapoor and released in 1991 going
onto become a huge success.
Legacy
Raj Kapoor is appreciated
both by film critics and ordinary film fans. Film historians and movie
buffs speak of him as the "Charlie Chaplin of Indian cinema," since he
often portrayed a tramp-like figure, who, despite adversity, was still
cheerful and honest. His fame spread worldwide. He was adored by
audiences in large parts of Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet
Union, China, and Southeast Asia; his movies were global commercial
successes.
Many of Raj Kapoor's movies had a patriotic theme. His
films Aag, Shree 420 and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (In the Country
Where the Ganges Flows) celebrated the newly independent India, and
encouraged film-goers to be patriots. Raj Kapoor commissioned these
famous lyrics for "Mera Joota Hai Japani," a song from the movie Shree
420:
Mera joota hai Japani
Ye pataloon Inglistani
Sar pe lal topi Roosi
Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani
My shoes are Japanese
These trousers are English
The red cap on my head is Russian
However my heart is Indian
The
song is still extremely popular and has been featured in a number of
movies since Shree 420. Indian author Mahasweta Devi stopped the show
with her inaugural speech at the 2006 Frankfurt Book Fair when she used
these lyrics to express her own heartfelt patriotism and debt to her
country.
Raj Kapoor was a canny judge of filmi music and lyrics.
Many of the songs he commissioned are evergreen hits. He introduced the
music directors Shankar Jaikishan and the lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri. He is
also remembered for his strong sense of visual style. He used striking
visual compositions, elaborate sets, and dramatic lighting to complete
the mood set by the music. He introduced the actors Nimmi, Dimple
Kapadia, and Mandakini, as well as launching and reviving the careers of
his sons Rishi and Rajiv. Raj Kapoor was a great actor in the
bollywood.
Personal life
The Kapoor family hailed from what is now Faisalabad (then called Lyallpur) in the Punjab province of present-day Pakistan.
In
1946, at 22, Raj Kapoor married Krishna Malhotra belonging to Jabalpur,
in a traditional family-arranged wedding. Krishna was a distant
relative, his father's maternal uncle's daughter. Her brothers Prem Nath
as well as Rajindernath were also actors. Raj Kapoor and Krishna's
eldest son Randhir Kapoor was born in 1947, followed by their elder
daughter Ritu the year after, in 1948. The second son actor, Rishi
Kapoor was born in 1952, and second daughter Reema in 1956. Their
youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor was born in 1962. Randhir Kapoor, Rishi
Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor have all been associated with Bollywood as
actors, directors or producers.
Kapoor is also known to have had a
longtime romantic relationship with the renowned actress Nargis during
the 1950s. The couple starred in several films together, including
Awaara and Shree 420. He is also alleged to have had an affair with
Vyjayanthimala, his co-star in Sangam.
His grand daughters are
Bollywood actress, Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, the daughters of
his eldest son Randhir Kapoor by his wife Babita. Ranbir Kapoor, the son
of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, his family has found another Kapoor
scion to join the ranks of the Hindi Film Industry in 2007.
Raj Kapoor was the son of well-known Indian actor Prithviraj Kapoor, who acted both in film and on stage. After apprenticing in the Bollywood production studios of the 1940's, at 24 years of age Raj Kapoor produced, directed and acted in Aag (1948), with his new company, RK Films. His next production, Barsaat (1949), was a smash hit. In 1951, he also produced, directed and starred in Awaara (1951), which was another megahit, and costarred Nargis, who had appeared in Aag and Barsaat. Awaara also gained popular acclaim in Russia, where the movie and songs were dubbed into Russian. The theme song, Awaara Hoon, was popular in the East for many years. Kapoor has been dubbed "a great showman," and a filmmaker in the purest Romantic tradition, as he strove to entertain as well as address social themes close to his heart. Awaara dealt with the question of what forms an individual's moral grounding, ("nurture or nature") while incorporating comedy and stirring love scenes; in Shree 420 (1955) he addressed issues of poverty, unemployment and national pride in the new Indian state at the same time maintaining the audience's interest in the romantic plot. While never revolutionary in tone, many of his films explore the ability of the individual to overcome economic and environmental injustice while maintaining his/her innocence and integrity. He is quoted as believing that the individual's struggles ultimately lead to the desire for love, to care and be cared for. This is consistent with his admiration of Charles Chaplin, and Kapoor's own "tramp" (Awaara, Shree 420, Mera Naam Joker (1970) is modeled somewhat on his mentor, though with a definite individual flair.
His films demonstrate an understanding of music and direction that continue to influence Bollywood filmmaking today. Also a musician, his understanding of the musical feel of his movies gives them a storytelling fluidity equal to that of the best American movie musicals. He surrounded himself with the foremost talents in filmmaking, acting, writing (Kwaja Ahmad Abbas'), music composition (Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, 'Shankarsinh Raguwanshi'), and playback singers, including Mukesh, 'Mohamed Rafi', and Lata Mangeshkar. Kapoor continued to make films of varying critical and popular success up until his death in 1988, and apparently considered Mera Naam Joker his personal favorite. He is still a well-known name not only in India, but in the Middle East, SE Asia, and Eastern Europe. His descendants have attempted to continue the RK Films banner.
Son of Prithviraj Kapoor, brother of Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor.
Hindi megastar.
Father of Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor. Also daughters: Reetu Nanda and Reema.
Grandfather of Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. His daughter's son, Nikhil Nanda, is married to Shweta Bachchan, daughter of fellow Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan.
Most important Indian film star of the 20th century together with Amitabh Bachchan
Formed one of the most popular Hindi screen couples of the 50s with Nargis.
Raj Kapoor was the highest paid actor with Dilip Kumar in Hindi Cinema from 1950-56 and the 2nd highest paid Hindi actor along-with Dev Anand from 1957-63.
Uncle to Bollywood actors Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, Sanjana Kapoor.
Cousin to Bollywood director Vijay Kapoor and Bollywood actor Vicky Kapoor ( Har Har Mahadev- 1950).
Nephew of actor Trilok Kumar. (Prithviraj' s brother).
Uncle to actors Prem Kishen and Monty Nath.
Brother in law of Prem Nath ( wife's brother).
Nephew of actor Kamal Kapoor ( Prithviraj's cousin).
Grand uncle to Director Siddharth Malhotra and actress Akanksha Malhotra ( Prem Kishen 's children).
Uncle to actor / director Aditya Raj Kapoor.
Prem Chopra and Raj Kapoor married sisters.
Raj Kapoor's maternal uncle ( Mother's brother) actor Jugal Kishore Mehra , converted to Islam and married actress/ singer Anwari Begum. Their daughter was actress Nasreen Agha. Nasreen's daughter is Actress/ singer Salma Agha .This made Raj Kapoor a cousin of Nasreen. There for Salma Agha is the niece of Raj Kapoor.
Raj Kapoor's maternal uncle Jugal Kishore Mehra was not the biological father of wife'Anwari Begum's daughter actress Zarina ( Nasreen), He married Anwari Begum when Zarina was 5 years old. He adopted Zarina ( Nasreen ) and accepted her as his own.
Cousin of actor Subbiraj.
Cousin of actor Vijay Kapoor.
Uncle to actor Jatin Sial ( Sister Urmila 's son).
Grand niece is actress Akanksha Malhotra ( Nephew Prem Kishen daughter).
Grand nephew is director Siddharth Malhotra ( Nephew Prem Kishen son).
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