Raj Kapoor

Biography
Raj Kapoor was a legendary actor, producer and director of Bollywood movies. He is part of the famous Kapoor family and is the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, and Rama Kapoor, grandson of Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, great-grandson of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor began his career as a clapper boy assisting Kidar Sharma. At age eleven, he appeared in films for the first time, in the 1935 film Inquilab. Raj Kapoor's big break, however, came when he played the hero's role in Neel Kamal (1947) by Kidar Sharma. In 1948, at the age of twenty-four, he established his own studio, R. ...( show more

) 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 with Nargis alongside Dilip Kumar in Mehboob Khan's classic blockbuster Andaz which was his first major success as an actor. He went onto 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 image as an underdog character modeled on Charlie Chaplin's most famous character The Tramp. In 1964 he produced, directed and starred in Sangam which was his first film in colour. Raj then moved onto 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 it was a box office failure 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 later bounced back when he produced and 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. Raj then 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 films then. In the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s Raj acted in fewer films and focused more on producing and directing films which focused on the female protagonists in 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 ever acting role was a cameo appearance in a 1984 released British made-for-television film titled Kim. 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.

The Kapoor family hailed from what is now Faisalabad (then called Lyallpur) in the Punjab province of present-day Pakistan. Raj Kapoor was born on 14th December 1924, in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province of what is now Pakistan. He was named Ranbirraj Kapoor at birth, and was the eldest of the four children of renowned stage and cineman actor Prithviraj Kapoor and his wife Smt. Ramsarni (Rama) Devi nee Mehra. His younger brothers were the actors Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. He also had a sister by name Urmila Sial. In 1946, at the age of twenty-two, Raj Kapoor was wed to Krishna Malhotra belonging to Jabalpur in a traditional family-arranged wedding. Krishna was Raj Kapoor's first cousin once removed, being 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 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 the Hindi film industry as actors, directors or producers. Raj 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 Shri 420. Noted film personalities Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor are the granddaughters of Raj and Krishna Kapoor, being the daughters of their eldest son Randhir Kapoor by his wife Babita.

Date of Birth
14 December, 1924

Place of Birth
Peshawar, North West Frontier Province , Pakistan

Filmography

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Actor

Eeshwar (1989) ... Himself (uncredited)
Raj Kapoor (1987) ... Himself
Vakil Babu (1982) ... Advocate Mathur
Gopichand Jasoos (1982) ... Gopichand Jasoos
Naseeb (1981) ... speacial appearance (Himself)
Abdullah (1980) ... Abdullah
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) ... Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Director

Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)
Prem Rog (1982)
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
Bobby (1973)
Mera Naam Joker (1970)
Sangam (1964)
Shri 420 (1955)

Producer

Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)
Prem Rog (1982)
Biwi O Biwi : The Fun - Film (1981)
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
Dharam Karam (1975)
Bobby (1973)
Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971)

Photos

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