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shammi kapoor

Shammi Kapoor (Hindi: शम्मी कपूर , Urdu: شمّی کپُور), born 21 October 1931, is an actor in Bollywood films. The majority of his most successful pictures were made in the late 1950s and 1960s.

He was born Shamsher Raj Kapoor in Mumbai to film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Shammi was the second of three sons born to Prithviraj (the other two being Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor), all of whom were, like their father, successful Bollywood actors. Though he was born in Mumbai, he spent a major portion of his childhood in Kolkata, where his father was involved with New Theatres Studios, acting in films. It was in Kolkata only that he did his Monntessary and Kindergarten. After coming back to Mumbai, he went, first to, St. Joseph’s Convent (Wadala) and then, to Don Bosco School. Shammi Kapoor finished his schooling from New Era School, at Hughes Road.

Shammi Kapoor, hailed to be the ‘Elvis Presley of India’, is one of the finest actors that Bollywood has ever produced. He was the leading star of Bollywood during the late 1950s as well as the 1960s. One of the successful sons of film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor, Shammi was extremely versatile as an actor. He debuted in Bollywood in 1953, with the film ‘Jeevan Jyoti’ and went on to deliver hits like ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’, ‘Dil Deke Dekho’, ‘Budtameez’, ‘Junglee’, ‘Jaanwar’, ‘China Town’, ‘Professor’, ‘Rajkumar’, ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘Teesri Manzil’, ‘An Evening In Paris’, ‘Bramhachari’, and ‘Andaaz’.

Early Life and Entry in Films

Shammi Kapoor had a short stint at the Ruia College, after which he joined his father’s theatrical company “Prithvi Theatres”. He entered the world of cinema in 1948, as a junior artiste, at a salary of Rs.50 per month. Kapoor stayed with Prithvi Theatres for the next four years and collected his last paycheck, being Rs.300, in the year 1952. He made his debut in Bollywood in the year 1953, when the film ‘Jeevan Jyoti’ was released. It was directed by Mr. Mahesh Kaul and Chand Usmani was Kapoor’s first heroine.

Film Career

Shammi Kapoor was known as the ‘Elvis Presley of India’, for his amusing and energetic roles as well as his amazing dance sequences. Though he started out with serious films, comedy films gradually became his forte. Movies like ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ (his first big hit) and ‘Dil Deke Dekho’ established him in the roles of a light hearted playboy. Some time later, he starred in ‘Junglee’ (1961) and his new image got consolidated. Majority of his successful films belonged to the same genre. Mohammed Rafi, one of Kapoor’s friends, was his most preferred choice as his playback voice.

In his initial years in Bollywood, Kapoor appeared with established heroines like Madhubala, playing second fiddle to them. With time, he started being paired more often with new heroines. Out of them, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and Sharmila Tagore became huge stars in the future. In the first half of the 1960s, Kapoor was seen in successful films like ‘Professor’, ‘China Town’, ‘Char Dil Char Rahen’, ‘Raat ke Raahi’, ‘Dil Tera Diwana’, ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’, ‘China Town’, ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘Bluff Master’, ‘Janwar’ and ‘Rajkumar’. Although nominated before, in 1968, he received the first Filmfare Award of his career, for ‘Best Actor’ (Brahmachari).

In the 1970s, Kapoor’s weight problem proved an obstacle in his path of success and ended his career as a romantic hero. One of his last hits, in which he played the lead role, was ‘Andaz’ (1971). With time, he moved to career roles and acted in films like ‘Zameer’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Vidhaata’. In 1974, he donned the hat of a director and made ‘Manoranjan’, a film based on Irma La Douce. Two years later, he made ‘Bandalbaaz’ (1976). However, both the films failed to create magic at the box office. His last appearance, as a character actor, was in the delayed 2006 film, ‘Sandwich’.

Personal Life

Shammi Kapoor met Geeta Bali in the year 1955, during the shooting of the film ‘Rangeen Raaten’, in which he was the main lead and she played a cameo. They fell in love, but since she was a year older to him and had acted with his elder brother and father, they were skeptical. Four months after they first met, they decided to get married. Shammi and Geeta went to Banganga Temples, near Napean Sea Road of Mumbai, and got married, with Hari Walia as the sole witness. It was only after the marriage that they informed their parents.

The couple lived a life of bliss in the coming years and had a son the following year. Aditya Raj Kapoor was born on 1st July 1956, at Shirodkar’s Hospital, Mumbai. After five years i.e. in 1961, they had another child. This time, it was a daughter, Kanchan. During the filming of Teesri Manzil (1966), tragedy struck the Kapoor family and Geeta died of small pox. Shammi had a failed romance with Mumtaz in 1968 and in 1969; he got married to Neila Devi of Bhavanagar. The couple continues to enjoy marital bliss till date.

Shammi Kapoor is one of the leading internet users in India. He is the founder and chairman of Internet Users Community of India (IUCI). Apart from that, he has also played a major role in setting up internet organizations like the Ethical Hackers Association. Kapoor also maintains a website dedicated to the ‘Kapoor family’. In 2006, he told interviewers that he goes to dialysis three times a week. Even that has failed to depress him. Rather, he is thankful to God for giving him so much.

Kapoor started out with serious roles but with Filmistan’s Nasir Hussain directed Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) opposite Ameeta and Dil Deke Dekho (1959) with Asha Parekh, he attained the image of a light hearted stylish playboy. With Junglee (1961) his new image was cemented and subsequent films were all in this genre. He particularly chose Mohammed Rafi as his playback voice and Rafi was also his friend. In fact, it was not Rafi who shouted the “Yahoo” in the song that was famously picturized on Shammi in the huge hit film Junglee (1961) – it was Prayag Raj. Though in his early career he had often played second fiddle to established heroines like Madhubala in films such as Rail Ka Dibba (1953), producers now loved pairing Shammi with new heroines, but only three became huge stars: Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and Sharmila Tagore. Of all his heroines, he said that Sharmila Tagore, Rajshree, and Asha Parekh were easy to work with. He and Asha Parekh were paired together in four films, the most successful being the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966).

However, tragedy struck during the filming of Teesri Manzil (1966), when Shammi’s first wife, actress Geeta Bali, died of small pox at the age of 35, leaving him with two small children. It led to a failed romance with Mumtaz, his co-star from Brahmchari (1968).

In 1969, he married his second wife Neela Devi (Queen of Bhavnagar), and his significant weight gain ended his career as a romantic hero in the early 1970s, with Andaz (1971) being one of his last hits. He turned into a successful supporting actor in the 70’s, playing Saira Banu’s father in Zameer (1975), when he had been her leading man a decade earlier in Junglee (1961) and Bluff Master (1964) and playing Amitabh Bachchan’s foster father in Parvarish. He also directed Manoranjan (1974) a copy of Irma La Douce and in which he played a supporting role himself and Bandalbaaz (1976), but neither were successful. In the 1980s and 1990s he continued to play supporting roles in many films and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Vidhaata (1982). He eventually cut down on film appearances by the late 1990s and early 2000s and made his last appearance in the delayed 2006 release Sandwich ..

On his 75th birthday on 21 October 2006, Shammi told interviewers that he goes to dialysis three times a week, but that he is not depressed and is grateful to God for giving him so much.

Awards, nominations and other recognition

• 1962 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor–Professor
• 1968 – Filmfare Best Actor Award, Brahmachari
• 1982 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Vidhata
• 1995 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1998 – Kalakar Award-Special Award for “contribution in Indian Cinema”
• 1999 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2001 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2002 – Invaluable Contribution To Indian Cinema at the IIFA.
• 2005 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards
• 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cinema at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).
• 2009 – Phalke Legend Actor Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy [1]
• Shammi Kapoor is also a recipient of the prestigious Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.
• He is also a recipient of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award [2]

Partial filmography

• Jeevan Jyoti (1953)
• Rail Ka Dibba (1953)
• Thokar (1953)
• Laila Majnu (1953) Nutan
• Ladki (1953)
• Gul Sanobar (1953)
• Khoj (1953)
• Shama Parwana (1954)
• Mehbooba (1954)
• Ehsan (1954)
• Chor Bazar (1954)
• Tangewali (1955)
• Naqab (1955)
• Miss Coca Cola (1955)
• Daku (1955)
• Sipahsalar (1956)
• Rangeen Raatein (1956) Mala Sinha
• Memsahib (1956)
• Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956)
• Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film) Ameeta
• Maharani (1957)
• Coffee House (1957)
• Mirza Sahiban (1957)
• Mujrim (1958)
• Dil Deke Dekho (1958) Asha Parekh
• Ujala (1959) Mala Sinha
• Raat ke Raahi (1959)
• Mohar (1959)
• Basant (1960)
• College Girl (1960)
• Singapore (1960)
• Boyfriend (1961)
• Junglee (1961) Saira Banu
• Dil Tera Diwana (1962) Mala Sinha
• Professor (1962) Kalpana
• China Town (1962) Shakeela/Helen
• Bluff Master (1963)
• Shahid Bhagat Singh (1963)
• Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai (1963)
• Pyar Kiya To Darna kya (1963)
• Rajkumar (1964) Sadhana
• Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) Sharmila Tagore
• Janwar (1965) Rajashri
• Teesri Manzil (1966) Anil Kumar
• Preet Na Jaane Reet (1966)
• Budtameez (1966)
• An Evening in Paris (1967) Sharmila Tagore
• Laat Saheb (1967) Nutan
• Brahmachari (1968) Rajashri
• Prince (1969) Vyjayanthimala
• Tum se Acchaa Kaun Hai (1969) Babita
• Sachchai (1969) Sadhana
• Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) Asha Parekh/Helen
• Andaz (1971) Hema Malini/Simi
• Jawan Mohabbat (1971) Asha Parekh
• Jaane Anjane (1971) Leena Chandavarkar
• Manoranjan (1974) Zeenat Aman
• Chhote Sarkar (1974) Sadhana
• Rocky (1981)
• Naseeb (1981)
• Prem Rog (1982) Sushma Seth
• Vidhaata (1982)
• Desh Premee (1982)
• Hero (1983) Urmila Bhat
• Betaab (1983)
• Sohni Mahiwal (1984)
• Ijaazat (1988)
• Ajooba (1991)
• Chamatkar (1992)
• Sukham Sukhakaram (1994) (Malayalam)
• Aur Pyar Ho Gaya (1996) Shammi
• Kareeb (1998)
• Jaanam Samjha Karo (1999)
• East Is East (1999)
• Yeh Hay Jalwa
• Waah! Tera Kya Kehna (2002)
• Bhola in Bollywood (2005)
• Sandwich (2006)
• Complete Filmography

Shalimar (1978)

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