Remembering Shashi Kapoor… | Filmfare.com

Balbir Raj Kapoor or Shahsi Kapoor as he was better known was born in Calcutta in 1938. Living up to the legacy of his father Prithvi Raj Kapoor and elder brothers Raj and Shammi Kapoor, he too joined the film business and ruled the hearts of the masses, thanks to his chocolaty good looks and charismatic acting.

He played young Raj Kapoor in Awara (1951) and ten years later, made his debut as a leading man in Char Diwari. He made a name for himself in films like Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath (62), Waqt (65), Haseena Maan Jayegi (68), Aa Gale Lag Ja (73) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram (78). However, it was his partnership with Amitabh Bachchan in iconic films like Deewaar (75), Kabhi Kabhie (76), Trishul (78), Silsila (81) and Namak Halal (82) which brought him cult status. He will be forever be known as the man who said, “Mere paas Maa hai…” – his famous retort to Bachchan in Deewaar.

Apart from commercial films, he was also a force to reckon with in the arthouse circuit. Being associated with Merchant Ivory productions in films like The Householder (1963) and Shakespeare Wallah (1965) made him internationally famous. He also produced critically acclaimed films like Junoon (78), Kalyug (81), 36 Chowrinhgee Lane (81) and Vijeta (82).

He married English actress Jennifer Kendal in 1958 and theirs was an enduring love story and ideal marriage which lasted close to three decades. Her death due to cancer in 1984 reportedly devastated him. He was suffering from ill health for a very long time and was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai allegedly for chest infection on December 3 and breathed his last on December 4, 2017. He is survived by three children Kunal Kapoor, Karan Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor and a host of grandchildren…

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