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dangermousieI find Bollywood such an interesting and different beast. Not just because the movies themselves are different (most are musicals, with long run times and a bit of everything thrown in) but because in a way, the way it's run is entirely different: the crazy cult of stars (think old-time Hollywood times 100), the informality of a lot of business arrangements, the fact that a lor of actors/actresses film movies simultaneously, sync sound is rare, etc etc. Oh, and Bollywood is run by families. Most current actors/actresses are either children of previous stars, or former models or beauty contest winners. Very very different to me. Sometimes you luck out and get Kajol (duahgter of Tanuja) and sometimes you don't and get Esha Deol (daughter of Dharmendra and Hema Malini, but IMO the worst actress ever). There are very few exceptions. Interestingly both the biggest male star, Shahrukh Khan, and the biggest until she retired female star, Madhuri Dixit, are exceptions. I wonder if it's a hint to Bollywood to take in new blood. If it's a hint, they are happily ignoring it.
So because of it, and because Saawariya is opening this week, with tons of fanfare, and it's the debut movie of Ranbir Kapoor, the fourth (!!!) generation of the Kapoor family to be a movie star, here is a bit of a look at the most famous family of Bollywood: the Kapoors. More stars per capita than anywhere else :)
FIRST GENERATION
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj is the Kapoor paterfamilias, the start of the Kapoor clan. Prithviraj, both a theater and film star, was supposed to be very handsome when young, but as it’s hard to locate Bollywood movies from the 1930s, I have not seen him in his younger avatar. For most Bollywood fans, Prithviraj is familiar from two definitive Bollywood classics: the epic Mughal-e-Azam, where elderly Prithviraj plays Akbar, father of the story’s hero, Prince Salim, and one of the most influential Bollywood movies ever, Awaara (where he is directed by his own 25 year old son Raj), where Prithviraj plays a pitiless Judge who does not realize that the small time criminal (played by Raj) he crosses paths with, forced into debased life by poverty and emotional harship, is his own unacknowledged son. Between the two, I highly recommend Awaara over MeA, as in MeA, Prithviraj overacts in the great theatrical style.
SECOND GENERATION
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor is the oldest of Prithviraj’s three sons, and also the most famous and influential Kapoor of them all (and my favorite one, too). An auteur-filmmaker, Raj wrote, directed and starred in some of the most famous and influential Bollywood movies out there. His biggest, bestest movies include Awaara (see above), a movie that is, IMO, the best ‘classic’ Bollywood movie there is, Shri 420 (Chaplinesque and incisive), Aag, Anari, Barsaat, Chori Chori, Mera Naam Joker, and Bobby (which created established parameters for youthful love story genre in Bollywood, and made his son Rishi a star)
Song from Awaara:
His movies almost always have strong social commentary, innovative scenes, unforgettable characters, and oh yeah, often co-star Nargis. Nargis, probably most known for her starring turn in Mother India, was Raj Kapoor’s frequent co-star, love and muse. But not his wife. At a young age, before he even met Nargis, Raj entered into an arranged marriage with Krishna Malhotra, eventual mother of next generation movie star Rishi Kapoor (as well as two other sons, and two daughters, but they did not become famous).
Here he is with Nargis:
Raj Kapoor died in 1988.
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi has sometimes been referred to as the “Indian Elvis.” I am not sure I see much of a resemblance except for the hairstyle, and the uninhibited movements (Shammi is one of the few Kapoors who are genuinely good dancers. Rishi is the only other one, though Ranbir might soon be added to the list), but Shammi is delicious fun.
If you are looking for social commentary of his older brother’s movies, or the ‘angry young man’ flicks of the 1970s in which his younger brother Shashi appeared so often (usually as Amitabh Bachchan’s sidekick), you won’t find it with Shammi. Shammi’s movies are delicious, flighty, joyful concoctions: part romance, part infectuous comedy, and part the freedom of movement. Shammi and his movies are sui generis, the movies work because Shammi is the lead, and Shammi works because he is who he is. I am not explaining it very well I am afraid.
Suffice it to say that one of my earliest Bollywood movies was Junglee, where Shammi plays an uptight businessman swept off his feet by a Kashmiri girl. I finished the movie grinning for ear to ear.
Some of his movies to check out include: An Evening in Paris, Teesri Manzil, Kashmir Ki Kali, Rajkumar, Bluff Master, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Professor, Junglee, Brahmchari.
Here he is in a number from Teesri Manzil:
Shammi was married twice. His first wife, actress Geeta Bali, died of smallpox (yikes), leaving him with two small children to raise.
Here is Geeta:
He later had a romance with the glamorous star Mumtaz:
After that didn’t work out, he eventually married again. He is alive but currently retired.
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi was the youngest of the Kapoor brothers, and IMO, the handsomest. I first saw him playing the child version of his brother Raj’s character in Awaara and have liked him since then. He starred in a wide variety of movies, from actioners, to romances, to silly comedies (in fact, he was notorious for working at a bazillion movies at the same time and having to take a taxi from one shoot to the next to the next to even make it). He has made a number of awesome movies, among them being Sharmilee, Satyam Shivam Sundaram , Kabhi Kabie, and Deewar (in the last two he co-starred with the super famous Amitabh Bachchan, a frequent co-star).
Here he is in a song from Deewar:
Shashi also married a British actress, Jennifer Kendal (whom he met when she was guest-touring with a theater troupe in India). It must have been a bit of culture shock for both.
Here they are:
They starred together in a number of art-house, cross-over Merchant Ivory films, such as Bombay Talkie and Shakespearewallah. I think Shashi is the Kapoor a non-Bollywood watcher is most likely to have come across.
His three kids briefly became actors at one time or another but aren’t well known. He is currently retired.
THIRD GENERATION
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi, one of my favorite Kapoors, is the second son of Raj Kapoor. He first came to prominence with Bobby, his father’s comeback vehicle after Mera Naam Joker flopped like a stone. Rishi was 18 in that movie, and as a youthful, rebellious lover, he and his co-star Dimple Kapadia created a craze. He starred in a number of excellent movies throughout the 1970s, with my favorites being Amar Akbar Anthony (crazy and hilarious), Kabhi Kabie, Laila Majnu, Sargam, Karz etc.
Rishi usually was the sweet, funny, sometimes goofy guy on screen. He survived the ‘angry young man’ era of the 1970s which, even as it was all about tough, anti-social young men, somehow didn’t diminish his brand of roles or star status. He continued to be a lead well into early 90s, when he was past his prime as a lead (so stay away from those movies) and then retired. However, he has recently returned to cinema and has proceeded to do a great job of scene-stealing in father roles, irresistable in such movies as Hum Tum or Fanaa. He even starred in an older people in love story (very unusual for Bollywood), Pyaar Mein Twist.
Here he is in Bobby:
Rishi married his frequent co-star, the awesome Neetu Singh. Clearly, not content with having star-power of their own, Kapoors occasionally marry someone else famous for extra star power. It’s all part of their plan to take over the world.
Here she is:
FOURTH GENERATION
Karisma Kapoor
Karisma is the first true female Kapoor star (as Neetu is a Kapoor by marriage). Her status was a bit of a shock, seeing that Kapoors have old fashioned views on their women acting. Karisma, with her sister Kareena, is the granddaughter of Raj Kapoor, being the child of Raj’s oldest son Randhir (a not very successful actor) and his wife Babita (also, not very successful actress, and by all accounts, the stereotype of stage mother). Babita left Randhir and took her daughters with her, thus relations between Karisma and Kareena and the rest of the close-knit family have always been strained, at best. In fact, the girls grew up rather broke, and the Kapoor name didn’t get Karisma much extra help. She had to work her way up.
Karisma’s best known movies include Raja Hindustani (with scandalous kissing, heh), Dil To Pagal Hai, Zubeidaa, Hum Saath Saath Hein, Judwaa. Most of her movies are comedies, and she was frequent costar with Salman Khan and Govinda. She is also a very decent dancer.
The infamous kissing scene from Raja Hindustani (with Aamir Khan):
She has married, had a child and retired fairly recently.
Kareena Kapoor
Karisma’s younger sister, Kareena is one of my favorite working actresses, in any industry. Kareena seems to successfully divide her roles between often silly comedies and some really amazing arthouse-type movies where she plays strong and complex women. I much prefer the latter. Some of her best movies include Asoka (an epic romance), Omkara (a retelling of Othello), Dev (a story about anti-Muslim riots), Refugee (a cross-border love story), Chameli (about a low class street walker), Jab We Met (a fluffy love story). Of course, she was also in Main Prem Diwani Hoon, arguably worst Bolly movie ever, so sort through her stuff carefully.
Here she is in a number from Asoka, one of my Top 3 Bollywood movies:
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir is the son of the awesome Rishi Kapoor and the equally awesome Neetu Singh.
The youngest and newest entrant into the ranks of Kapoor stars (or wannabe stars, time will tell). I haven’t seen enough of him yet to have a definitive opinion as his first, Saawairya, is releasing this weekend, but from what clips/trailers/live appearances I’ve seen, Ranbir is:
a. attractive
b. good dancer
c. charismatic
Coupled with the Kapoor name, this will get him pretty far in Bollywood. Notice I haven’t mentioned anything about acting ability, as I can’t judge it from trailers. It’s sort of optional in Bollywood, anyway, where actors often seem to learn on the job.
Trailer for Saawariya:
So because of it, and because Saawariya is opening this week, with tons of fanfare, and it's the debut movie of Ranbir Kapoor, the fourth (!!!) generation of the Kapoor family to be a movie star, here is a bit of a look at the most famous family of Bollywood: the Kapoors. More stars per capita than anywhere else :)
FIRST GENERATION
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj is the Kapoor paterfamilias, the start of the Kapoor clan. Prithviraj, both a theater and film star, was supposed to be very handsome when young, but as it’s hard to locate Bollywood movies from the 1930s, I have not seen him in his younger avatar. For most Bollywood fans, Prithviraj is familiar from two definitive Bollywood classics: the epic Mughal-e-Azam, where elderly Prithviraj plays Akbar, father of the story’s hero, Prince Salim, and one of the most influential Bollywood movies ever, Awaara (where he is directed by his own 25 year old son Raj), where Prithviraj plays a pitiless Judge who does not realize that the small time criminal (played by Raj) he crosses paths with, forced into debased life by poverty and emotional harship, is his own unacknowledged son. Between the two, I highly recommend Awaara over MeA, as in MeA, Prithviraj overacts in the great theatrical style.
SECOND GENERATION
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor is the oldest of Prithviraj’s three sons, and also the most famous and influential Kapoor of them all (and my favorite one, too). An auteur-filmmaker, Raj wrote, directed and starred in some of the most famous and influential Bollywood movies out there. His biggest, bestest movies include Awaara (see above), a movie that is, IMO, the best ‘classic’ Bollywood movie there is, Shri 420 (Chaplinesque and incisive), Aag, Anari, Barsaat, Chori Chori, Mera Naam Joker, and Bobby (which created established parameters for youthful love story genre in Bollywood, and made his son Rishi a star)
Song from Awaara:
His movies almost always have strong social commentary, innovative scenes, unforgettable characters, and oh yeah, often co-star Nargis. Nargis, probably most known for her starring turn in Mother India, was Raj Kapoor’s frequent co-star, love and muse. But not his wife. At a young age, before he even met Nargis, Raj entered into an arranged marriage with Krishna Malhotra, eventual mother of next generation movie star Rishi Kapoor (as well as two other sons, and two daughters, but they did not become famous).
Here he is with Nargis:
Raj Kapoor died in 1988.
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi has sometimes been referred to as the “Indian Elvis.” I am not sure I see much of a resemblance except for the hairstyle, and the uninhibited movements (Shammi is one of the few Kapoors who are genuinely good dancers. Rishi is the only other one, though Ranbir might soon be added to the list), but Shammi is delicious fun.
If you are looking for social commentary of his older brother’s movies, or the ‘angry young man’ flicks of the 1970s in which his younger brother Shashi appeared so often (usually as Amitabh Bachchan’s sidekick), you won’t find it with Shammi. Shammi’s movies are delicious, flighty, joyful concoctions: part romance, part infectuous comedy, and part the freedom of movement. Shammi and his movies are sui generis, the movies work because Shammi is the lead, and Shammi works because he is who he is. I am not explaining it very well I am afraid.
Suffice it to say that one of my earliest Bollywood movies was Junglee, where Shammi plays an uptight businessman swept off his feet by a Kashmiri girl. I finished the movie grinning for ear to ear.
Some of his movies to check out include: An Evening in Paris, Teesri Manzil, Kashmir Ki Kali, Rajkumar, Bluff Master, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Professor, Junglee, Brahmchari.
Here he is in a number from Teesri Manzil:
Shammi was married twice. His first wife, actress Geeta Bali, died of smallpox (yikes), leaving him with two small children to raise.
Here is Geeta:
He later had a romance with the glamorous star Mumtaz:
After that didn’t work out, he eventually married again. He is alive but currently retired.
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi was the youngest of the Kapoor brothers, and IMO, the handsomest. I first saw him playing the child version of his brother Raj’s character in Awaara and have liked him since then. He starred in a wide variety of movies, from actioners, to romances, to silly comedies (in fact, he was notorious for working at a bazillion movies at the same time and having to take a taxi from one shoot to the next to the next to even make it). He has made a number of awesome movies, among them being Sharmilee, Satyam Shivam Sundaram , Kabhi Kabie, and Deewar (in the last two he co-starred with the super famous Amitabh Bachchan, a frequent co-star).
Here he is in a song from Deewar:
Shashi also married a British actress, Jennifer Kendal (whom he met when she was guest-touring with a theater troupe in India). It must have been a bit of culture shock for both.
Here they are:
They starred together in a number of art-house, cross-over Merchant Ivory films, such as Bombay Talkie and Shakespearewallah. I think Shashi is the Kapoor a non-Bollywood watcher is most likely to have come across.
His three kids briefly became actors at one time or another but aren’t well known. He is currently retired.
THIRD GENERATION
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi, one of my favorite Kapoors, is the second son of Raj Kapoor. He first came to prominence with Bobby, his father’s comeback vehicle after Mera Naam Joker flopped like a stone. Rishi was 18 in that movie, and as a youthful, rebellious lover, he and his co-star Dimple Kapadia created a craze. He starred in a number of excellent movies throughout the 1970s, with my favorites being Amar Akbar Anthony (crazy and hilarious), Kabhi Kabie, Laila Majnu, Sargam, Karz etc.
Rishi usually was the sweet, funny, sometimes goofy guy on screen. He survived the ‘angry young man’ era of the 1970s which, even as it was all about tough, anti-social young men, somehow didn’t diminish his brand of roles or star status. He continued to be a lead well into early 90s, when he was past his prime as a lead (so stay away from those movies) and then retired. However, he has recently returned to cinema and has proceeded to do a great job of scene-stealing in father roles, irresistable in such movies as Hum Tum or Fanaa. He even starred in an older people in love story (very unusual for Bollywood), Pyaar Mein Twist.
Here he is in Bobby:
Rishi married his frequent co-star, the awesome Neetu Singh. Clearly, not content with having star-power of their own, Kapoors occasionally marry someone else famous for extra star power. It’s all part of their plan to take over the world.
Here she is:
FOURTH GENERATION
Karisma Kapoor
Karisma is the first true female Kapoor star (as Neetu is a Kapoor by marriage). Her status was a bit of a shock, seeing that Kapoors have old fashioned views on their women acting. Karisma, with her sister Kareena, is the granddaughter of Raj Kapoor, being the child of Raj’s oldest son Randhir (a not very successful actor) and his wife Babita (also, not very successful actress, and by all accounts, the stereotype of stage mother). Babita left Randhir and took her daughters with her, thus relations between Karisma and Kareena and the rest of the close-knit family have always been strained, at best. In fact, the girls grew up rather broke, and the Kapoor name didn’t get Karisma much extra help. She had to work her way up.
Karisma’s best known movies include Raja Hindustani (with scandalous kissing, heh), Dil To Pagal Hai, Zubeidaa, Hum Saath Saath Hein, Judwaa. Most of her movies are comedies, and she was frequent costar with Salman Khan and Govinda. She is also a very decent dancer.
The infamous kissing scene from Raja Hindustani (with Aamir Khan):
She has married, had a child and retired fairly recently.
Kareena Kapoor
Karisma’s younger sister, Kareena is one of my favorite working actresses, in any industry. Kareena seems to successfully divide her roles between often silly comedies and some really amazing arthouse-type movies where she plays strong and complex women. I much prefer the latter. Some of her best movies include Asoka (an epic romance), Omkara (a retelling of Othello), Dev (a story about anti-Muslim riots), Refugee (a cross-border love story), Chameli (about a low class street walker), Jab We Met (a fluffy love story). Of course, she was also in Main Prem Diwani Hoon, arguably worst Bolly movie ever, so sort through her stuff carefully.
Here she is in a number from Asoka, one of my Top 3 Bollywood movies:
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir is the son of the awesome Rishi Kapoor and the equally awesome Neetu Singh.
The youngest and newest entrant into the ranks of Kapoor stars (or wannabe stars, time will tell). I haven’t seen enough of him yet to have a definitive opinion as his first, Saawairya, is releasing this weekend, but from what clips/trailers/live appearances I’ve seen, Ranbir is:
a. attractive
b. good dancer
c. charismatic
Coupled with the Kapoor name, this will get him pretty far in Bollywood. Notice I haven’t mentioned anything about acting ability, as I can’t judge it from trailers. It’s sort of optional in Bollywood, anyway, where actors often seem to learn on the job.
Trailer for Saawariya:
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 08:36 pm (UTC)I don't know why, but I keep forgetting Ranbir is a Kapoor. Is that weird? I mean, he IS a Kapoor, I know that, but I'm surprised they haven't highlighted that fact as much as they could. That's a pretty friggin' big deal!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-08 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 02:46 am (UTC)Thanks for all that info and pics and vids! Just...wow. 8)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 05:02 am (UTC)I have too much free time sometimes.