Entertainment News Desk – Veteran Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur is celebrating his 79th birthday today. Born on 6 December 1945 in Lahore, a city in slave country India, Shekhar Kapoor’s independent thinking has left an indelible mark of success in the film world. Shekhar’s films will always be known for their contribution to the history of cinema. Shekhar Kapoor, nephew of famous film actor and superstar Dev Anand, had to work hard to make his mark and faced disappointment and frustration not once but thrice.
Filmmaking is not a profession but an adventure: Shekhar Kapur
But for Shekhar, filmmaking has not been a career but an adventure. Shekhar says in his own words, ‘For me film making is not a profession but an adventure. As soon as you go down a mountain, you must tighten your shoe laces to climb back up.’ Born in Lahore, Shekhar Kapoor’s father Kulbhushan Kapoor was a doctor and his mother Sheelkanta Kapoor was the sister of famous actor Dev Anand. After the partition of India-Pakistan, Shekhar Kapur came to India with his three siblings and mother. Shekhar Kapur, who was interested in space, moon and sky since childhood, made his home in the sky of cinema.
The family came to Delhi from Pakistan
Shekhar, who was not interested in studies since childhood, somehow completed his 12th class from Modern School, Delhi. After this Shekhar completed his graduation from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. Shekhar Kapur used to be very famous during his college days. Taking advantage of his uncle Dev Anand’s stardom, Shekhar used to spend the whole day happy among the beautiful girls of the college. After completing college, Shekhar went to London to study Chartered Accountancy. Shekhar fell in love with a beautiful girl in London. To impress that girl, Shekhar learned photography and bought a camera. In an interview given in Zee TV’s program ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai’, Shekhar says that ‘I had bought the camera to woo the girl. I started photography as soon as I bought a camera in London. Later the girl left but the camera remained with her. It was from here that Shekhar’s love for the camera awakened and he returned to Delhi from London.
He returned from London to Delhi and then reached Mumbai
After coming to Delhi, Shekhar decided to go to Mumbai. Shekhar’s maternal uncle was a big superstar of Bollywood, so he did not have to struggle much and he got a break through a small role in the film ‘Ishq Ishq Ishq’. The film ‘Ishq Ishq Ishq’, released in 1974, was a big flop. After this, he was launched as a hero in Shekhar Kapur’s film ‘Jaan Haazir Hai’ in 1975. This film also did not do much. After this, to try his luck in acting for the third time, he worked as a hero in the film ‘Broken Toys’ released in 1978. This film made with Shabana Azmi also shattered Shekhar’s dreams. Kaifi Azmi wrote the songs of the film and despite veterans like Bappi Lahiri, the film flopped. After this Shekhar decided to try his hand at direction instead of acting.
The film Masoom changed the whole story
Shekhar Kapur made a film named Masoom as a director in the year 1983. The film did wonders at the box office and Shekhar’s direction won the hearts of the producers. Then came the year 1987 and Shekhar made the film Mr. India. This film became such a success story that Shekhar became famous across the country. After this Shekhar never looked back. Shekhar Kapur’s film Bandit Queen, released in the year 1994, is still considered a gem and gem of Indian cinema. Shekhar Kapur made people crazy about his direction in England also. Lead actress Cate Blanchett of the 1998 film Elizabeth was nominated for an Oscar. Along with this, the fame of Shekhar Kapur’s direction also echoed all over the world. Now Shekhar is known not only in Bollywood but all over the world for his directorial skills. Shekhar Kapur turns 77 today. Big personalities from all over the world including Bollywood have congratulated him on his birthday.
