Prithviraj Kapoor.
The year was 1928, a strong young man entered the office of the top boss of the Bombay Film Company. There was a strict Pathan guard posted at the gate, to deal with him this person used his native language Pashto and entered after confusing the guard. Somehow, this entry provided work to the person, but he got the job as an extra without salary. This person was none other than Prithviraj Kapoor, who established the foundation of the Kapoor family in Bollywood. Prithviraj Kapoor worked for 10 days and on the eleventh day he was signed as the hero for the next film. Due to his charismatic personality, he won the lead role in the second week itself. This may surprise you, you may not even believe it, but it is true and also a proof of his incredible attractiveness and self-confidence.
So this is how I got my first film
The shooting of a new film was about to begin but the hero was absent. The angry director took the heroine to the place where the extras were sitting and asked her to choose her lead role from among them. He pointed directly towards the heroine. Thus began Prithviraj Kapoor’s remarkable journey as a great actor on the theater stage, big screen and in personal life and became the father of the first family of the Hindi film industry. This family is still thriving in its fourth generation. This family produced many legendary actors. However, Prithviraj is the only Indian actor who has appeared in two films featuring three generations of a family. His father Basheshwarnath Kapoor and sons Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor were seen together in ‘Awara’. Son Raj Kapoor and grandson Randhir Kapoor were seen with him in ‘Kal Aaj Aur Kal’.
spread magic on every stage
Prithviraj Kapoor, coming from a Punjabi Khatri family, was in government service for a long time. He was born in Lyallpur and educated in Peshawar, where he graduated from the famous Edwards College and studied law for a year, but then decided it was not for him and instead took up law. Decided to pursue a film career. He came to Bombay in 1928 with money borrowed from his father’s sister and soon became a leading actor of the silent era. In 1931, he also acted in the first Indian talking film ‘Alam Ara’. His talent was also seen on display in theatre. The theater acts ‘Pathan’ and ‘Shylock’ showcase his most powerful characters.
Be famous for the role of kings
You must remember Sohrab Modi’s Sikandar. Prithvirad Kapoor played the role of a Greek in this film. He was perfect in this character. His skill earned him a status at par with Sohrab Modi who played the role of King Porus. It was only after this that he came into limelight in 1941. However, years later, Prithviraj himself played the role of Porus in ‘Sikander-e-Azam’. Although Prithviraj Kapoor is best known for his role as Emperor Akbar in the 1960 classic film Mughal-e-Azam, he has also played the roles of many other kings, be they historical or mythological. He played the role of Bhagwaar Ram twice. Apart from this, he was also seen in the roles of King Dasharatha and Ravana. Also appeared in the roles of both Arjun and Karna. Apart from King Vikramaditya and Harishchandra, he also brought alive the characters of 12th century Chauhan Namdhari, Rana Kumbh, Emperor Shahjahan and Raja Mansingh on screen.
Received these great honors
When his sons took over the reins of acting in the mid-1950s, Prithviraj Kapoor reduced his work in films. Considered one of the founding fathers of Hindi cinema, Kapoor was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1969 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1971. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1960. Prithviraj Kapoor died of cancer in 1972. Now Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan are carrying forward his legacy.
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