Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor passed away at the age of 79 on Monday after prolonged illness and old age. Kapoor, who acted in huge hits like Deewar and Kabhie Kabhie, had been ill for some time and was in hospital.
He won several national film awards and was awarded the Padma Bhushan civilian honour by the Indian government in 2011. He also acted in a number of British and American films.
Kapoor died at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in the western city of Mumbai.
“Yes he has passed away. He had kidney problem since several years. He was on dialysis for several years,” said his nephew, actor Randhir Kapoor. The funeral will be held on Tuesday morning, he said.
The actor was married to late English actress Jennifer Kendal, with whom he set up Mumbai’s iconic Prithvi Theatre in 1978. His sister-in-law is British actress Felicity Kendal.
Kapoor began his career as a child actor and appeared in more than 150 films, including a dozen in English. He became known internationally for his roles in Merchant Ivory productions like “Shakespeare-wallah” and “Heat and Dust”.
In 2015, he was given the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema.
Kapoor was known for his charming smile and was often described by his fans as the “handsomest star ever”. He had a huge fan following among women.
Born as Balbir Raj Prithviraj Kapoor, the actor-filmmaker was the third and youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. He is survived by three children – Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and Sanjana Kapoor- and the Kapoor family, the film dynasty of Bollywood.
Shashi Kapoor is best known for his acting in Deewar, Namak Halal, Trishul, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Shaan to name a few. After successfully acting in several Hindi and English movies, he donned the producer’s hat. Not just this, he also tried his hands at direction. He was also hailed as first Indian actor to work extensively in Hollywood films and British films.
He had been a renowned theatre personality and performed plays, along with his late wife Jennifer Kendal (sister of actress Felicity Kendal).
He was cast alongside superstar Amitabh Bachchan in some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters of the 1970s and 1980s, and the two actors played brothers, best friends or rivals.
His comment in Deewar – “Mere paas maa hai” (But I have mother’s support) – during a tense confrontation with screen-sibling Bachchan tops the list of best Bollywood lines for millions of fans around the globe.
Over the years, it has found its way on to merchandise like shoulder bags, coffee mugs and cushion covers.
Film personalities Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Aadar Jain, Armaan Jain, Reema Kapoor, Krishna Raj Kapoor, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Neetu Singh, Shweta Nanda Bachchan, Boney Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor visited veteran actor’s house to pay their last respects to him.
