Randhir Kapoor
Randhir Kapoor | |
|---|---|
 Kapoor c. 2021 | |
| Born | Randhir Raj Kapoor 15 February 1947[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1955–2014 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parent(s) | Krishna and Raj Kapoor |
| Family | Kapoor family |
Randhir Kapoor (born 15 February 1947) is an Indian retired actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema.
Part of the Kapoor family, he is the son of actor–filmmaker Raj, grandson of actor Prithviraj and the brother of late actors Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor. After working as a child artist in Shree 420 (1955), Kapoor made his acting and direction debut with a leading role in the family drama Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971), a moderate success at the box office. Subsequently, Kapoor's starring roles in the dramas Jeet (1972), Hamrahi (1974) and the romantic comedies Jawani Diwani (1972), Lafange (1975), Ponga Pandit (1975) and the multi-starrers such as Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972) and Haath Ki Safai (1974). His career failed to propel forward after 1985, after which he quit acting for over a decade. However, the Kapoor-directed successful romantic drama Henna (1991), earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Director nomination.
Randhir is married to actress Babita since 1971, with whom he has two daughters, actresses Karisma and Kareena Kapoor. The couple separated in 1988, but reconciled in 2007, after living separately for several years.
Early years and background
[edit]Kapoor was born on 15 February 1947 in Karunakaran Maternity home, Matunga, Bombay, Bombay Presidency, India (now known as Mumbai, Maharashtra) to Punjabi Hindu parents. His family moved from their Kapoor Haveli in Peshawar (now in Pakistan) to Mumbai, before the partition of India, for acting careers. His family originally belonged to Samundri in present-day Punjab, Pakistan. He belongs to the famous Kapoor family who have been part of the Hindi film industry since the late 1920s.[2][3] He is the eldest son of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and his wife Krishna Kapoor. He has two brothers Rajiv andRishi, and two sisters, Rima and businesswoman Ritu. He is one of the grandsons of actor and producer Prithviraj Kapoor, and grandnephew of the actor Trilok Kapoor. His paternal uncles, Shammi and Shashi Kapoor were both actors. Also, his maternal uncles, Prem Nath, Rajendra Nath and Narendra Nath and were all involved in Hindi cinema. Actors Prem Krishen and Kailash Nath, are his maternal cousins, while actors Aditya, Karan, Sanjana and Kunal are his paternal cousins. Actor Prem Chopra is his uncle-by-marriage (Krishna's sister Uma's husband). Actors Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor are his cousins once removed. His nephews include actors Ranbir Kapoor, Aadar Jain and Armaan Jain, and businessman Nikhil Nanda.
Career
[edit]Kapoor first appeared as a child artist in Shree 420 (1955) and Do Ustad (1959). He became an assistant director with the film Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968), starring Rajendra Kumar in 1968. Randhir Kapoor made his acting and directorial debut with Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971), which also starred his wife, father, and grandfather. The film, produced under the R.K banner, was an average success.[4]
After his debut, he acted in three consecutive hit films, all released in 1972: Jeet, Raampur Ka Lakshman and Jawani Diwani.[5] Jawani Diwani was one of the biggest hits of that year. Raampur Ka Lakshman[5] costarred Shatrughan Sinha and Rekha, and was directed by Manmohan Desai, with music by R.D. Burman. Randhir and Babita were paired together in Jeet, after their marriage. Jeet was remake of the Tamil film En Annan starring M. G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa in the lead roles. After the success of Jeet, Randhir decided to do a remake of another film of MGR. Then MGR's hit 1971 film Rickshawkaran was remade in Hindi in 1973 as Rickshawala with Randhir as the hero opposite the new heroine Neetu Singh, by director K. Shankar, but the film flopped though its music was popular. In 1974 he had 2 big hits – Hamrahi and the two-hero film Haath Ki Safai.
In 1975, he directed and starred alongside his father again in the critically acclaimed Dharam Karam, which was a box office disappointment. Over the years this film has developed a cult status and is considered a classic. Two of his other films, Lafange and Ponga Pandit, were hits that year. From 1976 to 1981, his multi-star films such as Chacha Bhatija (1977), Kasme Vaade (1978), (the latter of which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination), Mama Bhanja, Heeralal Pannalal, Dhyanu Bhagat also known as Bhakti Mein Shakti and Biwi-O-Biwi: The Fun-Film, were hits too. After the failure of the 1981 Harjaee, he got few offers to star or co-star in films. His film Nikkamma, begun in 1976, and finally released in 1983 as Janejaan, was also a dud. The song composed by R.D. Burman, and sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle – "Tere Bina Mein Kuch Bhi Nahin Hoon" from the delayed film Janejaan was popular in 1983. He starred in Sawaal and Pukar in 1983, and received critical praise for his performances, but they flopped nonetheless. In the same year, Humse Na Jeeta Koi received average collections. His last film as a leading actor was Khazana in 1987, after which he did not appear in a film for a decade.
In 1991, he directed and produced the blockbuster Henna (1991), that starred his younger brother, Rishi Kapoor, and Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar. The film had started production in 1988 with his father Raj Kapoor directing, but after his death, Randhir took over as director of the film after his death. Henna resulted in a trip to Pakistan, where he was treated royally by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, a fan of his father Raj and his uncles Shammi and Shashi. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. The film was chosen as the Indian submissions for the Academy Award. In 1996, he produced PremGranth, the directorial debut of his younger brother Rajiv, and in 1999 he produced Aa Ab Laut Chalen, the directorial debut of his brother Rishi, which had Rajesh Khanna, Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles.
He was set to return to acting after a gap of 10 years with the 1997 film Ladies Only. This film was produced by Kamal Hasan and was a remake of Magalir Mattum. The film also starred Shilpa Shirodkar, Seema Biswas, Heera Rajagopal and Kamal Haasan. Although completed, the film was never released.[6] In 1999, he made his comeback in the film Mother, alongside Rekha, Jeetendra and Rakesh Roshan. After another break, he appeared in the film Armaan (2003), in a supporting role as Preity Zinta's father. On 13 May 2007, he made an appearance on the television chat show Koffee with Karan alongside his brothers, sister Rima and his sister-in-law Neetu Singh. On the show, it was mentioned how Randhir had been Neetu's first leading man in the film Rickshawala (1973), which was not a success.
In 2010, he returned to films with supporting roles in Housefull and Action Replayy. In 2012, he appeared in the multi-starrer Housefull 2, the first film in which he acted along with his brother Rishi. He went onto appear in Ramaiya Vastavaiya in 2013 and Super Nani in 2014.
Personal life
[edit]Kapoor married actress Babita, the daughter of actor Hari Shivdasani, on 6 November 1971 when he was 24 after co-starring with her in Kal Aaj Aur Kal, as the couple fell in love during the shooting of this film.[7][8] Their two daughters, Karisma Kapoor, born in June 1974, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, born in September 1980, are Indian film actresses. The couple separated in 1988 as differences arose between the couple as Randhir's acting career slumped after 1983 and Babita wanted their daughter Karisma to be an actress. Babita left Randhir with her daughters. Although against his daughters becoming involved in acting, he eventually came around the idea and has been supportive of their careers. The two reconciled in October 2007, having never divorced but lived separately for 19 years.[9] Actor Saif Ali Khan is his son-in-law.
In March 2022, Kapoor's nephew Ranbir Kapoor revealed that the former has dementia.[10]
Filmography
[edit]Actor
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Shree 420 | Himself | Child artist |
| 1971 | Kal Aaj Aur Kal | Rajesh Kapoor | |
| 1972 | Raampur Ka Lakshman | Lakshman Bhargav | |
| Jeet | Ratan / Ramu | ||
| Jawani Diwani | Vijay Anand | ||
| 1973 | Rickshawala | Gopi | |
| 1974 | Hamrahi | Ramesh | |
| Haath Ki Safai | Raju Tardev | ||
| Dil Diwana | Vijay | ||
| 1975 | Ponga Pandit | Bhagwati Prasad Pande / Prem | |
| Lafange | Gopal / Sadhu | ||
| Dafaa 302 | N/A | ||
| Dharam Karam | Dharam | ||
| 1976 | Khalifa | Vinod / Rajendra | |
| Ginny Aur Johnny | Dabbu | ||
| Bhala Manus | N/A | ||
| Aaj Ka Mahaatma | Randhir / Ranvir Varma | ||
| Bhanwar | Anup / Balbir Singh | ||
| Mazdoor Zindabaad | N/A | ||
| 1977 | Chacha Bhatija | Sunder Teja | |
| Mama Bhanja | Mohan Lal | ||
| 1978 | Kasme Vaade | Ravi Verma | |
| Heeralal Pannalaal | Pannalaal | ||
| Chor Ke Ghar Chor | Birju | ||
| Bhakti Mein Shakti | N/A | ||
| Aakhri Daku | Bhola | ||
| 1979 | Dhongee | Anand / Mr. Chimpaklal | |
| 1981 | Biwi-O-Biwi | Chander Mohan | |
| Harjaee | Ajay Nath | ||
| Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai | Ramesh Nanda | Cameo | |
| 1982 | Sawaal | Vikram "Vicky" D. Mehta | |
| 1983 | Pukar | Shekhar | |
| Jaane Jaan | Raju | ||
| Humse Na Jeeta Koi | Kishan Singh | ||
| 1987 | Khazana | Romela | |
| 1999 | Mother | Kumar Sinha | |
| 2003 | Armaan | Gulshan Kapoor | |
| 2010 | Housefull | Kishore Samtani | |
| Action Replayy | Professor Anthony Gonsalves | ||
| 2012 | Housefull 2 | Dabboo Kapoor | |
| 2013 | Ramaiya Vastavaiya | Siddhant Kapoor | |
| 2014 | Super Nani | R.K. Bhatia |
Producer
[edit]- Henna (1991)
- Prem Granth (1996)
- Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)
Director
[edit]- Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971)
- Dharam Karam (1975)
- Henna (1991)
References
[edit]- ^ Jain, Madhu (2009). The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema (Revised ed.). Penguin Group India. ISBN 978-0-14306-589-0.
- ^ "Bollywood's First Family". Excerpted from The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema by Madhu Jain, published by Penguin Books India. Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- ^ "Prithviraj Kapoor". Kapoor Family Page. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
- ^ [1] Archived 8 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b [2] Archived 10 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Sunday rewind: Bollywood films that never released". Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Dabbo Kapoor". Junglee.org.in. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Complicated relationships!". The Times of India. 12 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Randhir-Babita back together!". The Times of India. 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "Randhir Kapoor Is Suffering From Dementia: Nephew Ranbir To NDTV".
External links
[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
