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Monday, Dec 04, 2006
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A veteran of the big screen

A veteran artist who had a successful career in Hindi and English movies, Shashi Kapoor was enamoured of theatre as a young man, says Madhur Tankha.

For yesteryear's Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor, acting -- whether on the big screen or before a live audience -- comes easily. With effortless ease, the versatile actor had shone both on the silver screen -- Hindi and English films -- as well as theatre. But it is good old theatre that continues to excite the artiste in him.

In the Capital for "Prithvi Theatre Festival-2006" that concluded at Kamani Auditorium here on Sunday, Kapoor was full of hope for popular theatre.

Looking back, he says: "My father Prithviraj Kapoor started Prithvi Theatres way back in 1944. For 16 years, he professionally ran Prithvi Theatres without any subsidy from the Government or help from private parties. But in 1960, it came to a grinding halt. After some years, I conceived the idea of reviving Prithvi Theatres. My wife Jennifer designed and constructed the Prithvi Theatre that was launched in 1978. I am happy and proud to celebrate the birth centenary of my father this year. We recently had a big festival in Mumbai where there were 45 performances."

Revealing that he was only six years old when he joined his father's famous theatre group, Kapoor says theatre gave him a wonderful opportunity to brush up his acting skills. "Unlike my elder brothers Rajji and Shammi, who had joined Prithvi Theatres with the intention of joining Hindi films, I had no such plans. In fact, I would have continued to act in theatre if my father's theatre group had not closed down. As part of the theatre troupe, I travelled with my parents from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. However, I did not neglect my studies."

Stating that he joined the Hindi film industry because of "family responsibilities", Kapoor says: "When Prithvi Theatres closed down; I took permission from Papaji (Prithviraj Kapoor) to join films. After he agreed, I took the plunge. The long journey in Hindi films was very good and I am grateful to the film industry for accepting me and giving me a very good career. Because of the Indian film industry, I could invest my earnings in Prithvi Theatre." Kapoor always held brother Raj Kapoor in high esteem. As a child artiste, he acted alongside Raj Kapoor in "Aag" in 1948 and in "Awaara" in 1951, while after he grew up he acted in his film "Satyam Shivam Sundaram".

On his phenomenal on-screen chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan, Kapoor says that Big B was very dedicated to his craft. "He is ten years younger to me in films even though in real life the difference may be five to six years. I made `Ajooba' with him that was shot in Russia. Among the recent films I have seen, `Black' that again stars Amitabh was certainly the best. I also enjoyed watching `Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'."

On his memorable association with Ismail Merchant productions, Kapoor says his first film with them was "Householder" that was released in both Hindi and English.

Despite being pressurised by the film fraternity to act in films now, Kapoor says that he is physically exhausted. "Now, I am doing philanthropic work with Amar Jyoti Trust, which works for the upliftment of the physically challenged, and Mumbai's Cancer Care."

Revealing that he acted alongside Pierce Brosman in "The Deceivers", Kapoor says he had an interesting time acting with the former James Bond. "It was based on thugism. I played a villain, whose identity as a baddie was revealed in the end. Among my other foreign films are `Heat and Dust' that was released in 1982. It starred Hollywood actress Julie Christy."

Revealing that his acting skills as a young boy were honed while he was working with Shakespeareana company, Kapoor says that Geoffrey Kendal, who later became his father-in-law, wrote to Prithviraj Kapoor that he was looking for an Indian actor who could play juvenile leads. "I travelled with Shakespeareana company to Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia." Sharing his nostalgic memories of Lutyens' Delhi, Kapoor says that in the Fifties former Prime Minister late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once came over to watch a Bernard Shaw play in which he was acting.

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