- Prithviraj Kapoor
Infobox actor
bgcolour =
name = Prithviraj Kapoor
imagesize =
caption = Prithviraj Kapoor in "Mughal E Azam " (1960)
birthdate = birth date|1906|11|3
deathdate = death date and age|1972|5|29|1906|11|3
location = Lyallpur, Punjab,
British India
yearsactive = 1929-1971
spouse = Ramsarni "Rama" Mehra (1923/24-1972)
homepage =
notable role =Akbar in "Mughal-E-Azam " (1960)Prithviraj Kapoor (
Hindi : पृथ्वीराज कपूर, Hindko: پرتھویراج کپُور, Pṛthvīrāj Kapūr,3 November 1906 -29 May 1972 ) was a noted pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in silent era ofHindi cinema [ [http://www.bollywood501.com/classic_m/prithviraj_kapoor/index.html Prithviraj Kapoor Resource page and photo gallery] ] .He was also the patriarch of the Kapoor family of Hindi films, five generations of which family, beginning with him, have played active roles in
Bollywood .Early years
Prithviraj was born on November 3, 1906 at
Samundri [ [http://www.junglee.org.in/pk.html Prithviraj, My father] by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor] near the town of Lyallpur (now known as Faisalabad) in Punjab to a middle-class family belonging to theKhatri caste ofHindu s. [ [http://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/12/05/stories/2004120500020100.htm The Hindu: Mad about theatre] ] [ [http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/02slide1.htm Rediff: Bollywood's First Family] ] Prithviraj could speak Punjabi,Hindi , Hindko, andPashto . [ [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-12-2003_pg7_25 Daily Times: Peshawarites still remember the Kapoor family] ] cite web|url = http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/02slide1.htm| title = Bollywood's First Family|publisher = Rediff|accessdate = 2007-09-08]His father,
Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor , was a sub-inspector of police. Prithviraj received his initial education at Lyallpur and atLahore . His paternal grandfather, Dewan Keshavmal, was a powerful influence during his childhood. Baseshwarnath was posted atPeshawar , and so Prithviraj received his higher education at theEdward College ,Peshawar ,Pakistan and joined a one year program in Law to become a Lawyer. It was here that his talents on stage first received expression. Prithviraj's son Shammi recollects [ [http://www.junglee.org.in/pk.html Prithviraj, My father] by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor] that Prof. Jai Dayal, a member of the faculty, was instrumental in nurturing his talent. The Indian professor was in love with an English lady by name Nora Richard, who in turn was a theatre "aficionado" with a passion forShakespeare andIbsen . The couple found Prithviraj the perfect material for many roles in the plays they mounted. This was his grounding in the art of the theatre.Career
Prithviraj did his B.A. from Edward college, Peshawar, a feat that few of his descendants were destined to match. He also studied law as a graduate student for one year, but his heart was in the theatre. In 1928, with the help of a loan from his aunt, Prithviraj moved to the city of
Bombay (present-day Mumbai) which is the switch of theHindi film industry.He acted as an extra in his first film role, though he grew up to get a lead role for his third "Cinema Girl" in 1929 [http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/11/22/stories/2004112201500100.htm Kissing the firmament with Prithvi Theatre]
The Hindu ,November 22 ,2004 .] . After featuring in nine silent films [http://www.iffigoa.org/iffi2006/tribute-det_aid_2.php Tribute to Prithvi Raj Kapoor (1906-1972)]International Film Festival of India website.] , Kapoor did a supporting role inIndia 's first film talkie, "Alam Ara " (1931). His performance in "Vidyapati" (1937) was much appreciated. His best-known performance is perhaps asAlexander the Great in Sohrab Modi’s "Sikander " (1941). He also joined the only English theatrical company called 'J. Grant Anderson' which remained in India for a year . Through all these years Prithviraj remained devoted to the theatre and performed on stage regularly. He developed a reputation as a fine actor on both stage and screen.Prithvi Theatres
By 1944, Prithviraj had the wherewithal and standing to found his own theatre group, its premiere performance was,
Kalidasa 's "Shakuntala" in 1944. His eldest son,Raj Kapoor , had already struck out on his own; the films he produced had been successful and this was also an enabling factor. Prithviraj invested in and foundedPrithvi Theatre , a travelling troupe which staged memorable productions across India. In over 16 years of existence, the theater staged some 2,662 shows. Prithviraj starred as the lead actor in "every single show". [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004432/bio Prithviraj's biography at the IMDB] ]By the late 1950s, it was clear that the era of the travelling theatre was past; that art-form had been irreversibly supplanted by the cinema. No longer was it financially feasible for a troupe of up to 80 people (as Prithvi theatre was) to travel the country for four to six months at a time with their tons of stage props and equipment, living in hotels where possible and at campsites otherwise. The financial returns, through ticket sales and the rapidly diminishing "largesse" of patrons from the erstwhile princely class of India, was just not adequate to support such an effort. Many of the fine actors and technicians that Prithvi Theatres nurtured had found their way to the movies. Indeed, this was the case with all of Prithviraj's own sons. As Prithviraj progressed into his 50's, he gradually ceased theatre activities and accepted occasional offers from film-makers, including his own sons. Later, under his son,
Shashi Kapoor , and his wifeJennifer Kendal , it merged with the Indian Shakespeare theatre company, "Shakespeareana", and the company got a permanent home, with the inauguration of the "Prithvi Theatre" inMumbai November 5 ,1978 .Postage stamp
In 1995, the 'Golden Jubilee year' of the founding of Prithvi Theatre, India Post, issued a special two Rupee, 'commemorative' postage stamp in
New Delhi [ [http://www.indianpost.com/viewstamp.php/Alpha/P/PRITHVI%20THEATER Prithvi Theatre Stamp] "India Post".] , it featured the logo ofPrithvi Theatre 1945-1995, and an image its founder 'Prithviraj Kapoor', without the name, as just his face seemed enough, being the legend that he had become in his lifetime and beyond in Hindi theatre [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=JQi967RIRh4C&pg=PA300&lpg=PA300&dq=%22Prithvi+Theatre%22+commemorative+%22stamp%22+issued&source=web&ots=P-hGg49yMG&sig=mAFV5md_nQ1t6cnEcrwW4pSex9M&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result "Genes and Genius"] "The Book I Won't be Writing and Other Essays", by H. Y. Sharada Prasad, Orient Longman, 2003. ISBN 8180280020. Page 300.] . The first day cover, (stamped 15-1-95) showed a illustration of performance of travelling theatre in progress, on a stage that seem fit for a travelling theatre, as Prithvi theatre was for sixteen, till 1960 [http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/carthalia/world/ind_prithvi.htm India: Prithvi Theatre] ] .Later years
His notable filmography of this period includes "
Mughal E Azam " (1960) where he gave his most memorable performance as the Mughalemperor Akbar , "Harishchandra Taramati" (1963) where he played the lead role and unforgettable performances asPorus in "Sikandar-e-Azam" (1965) and the stentorian grandfather in "Kal Aaj Aur Kal " (1971) where he appeared with his son and grandsonRandhir Kapoor .Kapoor starred in the legendary religious Punjabi film "Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai" (1969), a film so revered in Punjab that there were lines many kilometers long to purchase tickets.
He also starred in the Punjabi films "Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar" (1970) and "Mele Mittran De" (1972).
Awards and honours
In 1954, he was awarded the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship , and in 1969, thePadma Bhushan by thegovernment of India . He remained Nominated Rajya Sabha Member for eight years .After his death in 1972, he was posthumously awarded the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 1971. He was the third recipient of that award, the highest accolade inIndian cinema .Legacy
:Main|Kapoor Family (film)
Prithviraj Kapoor's descendants have contributed richly to the Hindi film industry and he is thus reckoned the patriarch of the 'first family of Hindi films.' All three of his sons became noted actors and film-makers and two of his daughters-in-law worked in the same field. Nearly all his grandchildren, including
Randhir Kapoor ,Rishi Kapoor ,Rajiv Kapoor ,Karan Kapoor ,Kunal Kapoor , and granddaughterSanjana Kapoor have worked in the field of films, either as actors or film-makers or both.Karisma Kapoor andKareena Kapoor , two of the top film-stars of today, are Prithviraj's great-granddaughters, being the granddaughters of his eldest son Raj Kapoor. His great-grandsonRanbir Kapoor , son ofRishi Kapoor , the fourth generation of leading heroes, recently made his debut in the Hindi filmSaawariya .Personal life
As was customary in that era, Prithviraj married at a young age. At age 18, Prithviraj married the 15-year-old Ramsarni Mehra, in a match that was arranged by their families. Their eldest child,
Raj Kapoor , was born in December 1924. By the time Prithviraj moved to Bombay in 1928, the couple were the parents of three children. In 1930, Ramsarni joined Prithviraj in Bombay. The following year, while she was pregnant for the fourth time, the couple suffered the tragic loss of two of their three children in the space of one week. [ [http://www.junglee.org.in/mother.html Ramsarni Devi Kapoor] ] One of their children, Devi, died of double pneumonia while the other child, Nandi, died of poisoning in a freak incident when he swallowed some rat-poison pills strewn in the garden.The couple went on to have four children further. All three of their surviving sons,
Raj Kapoor ,Shammi Kapoor andShashi Kapoor , were to become famous actors and film-makers in their own right. They also had one daughter,Urmila .After his retirement, Prithviraj settled in Bombay, in a cottage near
Juhu beach . The property was later to be converted into a small, experimental theatre, thePrithvi Theatre . Both Prithviraj and Ramsarni suffered from cancer in their declining years and died within afortnight of each other. Prithviraj died on May 29, 1972 and was followed by his wife of 48 years on June 14th the same year.elected filmography
* "
Alam Ara " (1931)
* "Vidyapati" (1937)
* "Sikander " (1941)
* "Awaara " (1951)
* "Pardesi"
* "Mughal-e-Azam " (1960)
* " Zindagi" (1964)
* "Daku Mangal Singh " (1966)
* "Heer Raanjha " (1970)
* "Kal Aaj Aur Kal " (1971)
* "Sakshatkara " - (Kannada ) (1971)Notes
References
*
* [http://www.junglee.org.in/pk.html Prithviraj, My father] by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor
* [http://www.upperstall.com/people/prithviraj.html Detailed biography of Prithviraj Kapoor]
* [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-12-2003_pg7_25 Peshawarites still remember the Kapoor family]
* [http://www.spicevienna.org/showPerson.php?p=4636 Prithviraj Kapoor @ SPICE]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.