Mumbai, India: Indian actor, Shashi Kapoor, known for his famous movies Deewar and Junoon, died at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital. The actor aged 79 was suffering from kidney ailments for many years. Despite the best medical treatment, he was in a wheelchair for most of his older years. Shashi Kapoor is survived by his three children – Kunal, Karan, and Sanjana, the Guardian reported.
Shashi Kapoor was the third son of the famous actor, Prithviraj Kapoor. Born to a house of actors, he began acting at a very young age. Some of these movies include "Dana Paani," "Aag," "Sangram" and "Awaara." He made his debut as a hero in 1961 movie "Dharmaputra." From then on, there was no looking back fo the dashing actor who was known for his charming smile and beautiful eyes.
As a hero, Shashi made his mark, working with Hema Malini, Nanda, Rakhee and other leading actors of the 1980s. His famous movies include "Kabhi Kabhi," "Sharmelee," "Jaanwar aur Insaan" and "Basera" to name a few.
American movies
Since his tender years, this budding actor used to travel with his father Prithviraj Kapoor’s theatre company ‘Prithvi Theatres’ and it is there he met his future wife Jennifer Kendal. Shashi who was the manager of the theatre, and had met Jennifer, an aspiring theatre artist, to fall in love with her. He married her in 1958. After meeting his wife, he moved to international cinema and worked for many American and British movies including "Shakespearn-Wallah," "The Deceivers," "Dust" and "Heat" as well as "Bombay Talkie."
In 1978, Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer established Prithivi Theatre, and it is now considered one of the best theatres in Mumbai.
Just six years later, Jennifer lost her fight with cancer and died in 1984. Shashi Kapoor was heart-broken and shattered.
Awards received
In 2015, he was the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. In 2011, he became one of the few Indian actors to receive the honour of Padma Bhushan awarded by the Government.
‘Mere paas Ma hai’, a famous dialogue from the film "Deewar," turned him into one of those heroes, whose movies live way after he is gone!
Shashi Kapoor’s last rites were attended by all his co-actors across the Bollywood industry. Amitabh Bachchan who worked in a dozen films with Shashi Kapoor wrote an emotional tribute to the legendary actor, saying ‘With men like Shashi around, I stood no chance.’ Celebrities like Randhir Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Sanjay Dutt gave their respects to the actor whose contribution to Indian cinema will never fade.
