Kapoor family

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This article is about the Hindi-language show business family. For the surname, see Kapoor.

Kapoor Family
Members of Kapoor family in 2017
Current regionMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Place of origin
MembersSee table below
Connected families
TraditionsIndian Punjabi Hindus[8][9][10][11]
Heirlooms
Estate(s)
Active since 1929; Prithviraj Kapoor acted in Alam Ara (1931), the first talkie film of India

The Kapoor family[13][14] is a prominent Indian show business family with at least 4 generations of the family over 95 years being active in the Hindi film industry.[13] Numerous members of the family, both (biological) and those who have married into the family, have had prolific careers as actors, film directors and producers.[13][15] "The Pioneer" founder of the dynasty was "The Patriarch", Prithviraj Kapoor,[16][15][17] who was the first member of family to begin acting in movies with his 1929 debut film Be Dhari Talwar.[18] He was a pioneer of Indian theatre and the founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).[14][19] His son Raj Kapoor was the most influential actor and director in Hindi cinema.[13][14] The genesis generation or the earliest linear generation of the Kapoor family tree to ever act in the films was Prithviraj Kapoor's father, Basheshwarnath Kapoor, who debuted as actor in 1951 film Awaara, which was produced, directed and starred in lead role by his grandson Raj Kapoor.[16][15][20]

Due to their decades old participation in the Hindi film industry, the family is often called "The First Family of Bollywood".[13][15]


Prominent personalities related to the Kapoor family through marriage include Kumari Naaz, Jennifer Kendal, Geeta Bali, Neetu Singh, Babita, Valmik Thapar, Saif Ali Khan, Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Alia Bhatt Kapoor.

Background

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The Kapoor family is of Punjabi origin belonging to the Kapoor gotra.[8][10][11][9]

Prithviraj Kapoor was the first from the family to pursue a career in films. His ancestral origins were in Samundri, Lyallpur District, Faisalabad, Punjab Province of British India.[1][2] His father, Basheshwarnath Kapoor, served as a police officer in the Imperial Police in the city of Peshawar;[21] while his grandfather, Keshavmal Kapoor, was a Tehsildar in Samundri.[22] His younger brother, Trilok Kapoor also became an actor; with his first role in the film Char Darvesh in 1933, Trilok emerged as one of the most commercially successful actors of his era.

The family eventually migrated to Mumbai. Three of Prithviraj Kapoor's sons, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor made careers in the Hindi film industry. Raj Kapoor, also known as "the greatest showman of Indian cinema",[23] became a noted Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema.[24]

Raj Kapoor married Krishna Malhotra in 1946. She was the sister of actors Prem Nath, Rajendra Nath, and Narendra Nath, as well as Uma Chopra, the wife of Prem Chopra.[25] They have 3 sons Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, and Rajiv Kapoor and 2 daughters Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain.

Shammi Kapoor married actress Geeta Bali in 1955 and had 2 children with her, Aditya Raj Kapoor and Kanchan Kapoor. Bali died of smallpox in 1965. Shammi then married Neela Devi Gohil of the Gohil dynasty of the erstwhile Bhavnagar State in Gujarat in 1969.

Shashi Kapoor married Jennifer Kendal in 1958. They have two sons, Kunal Kapoor, Karan Kapoor and a daughter Sanjana Kapoor, all of them former actors in Hindi cinema. Jennifer died in 1984 from Cancer.

Raj Kapoor's sons, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor, went on to become well-known actors; his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor, was not as successful as his brothers. Shashi Kapoor's children were unsuccessful in acting because of their European looks. His daughter, Sanjana Kapoor, ran the Prithvi Theatre from 1993[26] to February 2012, his elder son, Kunal Kapoor, runs an ad company, and Shashi's youngest child, Karan Kapoor, currently runs a photography company in London. Shammi Kapoor's son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and retired businessman and his daughter Kanchan Kapoor is married to the son of Manmohan Desai.

Randhir Kapoor is married to Babita. They have two daughters Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, both of whom have found success in the film industry. Rishi Kapoor was married to actress Neetu Singh; their son, Ranbir Kapoor, has established himself as a leading Bollywood actor, and their daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahani, is a designer.

Nikhil Nanda, son of Ritu Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's daughter and Rajan Nanda, is married to Shweta Bachchan, daughter of the actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.[5][27]

Prithviraj Kapoor's cousin was Surinder Kapoor[28] who left Peshawar and came to Mumbai with help from Prithviraj Kapoor.[29] who was married to Nirmal Kapoor. His oldest son is Boney Kapoor who was married to Mona Shourie and then to Sridevi and is the father of Arjun, Anshula, Janhvi, and Khushi Kapoor. His middle son is Anil Kapoor who is married to Sunita Kapoor and is the father of Sonam (married to Anand Ahuja), Rhea (married to Karan Boolani) and Harshvardhan Kapoor. His youngest son is Sanjay Kapoor who is married to Maheep Sandhu and is the father of Shanaya and Jahaan Kapoor. His daughter is Reena Kapoor Marwah who is married to Sandeep Marwah of Marwah Films and Video Studios and is the mother of Mohit (married to Antara Motiwala) and Akshay Marwah (married to Aashita Relan).

Noted actor Kamal Kapoor, who was famous for playing the role 'Narrang' in the 1978 blockbuster movie Don was the maternal first cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor (their mothers were sisters) and so were his brothers Nandkishore Kapoor and Ravindra Kapoor. Kamal Kapoor had five children including Kapil Kapoor and Madhu Behl who married Ramesh Behl. Madhu and Ramesh Behl's son is Goldie Behl, who is married to actress Sonali Bendre, thus the Behl family is related to the Kapoor family by marriage.

Veteran character actor Subbiraj was the son of Kailash Kakkar, the sister of Prithviraj Kapoor and thus a first cousin of Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. His wife was Kumari Naaz.[citation needed]

Raj's, Shashi's, and Shammi's maternal cousin, Juggal Kishore Mehra, was a singer, whose step-granddaughter was Salma Agha who became an actress and singer in Pakistan.

Kapoor family tree

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  • Dewan Murli Mal Kapoor[13]
    • Dewan Keshav mal Kapoor, m. Radha Kapoor (first wife) and Prem Kapoor (second wife)
      • Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor, m. Vaishno Devi (first wife) and Channa Kapoor (second wife)
        • Prithviraj Kapoor, m. Ramsarni Mehra
        • Trilok Kapoor
          • Vijay Kapoor, m. Veena Kapoor
            • Sanjay Kapoor, m. Anju Kapoor
            • Ajay Kapoor, m. Neelam Kapoor
          • Vicky Kapoor
        • Kailash Kapoor, m. C. Kakkar
        • Prem Mehra, m. Prithvi Chand Mehra
          • Naval Mehra, m. Anne-Marie Mehra
            • Neville Andrew Mehra
            • Christina Minner
          • Vijay K. Mehra, m. Ruth Mehra
          • Sabita Khanna
          • Kiran Seth, m. Vipin Seth
            • Vikram Seth
            • Mrinal Seth
        • Amarnath Kapoor
        • Vishwanath (Vishi) Kapoor
        • Lt. Col. Ramesh Kapoor
      • Diwan Shambhu Nath Kapoor
      • Ram Pyari Khanna
        • Dharambir Khanna
          • Ashok Khanna, m. Baby Khanna
            • Kirran Ashok Khanna, m. Monga Khanna
          • Banshi Khanna
          • Mohan Khanna
      • Ram Rakhi Mehra
      • Kaushaliya Khanna

Kapoor Family Memorial at Rajbaugh

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The Samadhi (memorial) of Raj Kapoor, also housing memorial of his mother and father Prithviraj Kapoor, is at their family farm "Rajbaugh", which means the "king of gardens". Located inside the MIT World Peace University[broken anchor] (MIT-WPU), Rajbaugh lies off the NH65 on the banks of Mula-Mutha River in Loni Kalbhor village 30 km east of Pune in Maharshtra. Kapoor family sold a part of the 125 acres Rajbaugh to MIT-WPU which built a memorial for the Kapoor family on its campus. The memorial was unveiled in 2014 in the presence of Lata Mangeshkar and members of the Kapoor clan. The Kapoor family memorial has 7 pagodas showing elements of Raj Kapoor's movies and a museum or viewing gallery which shows family photographs and moments from his movie making from 1945 to 1990. Raj Kapoor shot many of his films at this farm, including Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and Prem Rog. Kapoor's family bungalow inside the farm has been preserved. The popular song "Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho" was shot inside this bungalow.[30][31][32][13]

Photos of the notable members of the family

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Prithviraj Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor". 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Prithviraj Kapoor (Indian actor) – Encyclopædia Britannica". Britannica.com. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Showman Raj Kapoor's house to be converted into museum". The Express Tribune. 23 September 2012.
  4. ^ Talk Back: Eye On India (Interview with Anil Kapoor) Ep33 Pt1. Dawn News. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2012. I'm a Pathan's son... my father, my grandfather they were all Pathans from Peshawar...
  5. ^ a b "Nikhil Nanda & Shweta Bachchan – Take a peek at the business & political landscape of marriages | The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 22 March 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Bina Rai: The good old days". Screen. 8 February 2002. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009.
  7. ^ Sen, Shomini (13 October 2012). "What Sharmila couldn't do in her time, Kareena manages easily". Zee News. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  8. ^ a b Nirpal Dhaliwal (10 February 2011). "Nirpal Dhaliwal: My Bollywood bit part | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  9. ^ a b Gooptu, Sharmistha (29 October 2010). Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203843345 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ a b "Fashion Cultures: Theories, Explorations, and Analysis edited by Stella Bruzzi, Pamela Church".
  11. ^ a b "Remembering an icon: Prithviraj Kapoor". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Raj Kapoor's home to house a museum – Times of India". The Times of India. 8 May 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Madhu Jain, 2009, The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema, Penguin Books.
  14. ^ a b c "Rishi Kapoor, Leading Man From a Bollywood Dynasty, Dies at 67". The New York Times. 30 April 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d "Flashback at 90: A Kapoor daughter recalls family's filmy journey from Peshawar to the pinnacle". Hindustan Times. 18 April 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Prithviraj Kapoor Birth Anniversary: Lesser Known Facts About the Film and Theatre". Daily Pioneer. 3 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor: 10 facts you must know about the Father of Bollywood". India Today. 3 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi remember a compassionate human on 113th birth anniversary of Prithviraj Kapoor: 'The man who started it all'". Hindustan Times. 3 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Pran receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award". Coolage.in. 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  20. ^ "'Want to go to Pakistan once before I die'". The Dispatch. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Prithviraj Kapoor: A centenary tribute – Daily Times, Tuesday, November 07, 2006". Archived from the original on 5 May 2009.
  22. ^ "rediff.com: Bollywood's First Family". specials.rediff.com.
  23. ^ "14th December 1924: Raj Kapoor, Indian actors and directors, was born". mapsofindia.com. 18 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema". hcl.harvard.edu. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018.
  25. ^ "Official website of actor Prem Chopra". Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  26. ^ "High drama in Prithvi Theatre". The Hindu. 18 December 2005. Archived from the original on 10 January 2009.
  27. ^ "Nikhil Nanda: The business of life – The Times of India". The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 18 May 2002. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  28. ^ Goyal, Divya (14 December 2017). "Sridevi Shares Million-Dollar Pic Of Raj Kapoor And Her Husband Boney". NDTV. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Surinder Kapoor & Prithviraj Kapoor". Rediff.com. 4 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Google map location of Samadhi of Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor at Rajbaugh at the camputof MIT-WPU" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  31. ^ "With RK Studios up for sale in Mumbai, here is how Pune still hangs on to Raj Kapoor's memories". Hindustan Times. 2 September 2018.
  32. ^ "Raj Kapoor Memorial". mitsft.in. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020.
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