By: Ms Farhana

This charming actor exuded grace. Shashi Kapoor's rakish good looks had the girls drooling, while his lopsided grin made them swoon. In a career that spanned a quarter century, Shashi Kapoor with his excellent acting capability and blue eyes, charmed one and all.

The youngest of the Kapoor brothers, Balbirraj was known by the name of Shashi Kapoor in the film industry. Born in Calcutta in 1938, Shashi, the third son of Prithviraj Kapoor, made his first screen appearance at the age of 12.

Remember that raincoat clad little boy in Raj Kapoor's song 'Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua'? He was none other than our very own Shashi Kapoor. As a child star, he even acted in mythological films like 'BHAKTA DHURVA' (1947) and 'MURLIWALA'(1951).

Shashi Kapoor always wanted to be an actor. He was greeted enthusiastically by the industry in the early 1960s. Beginning with 'CHAR DIWARI' (1961), he acted in many films. Most of the films were forgettable and his performances mediocre. At 27, he made his breakthrough with his first hit 'JAB JAB PHOOL KHILE' in 1965. Some of his films in this period include 'HASEENA MAAN JAYEGI', 'WAQT', 'MEHNDI LAGI MERE HAATH', 'AA GALE LAG JA', 'PYAR KA MAUSAM', 'CHOR MACHAYE SHOR' and SATYAM SHIVAM SUNDERAM.

His more successful phase as an actor, was as a co-star with Amitabh Bachchan in 'DEEWAR', 'DO AUR DO PAANCH', 'SILSILA', 'TRISHUL', 'KABHI KABHI'. He worked with most of the top heroines of that time like Sharmila Tagore, Neetu Singh, Zeenat Aman, Rekha, Rakhee, Nanda, Bindiya Goswami and Parveen Babi.

 Yash Chopra's DEEWAR (1975) won him the Best Supporting Actor Award. Playing the soldier of truth, Shashi delivers the line "Mere paas maa hai," which went on to become one of the most famous dialogues in Hindi cinema.

He married an English theatre actress Jennifer Kendall and the anglicized actor made it to Indo-English films of Merchant-Ivory combine - Bombay Talkies. His Indo-English films include HOUSEHOLDER, HEAT & DUST and SIDDHARTHA, along with Conrad Rooks. This made him one of the most recognizable Indian actors in the West. Rooks' SIDDHARTHA was recondite and a little opaque, but fuelled by its bold scenes; it became a cultural landmark.

Shashi, however, diverted from acting to producing with the kind of films he wanted to beginning with Shyam Benegal's JUNOON, where he played with intensity and passion as a married nawab who risks all for his love who happens to be a English prisoner (Nafisa Ali).

 And as the illegitimate son of a business family in his next film, Benegal's KALYUG;, he played down the angst of the marginalized. In the early 1980s, he produced VIJETA and cast his son Kunal as hero and himself as the father. He also bankrolled Aparna Sen's heart wrenching CHOWRINGHEE LANE with wife Jennifer in an unforgettable performance. Shashi played a supporting part in his Girish Karnad's production UTSAV.

He acted as a frustrated poet in 'IN CUSTODY'. Nevertheless, he won the National Award for his performance in 'NEW DELHI TIMES'. Shashi Kapoor even tried his hand at directing with AJOOBA, an Indo-Soviet production. But Shashi had perhaps misread certain shifts in public taste and the film was a total washout.

Yesteryears heart throb of the silver screen, Shashi Kapoor, is now a tough individual who lives by his own set of ethics and wit, and immensely content to rest on his laurels, having seen more, experienced more, been through it all due to his long association with the filmdom.

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