Kapoor family

The Kapoor family[14][15] is a prominent Indian show business family with at least 4 generations of the family over 94 years being active in the Hindi film industry.[16][14] 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.[16][14][17] "The Pioneer" founder of the dynasty was "The Patriarch", Prithviraj Kapoor,[16][18][17][19] who was the first member of family to begin acting in movies with his 1928 debut film Do Dhari Talwar.[20] He was a pioneer of Indian theatre and the founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).[15][21] His son Raj Kapoor was the most influential actor and director in Hindi cinema.[14][15] 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.[18][17][22]

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

Kapoor Family
Some members of Kapoor family on actor Randhir Kapoor's 70th birthday on 15 February 2017 at Mumbai.
Current regionMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Place of originSamundri, Lyallpur District, Punjab Province, British India[1][2]
(Prithviraj Kapoor in 1906 AD)[3]
MembersSee table below
Connected familiesSurinder Kapoor family[4]
Bachchan family[5]
Malhotra family[6]
Pataudi family
Tagore family[7]
Sippy family
Bhatt family
Behl family
Gohil dynasty
Nanda family
Shivdasani family
Kendall family
Sial family
TraditionsIndian Punjabi Hindus[8][9][10][11]
HeirloomsR. K. Studio
Prithvi Theatre
Estate(s)
WebsiteOfficial website
Active since 1929; Prithviraj Kapoor acted in Alam Ara (1931), the first talkie film of India
Murli Mal Kapoor
Keshavmal Kapoor
Basheshwarnath Kapoor
Generation 1
Prithviraj Kapoor  · Trilok Kapoor
Generation 2 (Prithviraj Kapoor's children)
Raj Kapoor  · Shammi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor  · Urmila Sial
Ravinder Kapoor  · Devinder Kapoor
Generation 3 (Raj Kapoor's children)
Randhir Kapoor  · Ritu Kapoor Nanda
Rishi Kapoor  · Rima Kapoor Jain
Rajiv Kapoor
Generation 4 (Raj Kapoor's grandchildren)
Randhir Kapoor-Babita Shivdasani's children
Karisma Kapoor  · Kareena Kapoor
Ritu-Ranjan Nanda's children
Nikhil Nanda  · Nitasha Nanda
Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh's children
Riddhima Kapoor Sahni  · Ranbir Kapoor
Rima-Manoj Jain's children
Armaan Jain  · Aadar Jain
Generation 5 (Ranbir Kapoor's children)
Raha Kapoor[13]
Generation 3 (Shammi Kapoor's children)
Aditya Raj Kapoor  · Kanchan Kapoor
Generation 4 (Shammi Kapoor's grandchildren)
Aditya Raj-Preeti Kapoor's children
Tulsi Kapoor  · Vishwa Pratap Kapoor
Kanchan Kapoor-Ketan Desai's children
Pooja Desai  · Rajarajeshwari Desai
Generation 3 (Shashi Kapoor's children)
Kunal Kapoor  · Karan Kapoor
Sanjana Kapoor
Generation 4 (Shashi Kapoor's grandchildren)
Kunal Kapoor-Sheena Sippy's children
Shaira Kapoor  · Zahan Kapoor
Karan-Lorna Kapoor's children
Aliya Kapoor  · Zach Kapoor
Sanjana-Valmik Thapar's children
Hamir Thapar
Generation 2 (Trilok Kapoor's children)
Vijay Kapoor   Vicky Kapoor
Generation 2 (Kailash Kakkar's children)
Subbiraj

Due to their decades old participation in the Hindi film industry, the family is often called "The First Family of Bollywood".[14][17][16]

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.

Background

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

Prithviraj Kapoor was the first from the family to pursue a career in films. He was born in Samundri, Lyallpur District, 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;[23] while his grandfather, Keshavmal Kapoor, was a Tehsildar in Samundri.[24] His younger brother, Trilok Kapoor also became an actor, his first role was 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",[25] became a noted Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema.[26]

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.[27] 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. Geeta Bali died in 1965 due to smallpox. 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. Jennifer died in 1984 due to 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, currently runs the Prithvi Theatre, his first son, Kunal Kapoor, runs an add company, 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. Shammi Kapoor's 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][28]

Prithviraj Kapoor's cousin was Surinder Kapoor.[29] Surinder Kapoor left Peshawar and came to Mumbai with help from Prithviraj Kapoor.[30] Surinder Kapoor was married to Nirmal Kapoor. His oldest son is Boney Kapoor who was married to Mona Shourie and 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 first cousisn 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 also related to the Kapoor family.

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.[31][32]

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.

Members of the Kapoor family

First generation

Kapoor family remains to be the only family in India to have four generations of film artists (c. 2009).[19][14]

The first generation of the family was led by Prithviraj Kapoor.[14][16] In 1928, Prithviraj Kapoor made his acting debut as an extra in his first film, Do Dhari Talwar.[20][19]

Notable actors of this generation include:

Second generation

The second generation of the Kapoor family was led by three main Kapoor actors, Raj, and his younger brothers Shammi and Shashi. Among Kapoors of all generations, Raj Kapoor has been the most distinguished and prolific contributor as an actor, producer, director and in terms of his impact in enhancing Bollywood's international reach, India's soft power and diplomacy across the USSR, the Middle East, Africa and Palestine.[14]

Notable actors of this generation include:

Third generation

Rishi Kapoor, son of Raj Kapoor, led this generation and his two actor brothers Randhir and Rajeev remained in the shadow of his success.[14] Rishi was best known as a romantic hero, his charm and charisma quickly made him one of Bollywood's leading men of the 1970s and ’80s, he later took on more supporting roles and character parts.[15]

Notable people of this generation include:

  • Randhir Kapoor – eldest son of Raj Kapoor; married to Babita Kapoor
  • Ritu Nanda – elder daughter of Raj Kapoor; married to Rajan Nanda
  • Rishi Kapoor – second son of Raj Kapoor; married to Neetu Kapoor
  • Rajiv Kapoor – youngest son of Raj Kapoor
  • Rima Jain - younger daughter of Raj Kapoor; married to Manoj Jain
  • Aditya Raj Kapoor – son of Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali; married to Priti Kapoor
  • Kanchan Desai - daughter of Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali; married to Ketan Desai
  • Kunal Kapoor – elder son of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal
  • Karan Kapoor – younger son of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal
  • Sanjana Kapoor – daughter of Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal; married to Valmik Thapar

Fourth generation

This generation is dominated initially by Karishma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor.[14]

Members of this generation include:

Fifth generation

Members of this generation include:

Kapoor Family Memorial at Rajbaugh

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 (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 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, Prem Rog and more. 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.[35][36][37][14][38]

Photos of the notable members of the family

See also

References
  1. "Prithviraj Kapoor to Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor". 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. "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. "Nikhil Nanda & Shweta Bachchan – Take a peek at the business & political landscape of marriages | The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  6. Bina Rai: The good old days Archived 2009-12-27 at the Wayback Machine Screen.
  7. Sen, Shomini (13 October 2012). "What Sharmila couldn't do in her time, Kareena manages easily". Zee News. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  8. Nirpal Dhaliwal (10 February 2011). "Nirpal Dhaliwal: My Bollywood bit part | Film". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  9. Gooptu, Sharmistha (29 October 2010). Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203843345 – via Google Books.
  10. "Fashion Cultures: Theories, Explorations, and Analysis edited by Stella Bruzzi, Pamela Church".
  11. "Remembering an icon: Prithviraj Kapoor".
  12. "Raj Kapoor's home to house a museum - Times of India". The Times of India.
  13. "Alia Bhatt 💛 on Instagram: "The name Raha (chosen by her wise and wonderful Dadi) has so many beautiful meanings… Raha, in its purest form means divine path in Swahili she is Joy, In Sanskrit, Raha is a clan, In Bangla - rest, comfort, relief, in Arabic peace, it also means happiness, freedom & bliss. And true to her name, from the first moment we held her - we felt it ALL! ❤️ Thank you Raha, for bringing our family to life, it feels as though our lives have only just begun. ☀️☀️☀️"". Instagram. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  14. Madhu Jain, 2009, The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema, Penguin Books.
  15. Rishi Kapoor, Leading Man From a Bollywood Dynasty, Dies at 67, The New York Times. 30 April 2020.
  16. 35 fun facts about the Kapoors of Bollywood, NDTV, 29 April 2013.
  17. Flashback at 90: A Kapoor daughter recalls family's filmy journey from Peshawar to the pinnacle, Hindustan Times, 18 Apr 2018.
  18. Prithviraj Kapoor Birth Anniversary: Lesser Known Facts About the Film and Theatre, Daily Pioneer, 3 November 2019.
  19. Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor: 10 facts you must know about the Father of Bollywood, India Today, 3 November 2016.
  20. "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.
  21. "Pran receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award". Coolage.in. 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  22. to go to Pakistan once before I die’, The Dispatch], 30 April 2020.
  23. "Prithviraj Kapoor: A centenary tribute - Daily Times, Tuesday, November 07, 2006". Archived from the original on 5 May 2009.
  24. "rediff.com: Bollywood's First Family".
  25. "14th December 1924: Raj Kapoor, Indian actors and directors, was born". mapsofindia.com. 18 February 2016.
  26. "Raj Kapoor and the Golden Age of Indian Cinema". hcl.harvard.edu. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018.
  27. "Official website of actor Prem Chopra". Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  28. "Nikhil Nanda: The business of life – The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  29. Goyal, Divya (14 December 2017). "Sridevi Shares Million-Dollar Pic Of Raj Kapoor And Her Husband Boney". NDTV. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  30. "Surinder Kapoor & Prithviraj Kapoor". Rediff.com. 4 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  31. "Bollywood Movie Actor Subbiraj Biography, News, Photos, Videos".
  32. "Prithviraj Kapoor". IMDb.
  33. "Prithviraj Kapoor". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  34. "Love never dies – Shashi Kapoor on Jennifer Kendall – People ask me why didn't I remarry…". Cineplot.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  35. Google (8 July 2020). "Google map location of Samadhi of Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor at Rajbaugh at the camputof MIT-WPU" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  36. "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.
  37. Raj Kapoor Memorial, mitsft.in.
  38. Raj Kapoor Memorial brief, mitsft.in.
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