Annu Kapoor (born Anil Kapoor; 20 February 1956) is an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
actor, singer, director, radio disc jockey, and television presenter who has appeared in over a hundred films, as well as television series. His career has spanned over 40 years as an actor, producer, director and singer. Besides acting, he also does a
Radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
show, named ''Suhaana Safar With Annu Kapoor'' which airs on 92.7 big FM. He has won numerous awards in his career, including two
National Film Awards, one
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
and two
Indian Television Academy Awards in varied categories.
Early life
Annu Kapoor was born in Itwara,
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
,
Bhopal State
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
, on 20 February 1956, to Madanlal, a
Punjabi father with roots in
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
and Kamal, a
Bengali Brahmin
The Bengali Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh.
The Bengali Brahmins, along with Baidyas an ...
mother. His father owned a travelling
Parsi theatre
Parsi theatre is a generic term for an influential theatre tradition, staged by Parsis, and theatre companies largely-owned by the Parsi business community, which flourished between 1850 and 1930s. Plays were primarily in the Hindustani language ( ...
company which performed in cities and towns, and his mother was a Urdu teacher and a trained classical singer. His grandfather Kripa Ram Kapoor was a doctor in the British Army and his great grandfather Lala Ganga Ram Kapoor, a revolutionary who was executed during the
Indian freedom struggle
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
.
Due to poor financial circumstances, he had to quit school following
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
. With a salary of ₹ 40, his mother worked as a teacher. On his father's insistence, he joined his theatre company. Following a stint there, he joined
National School of Drama
National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...
in 1976, after his brother Ranjit Kapoor, who was already a student there insisted. After graduating from the National School of Drama and a brief stint with its repertory company, in 1981, he played a 70-year-old man in the play ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'' in
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(now Mumbai). Film director
Shyam Benegal who saw Kapoor perform, sent him a letter of appreciation and signed him for his 1983 film, ''
Mandi
Mandi may refer to:
Places
* Mandı, Azerbaijan
India
* Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir
* Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh
** Mandi State, former princely sta ...
''.
Personal life
Kapoor has promoted India's positive aspects in his programmes. Kapoor's sister Seema Kapoor, was married to actor
Om Puri. His elder brother, Ranjit, is a director and screenwriter and his sister, Seema, is a producer and actor. Kapoor's younger brother, Nikhil, is a writer and lyricist.
Kapoor has four children (three sons— Kavan, Maahir and Evaan—and a daughter, Aradhita) from two marriages. His wife, Anupama, is American by birth. Annu remarried his first wife, Anupama (Pami), in 2008.
He changed his name from Anil Kapoor to Annu Kapoor to avoid confusion with the hero of the film
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
, while acting in
Tezaab
''Tezaab'' () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action romance film starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. The film gave Dixit her first big break, making her an overnight star. in addition to reaffirming Kapoor's star status, afte ...
.
Career
Acting
He made his screen debut with an uncredited role in
Amitabh Bachchan starrer ''
Kaala Patthar
''Kaala Patthar'' () is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language action drama film produced and directed by Yash Chopra, with a screenplay written by Salim–Javed. The film was based on the Chasnala mining disaster, and is the fourth collaboration betwe ...
'' (1979). After then, he appeared in many films such as ''Aadharshila'' (1982), ''
Betaab
''Betaab'' (''Restless'') is a 1983 Indian romance film written by Javed Akhtar, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Bikram Sing Dahal. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their debut roles along with Shammi Kapoor. The music ...
'' (1983), ''Mandi'' (1983) and ''Khandar'' (1984). He got his first breakthrough with ''
Utsav
''Utsav'' (Hindi: उत्सव; English: Festival) is a 1984 Hindi erotic drama film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. The film is based on play '' Mrichakatika'' ('' The Little Clay Cart'') by Śūdraka.
The film s ...
'' (1984), in which he portrayed the role of Masseur. For which he got his first nomination in the
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
in the category of
Best Performance in a Comic Role. Subsequently he starred in many critically and commercially acclaimed films like ''
Mr. India'' (1987), ''
Tezaab
''Tezaab'' () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action romance film starring Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. The film gave Dixit her first big break, making her an overnight star. in addition to reaffirming Kapoor's star status, afte ...
'' (1988), ''
Ram Lakhan
''Ram Lakhan'' is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed by Subhash Ghai and written by Anwar Khan with screenplay by Ram Kelkar. ''Ram Lakhan'' stars an ensemble cast of Raakhee, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Madhuri ...
'' (1990), ''
Ghayal'' (1990), ''
Hum
Hum may refer to:
Science
* Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion
* Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon
* The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon
* Venous hum, a physiological sensation
...
'' (1991), ''
Darr
''Darr: A Violent Love Story'' ( ''Fear'') is a 1993 Indian romantic psychological thriller film directed and produced by Yash Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan with Anupam ...
'' (1993), ''
Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...
'' (1993), ''
Om Jai Jagadish'' (2002), ''
Aitraaz
''Aitraaz'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film directed by Abbas–Mustan and produced by Subhash Ghai. It stars Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor with Amrish Puri, Annu Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vivek Shau ...
'' (2004) and ''
7 Khoon Maaf
''7 Khoon Maaf'' (; read as "''Saat Khoon Maaf''"), released internationally as ''Seven Sins Forgiven'', is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film stars Priyanka Chopra ...
'' (2011).
Kapoor began his career as a stage actor in 1979 and was noticed in 1984's ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'', directed by Basu Chatterjee and written by elder brother Ranjeet. Annu made his film debut in ''
Mandi
Mandi may refer to:
Places
* Mandı, Azerbaijan
India
* Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir
* Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh
** Mandi State, former princely sta ...
'', (directed by
Shyam Benegal) in 1983. His career has spanned over 30 years, including
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
cinema, television serials and
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
s. Kapoor is best remembered for hosting the singing show ''
Close-Up Antakshari'', produced by
Zee TV
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...
. His performance as an obsessive-compulsive sperm-bank physician in 2012's ''
Vicky Donor
''Vicky Donor ''is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham in his maiden production venture with Sunil Lulla under Eros International and Ronnie Lahiri under Rising Sun ...
'' met with critical and popular acclaim. He worked in the horror TV serial ''Kile ka Rahasya'' (1989) as a cop who was fond of singing.
Kapoor has also appeared in ''
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
''Yamla Pagla Deewana 2'' (; ) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Sangeeth Sivan. It is a sequel to the 2011 film, ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' and the second installment of ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' film series. It featur ...
''.
His second big breakthrough came with ''
Vicky Donor
''Vicky Donor ''is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham in his maiden production venture with Sunil Lulla under Eros International and Ronnie Lahiri under Rising Sun ...
'' (2012), he portrayed the role of Dr. Baldev Chadha. His performance was lauded by critics and audiences, for which he won a
Filmfare Award
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
, a
IIFA Award
The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...
, a
National Film Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
, a
Screen Award
The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
all in the category of Best Supporting Actor. After ''
Vicky Donor
''Vicky Donor ''is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham in his maiden production venture with Sunil Lulla under Eros International and Ronnie Lahiri under Rising Sun ...
'', he starred in ''
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
''Yamla Pagla Deewana 2'' (; ) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Sangeeth Sivan. It is a sequel to the 2011 film, ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' and the second installment of ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' film series. It featur ...
'' (2013), ''
Shaukeen
''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee dealing with the psychological aspects of people reaching the dusk of their life. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and ...
'' (2014), ''
Saat Uchakkey
''Saat Uchakkey'' () is a 2016 Indian comedy film directed and written by Sanjeev Sharma, starring an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Kay Kay Menon, Annu Kapoor, Vijay Raaz, Aditi Sharma, Jatin Sarna and Nitin Bhasin. It was released on 14 Oct ...
'' (2016), ''
Jolly LLB 2
''The State vs. Jolly LL.B 2'', better known as ''Jolly LL.B 2'', is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film written and directed by Subhash Kapoor. Akshay Kumar plays the titular character, Jagdishwar Mishra, replacing the 2013 film's ...
'' (2017), ''
Missing'' (2018), ''
Dream Girl'' (2019), ''
Khuda Haafiz'' (2020) and ''
Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari'' (2020).
Television
In 2007, ''Antakshari – The National Challenge'' was relaunched on
STAR One
Star One was an Indian pay television network based in Mumbai. It was launched on 1 November 2004 and was it owned by Star TV and distributed worldwide by Fox International Channels. In November 2006, Star One was launched in the UK on Sky.
...
. The previous year, its "final" episode was telecast; the programme's initial run was from 1993 to 2006. His range of roles varies from portrayal as Saint Kabir in
DD National
DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television chann ...
TV serial of the same name, as Mahatma Gandhi in ''Sardar'' and Veer Savarkar in ''Kaala Pani'', to police inspector in ''7 Khoon Maaf'', a petty thief in ''Utsav'' to comedic villain in ''Hum''.
''The Golden Era – With Annu Kapoor'' on the
Mastiii channel is a nostalgia TV show about Indian cinema, adorned with classical era's Hindi film songs and commentary by Annu Kapoor on unheard tales of Bollywood Cinema's Legends.
Despite films, Annu has been very active in television shows. He is also known for judging and hosting the 90's musical show ''
Antakshari
Antakshari, also known as Antyakshari (अंताक्षरी ) is a spoken parlor game played in India. Each contestant sings the first verse of a song (often Classical Hindustani or Bollywood songs) that begins with the consonant of Hin ...
'' (1993-2005) and ''Golden Era with Annu Kapoor'' (2011). He has also appeared in some television series like ''
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...
'' (1988), ''Ajnabi'' (1994), ''Kabeer'' (1995), ''Gubbare'' (1999) etc.
As a radio presenter
Currently, he does a radio programme on 92.7 Big FM called "Suhaana Safar with Annu Kapoor on 92.7 Big FM". It's a daily show that features nationally on the radio networks covering all Hindi speaking radio stations across the country. He recreates the magic of the Golden era with unforgettable melodies of that era and untold stories of the stars and films of the Hindi Cinema. The show comes with the tagline "Filmy Duniya Ki Kahi Ankahi Kahaniya".
Director
Kapoor has directed several plays. He also directed a feature film ''
Abhay (The Fearless)'', starring Nana Patekar, Moon Sen and Benjamin Gilani) for the
Children's Film Society, India
Children's Film Society India (CFSI) was a nodal organization of Government of India that produced children's films and various TV programs in various Indian languages. Established in 1955, CFSI functioned under the Ministry of Information and ...
. The film won the 1995
National Film Award for Best Children's Film
The National Film Award for Best Children's Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards ...
.
Producer
Kapoor produced a musical talent contest for children (''Aao Jhoomein Gaayen'' for
SAB TV
Sony SAB (formerly SAB TV) is an Indian pay television channel owned by Culver Max Entertainment.
History
Sony SAB was launched as SAB TV by Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari under their company Sri Adhikari Brothers (thus the acronym) on ...
) and a Bengali-language musical talent-hunt show, ''Gaan Gaao Taaka Naao'' on
Rupashi Bangla TV in
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
. He also produced a musical in
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
entitled ''Ek Sunhari Shyam''.
Filmography
Directed venture
Films
Television
Radio (RJ)
Theatre
Parsi theatre
* ''Laila Majnu''
* ''Harischandra''
* ''Shirin-Farhad''
* ''Bhakta Prahlad''
* ''Shree Krishna Avtar''
* ''Dahi Wali''
* ''Qatl-e-Tamizan''
Modern plays
* ''Antim Yatra'': Directed by Barry John
* ''Three Sisters'': Written by
Anton Chekhov, directed by E. Alkazi
* ''The Great God Brown'' by
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...
* ''
The Zoo Story
''The Zoo Story'' is a one-act play by American playwright Edward Albee. His first play, it was written in 1958 and completed in just three weeks. The play explores themes of isolation, loneliness, miscommunication as anathematization, social di ...
'' by
Edward Albee
* ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla''
Awards
Footnotes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor, Annu
Indian male film actors
1956 births
Living people
Male actors from Mumbai
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian television presenters
Male actors from Bhopal
National School of Drama alumni
Punjabi people
Bengali people
20th-century Indian male actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners
Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award
Filmfare Awards winners
Screen Awards winners
International Indian Film Academy Awards winners
Indian game show hosts