Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known
mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in
Hindi cinema. He also serves as the
chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the
Balaji Telefilms and
Balaji Motion Pictures
Balaji Motion Pictures is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Balaji Telefilms Limited which is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Shobha Kapoor and her daughter Ekta Kapoor. Based in Mumbai, it produces and d ...
.
Early life
Jeetendra was born in a
Punjabi Khatri
Khatri is a caste of the Indian subcontinent that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the subcontinent, they were mostly engaged in mercantilistic professions such as banking and trade, they were the d ...
family as Ravi Kapoor in
Amritsar, Punjab
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...
, to Amarnath and Krishna Kapoor, whose business dealt with imitation jewellery, supplied to film industry. He attended St. Sebastian's Goan High School in Girgaum, Mumbai with his friend
Rajesh Khanna and then studied at
Siddharth College in Mumbai. While supplying jewellery to
V. Shantaram
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...
, he was cast as
Sandhya's character's double in the 1959 movie ''
Navrang
Navrang is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language film co-written and directed by V. Shantaram. The film is noted for its dance sequences with lead actress Sandhya and music by C. Ramchandra, while playback singer Mahendra Kapoor made his singing debut wi ...
''.
Career
Jeetendra's active acting career spanned the 1960s to the 1990s. Jeetendra got his first major breaks with
V. Shantaram
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...
's ''
Geet Gaya Patharon Ne'' (1964) and ''
Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti
''Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti'' () is a 1967 Hindi-language drama film, produced & directed by V. Shantaram under Rajkamal Kalamandir banner. The film starred Jeetendra, Mumtaz, Akashdeep, Vaishali in lead roles and music composed by Satish Bhatia. ...
'' (1967). However, it was the film ''
Farz'' (1967) that served as his stepping stone to success. The tee shirt and white shoes he picked up from a retail store for the ''Mast Baharon Ka Main Aashiq'' number in ''Farz'', became his trademark. ''Farz'' was followed by films such as ''Caravan'' and ''
Humjoli
''Humjoli'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, produced by Prasan Kapoor under the Tirupati Pictures banner and directed by T. R. Ramanna. The film stars Jeetendra, Leena Chandavarkar, and is music composed by Laxmikant ...
'', in which Jeetendra had more dance numbers. His vigorous dancing in the films won him the epithet; "Jumping Jack of Bollywood".
He has acted in nearly 200 films as the main lead, a feat matched by just a handful of his peers since the inception of Hindi cinema. Jeetendra was frequently paired with
Jaya Prada or
Sridevi for remakes of
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
films by
T. Rama Rao,
K. Bapayya
Kovelamudi Bapayya is an Indian film director. He has directed about 80 films in Telugu and Hindi languages. He is the cousin of noted director K. Raghavendra Rao and nephew of director and producer K. S. Prakash Rao.
Early life
Kovelamudi ...
,
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
and
Dasari Narayana Rao
Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 ...
; these included ''
Sanjog'', ''
Aulad'', ''
Majaal
''Majaal'' ( ''Audacity'') is a 1987 Indian Hindi-language drama film, produced by Srikanth Nahata under the Vijayalakshmi Pictures banner and directed by K. Bapaiah. The film stars Jeetendra, Sridevi, Jaya Prada and has music composed by Bappi ...
'', ''
Justice Chaudhury
''Justice Chaudhury '' is a 1983 Hindi film, produced by G.A. Seshagiri Rao under the Padmalaya Studios banner, presented by Krishna and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Jeetendra, Sridevi, Hema Malini, Moushumi Chatterjee and mus ...
'', ''
Mawaali
''Mawaali'' () is a 1983 Indian Hindi-language masala film, produced by G. Hanumantha Rao by Padmalaya Studios banner, presented by Krishna and directed by K. Bapaiah. The film stars Jeetendra, Sridevi, Jaya Prada and has music composed by Bapp ...
'' (1983), ''
Himmatwala'' (1983) and ''
Tohfa
''Tohfa'' () is a 1984 Indian Hindi-language melodrama comedy film produced by D. Ramanaidu under the Suresh Productions banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Jeetendra, Sridevi and Jaya Prada. The film upon its release was a massi ...
'' (1984). He also acted in many remakes in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
of
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
's
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
movies and had very close association with him. Besides these south Indian remakes, there was a subdued side of Jeetendra whenever he'd worked with the writer/lyricist
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
in films such as ''
Parichay'', ''
Kinara
The kinara is a seven-branched candleholder used in Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States.
History
Shortly before the first celebration in 1966, Maulana Karenga searched for a candle holder with seven holes in which he and the other US O ...
'' and ''
Khushboo'' that had several beautifully penned songs such as "O Majhi Re", "Musafir Hoon Yaaron" and "Naam Gum Jaayega", composed by
Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...
and sung by
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music.
He ...
.
Personal life
![Jeetendra with his son Tusshar and daughter Ekta](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Jeetendra_with_his_son_Tusshar_and_daughter_Ekta.jpg)
Jeetendra had met his wife,
Shobha, when she was only 14. She completed school, went to college, and was employed as an Air Hostess with
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...
. When Jeetendra was struggling between 1960–66 to establish himself as an actor, he was in a relationship with Shobha and she was his girlfriend until 1972. It was not until the release of
''Bidaai'' on 18 October 1974, that Jeetendra and Shobha decided to get married, which they did in a simple ceremony at Janki Kutir with only a few family members and friends present. In her authorized biography, Hema Malini claimed that they almost got married, but she backed out.
Jeetendra and Shobha have two children from their marriage. Their daughter,
Ekta Kapoor, runs
Balaji Telefilms and their son
Tusshar Kapoor
Tushar Ravi Kapoor (born 20 November 1976), popular as Tusshar Kapoor, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi films.
Early and personal life
Tusshar Kapoor is the son of Indian actors Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor. His sister Ek ...
is also an actor. Jeetendra made a brief appearance in one of his daughter's produced films ''
Kucch To Hai
''Kucch To Hai'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language slasher film written by Rajeev Jhaveri and directed by Anurag Basu and Anil V. Kumar. The film stars Tusshar Kapoor, Esha Deol, Anita Hassanandani, Yash Tonk, Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra and Moo ...
'', a thriller movie released in 2003, where he appeared alongside his son Tusshar.
During the 6th November, 2021 episode of ''
The Kapil Sharma Show
''The Kapil Sharma Show'', also known as TKSS, is an Indian Hindi-language stand-up comedy and talk show broadcast by Sony Entertainment Television. Hosted by Kapil Sharma, the first season of the show had its premiere on 23 April 2016. The ...
'', when Jeetendra and Ekta Kapoor were the guests, he related an incident from 1976. He was supposed to go to
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
) by flight on
Karva Chauth
Karwa Chauth is a festival celebrated by Hindu women of Northern and Western India on the fourth day after Purnima (a full moon) in the month of Ashwin. Like many Hindu festivals, Karwa Chauth is based on the lunisolar calendar which accounts f ...
. His flight got delayed and he went back home so that Shobha could perform the necessary rituals like viewing the moon and break her fast. Shobha refused to let him go back to the airport. So Jeetendra called his make-up man and told him to come back home, and that they would leave the next day. Around 10:30 or 11:00 PM, he looked outside from his flat (on a high-rise in Pali Hill, Bandra) and saw a fireball hurtling toward the airport. Later, after a couple of hours, his phone rang incessantly with people calling to find out what happened. The flight that he was supposed to have taken had crashed. Shobha's prescient insistence that he not go turned out to be a blessing. That flight was
Indian Airlines Flight 171
Indian Airlines Flight 171 was a Caravelle that crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Bombay Airport (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) on 12 October 1976 after suffering an uncontained engine failure, killing ...
.
Filmography
Awards and honours
* 1998 – Guest of Honour Award at the 18th Ujala Cinema Express Awards
* 2002 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Zee Gold
Bollywood Movie Awards
The Bollywood Movie Awards was an annual film award ceremony held between 1999 and 2007 in Long Island, New York, United States, celebrating films and actors from the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai, India.
History
The predecessor to ...
in New York.
* 2003 –
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
List of honourees
† - Indicates t ...
* 2004 – "Legend of Indian Cinema" Award at
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
(United States).
* 2005 –
Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
The Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award is an Indian cinema prize. Each year the recipient is chosen by a panel of judges, and the winner is announced in December or January.
Winners
See also
* Screen Awards
The Screen Awards is ...
* 2008 – Sansui Television Lifetime Achievement Award
* 2012 –
Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
The Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement is given to someone who is at the verge of retiring from films and it is to commemorate his/her career at the limelight.
List of Honourees
The respected people are listed below:-
See also
* Zee ...
* 2012 – Lions Gold Awards: Most Evergreen Romantic Hero
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Indian male film actors
1942 births
Living people
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Film producers from Punjab, India
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Male actors from Amritsar
Punjabi film producers
Punjabi people
20th-century Indian male actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Actors from Mumbai