Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and established the Prithvi Theatres in 1944 as a travelling theatre company based in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. He was the patriarch of the Kapoor family of Hindi films, four generations of which, beginning with him, have played active roles in the Hindi film industry, with the youngest generation still active in Bollywood. His father, Basheshwarnath Kapoor, also played a short role in his movie '' Awara''. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1969 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1971 for his contributions towards

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

Early life and education

Prithviraj Kapoor was born as Prithvinath Kapoor on 3 November 1906 in Samundri,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, into a Punjabi Hindu

Khatri Khatri () is a caste system in India, caste originating from the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are war ...

family of the Kapoor '' gotra''. His father,

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

Basheshwarnath Kapoor, was a police officer in the Indian Imperial Police. His grandfather, Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor, and his great-grandfather, Dewan Murli Mal Kapoor, were Tehsildars in Samundri near Lyallpur. Kapoor was the eldest of eight siblings, five boys (including Prithviraj and Trilok Kapoor, also an actor) and three girls. Film producer Surinder Kapoor, father of actors and producers Anil, Boney and Sanjay Kapoor, was a cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor. Kapoor's childhood was largely spent in Lyallpur District, where his grandparents and extended family lived. Later, his father was transferred to Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, and after some years, the family moved there, while retaining house and property in Lyallpur. Kapoor studied initially at Lyallpur Khalsa College then in Lyallpur, and later at Edwardes College in

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

, where he received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. He also went on to study law for a year before deciding to go into acting.

Career

Kapoor began his acting career in the theatres of Lyallpur and

. In 1928, he moved to Bombay City, Bombay Presidency, with a loan from an aunt. There he joined the Imperial Films Company and started acting in minor roles in movies. In 1929, he made his acting debut as an extra in his first film, ''Be Dhari Talwar''.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.Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor: 10 facts you must know about the Father of Bollywood
, India Today, 3 November 2016. He went on to earn a lead role in his third film, titled ''Cinema Girl'', which released in 1930. After featuring in nine silent films, including ''Be Dhari Talwar'', ''Cinema Girl'', ''Sher-e-Arab'' and ''Prince Vijaykumar'', Kapoor did a supporting role in India's first film talkie, '' Alam Ara'' (1931). His performance in Vidyapati (1937) was much appreciated. His best-known performance is perhaps as

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

in Sohrab Modi's Sikandar (1941). He also joined the Grant Anderson Theater Company, an English theatrical company that remained in Bombay for a year. Through all these years, Kapoor remained devoted to the theatre and performed on stage regularly. He developed a reputation as a very fine and versatile actor on both stage and screen.

Prithvi Theatres

By 1944, Kapoor had the wherewithal and standing to found his own theatre group, Prithvi Theatres, whose première performance was Kalidasa's '' Abhijñānaśākuntalam'' in 1942. His eldest son,

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

, by 1946, had struck out on his own; the films he produced had been successful and this was also an enabling factor. Prithviraj invested in Prithvi Theatres, which staged memorable productions across India. The plays were highly influential and inspired young people to participate in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

and the Quit India Movement. In over 16 years of existence, the theatre staged some 2,662 performances. Prithviraj starred as the lead actor in ''every single show''. One of his popular plays was called ''Pathan'' (1947), which was performed on stage nearly 600 times in Mumbai. It opened on 13 April 1947, and is a story of a Muslim and his Hindu friend. By the late 1950s, it was clear that the era of the travelling theatre had been irreversibly supplanted by the cinema and it was no longer financially feasible for a troupe of up to 80 people to travel the country for four to six months at a time along with their props and equipment and living in hotels and campsites. The financial returns, through ticket sales and the rapidly diminishing ''largesse'' of patrons from the erstwhile princely class of India, was not enough to support such an effort. Many of the fine actors and technicians that Prithvi Theatres nurtured had found their way to the movies. Indeed, this was the case with all of Prithviraj's own sons. As Kapoor progressed into his 50s, he gradually ceased theatre activities and accepted occasional offers from film-makers, including his own sons. He appeared with his son Raj in the 1951 film ''Awara'' as a stern judge who had thrown his own wife out of his house. Later, under his son, Shashi Kapoor, and daughter-in-law Jennifer Kendal, Prithvi Theatre merged with the Indian

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

theatre company, "Shakespeareana", and the company got a permanent home, with the inauguration of the Prithvi Theatre in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

on 5 November 1978.

Postage stamp

In 1996, the Golden Jubilee year of the founding of Prithvi Theatre, India Post, issued a special two Rupee commemorative postage stamp. It featured the logo of the theatre, the dates 1945–1995, and an image of Kapoor. The first day cover, (stamped 15-1-95), showed an illustration of a performance of a travelling theatre in progress, on a stage that seems fit for a travelling theatre, as Prithvi theatre was for sixteen years, until 1960. On the occasion of 100 years of the Indian cinema, another postage stamp, bearing his likeness, was released by India Post on 3 May 2013.

Later years

His filmography of this period includes '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960), where he gave his most memorable performance as the Mughal emperor Akbar, which earned him a nomination for the

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards starte ...

, ''Harishchandra Taramati'' (1963) in which he played the lead role, an unforgettable performance as Porus in ''Sikandar-e-Azam'' (1965), and the stentorian grandfather in '' Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' (1971), in which he appeared with his son

and grandson Randhir Kapoor. Kapoor starred in the legendary religious Punjabi film '' Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai'' (1969), a film so revered in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

that there were lines many kilometres long to purchase tickets. He also starred in the Punjabi films ''Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) and ''Mele Mittran De'' (1972). He also acted in the Kannada film '' Sakshatkara'' (1971), directed by Kannada director

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Indian cinema's most influent ...

. He acted as Dr. Rajkumar's father in the film.

Awards and honours

In 1954, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, and in 1969, the Padma Bhushan by the

. He remained Nominated Rajya Sabha Member for eight years. He was posthumously awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 1971. He was the third recipient of that award, the highest accolade in

. He was also inducted into the Bollywood Walk of Fame at Bandra Bandstand, where his autograph was preserved.

Awards

* 1954: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship by the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

* 1956:

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

by the

* 1961: Nominated –

– '' Mughal-e-Azam'' * 1969: Padma Bhushan by the

* 1972: Dadasaheb Phalke Award (Posthumous) for the year 1971, for his immense contribution to Indian theatre and cinema *

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

: Filmfare Special Award (Special Commendation)

Personal life

Kapoor was aged 17 when he was married to the 15-year-old Ramsarni Mehra, a girl of his own community and similar background, in a match arranged by their parents. The marriage was harmonious and conventional and lasted all their lives. In fact, the wedding had been held even earlier, a few years prior to this, and it was the ''gauna'' ceremony (farewell) which was celebrated when Ramsarni reached the age of 15 and became old enough to leave her parents and reside with her husband and in-laws. Ramsarni's brother, Jugal Kishore Mehra, would later enter films. The couple's eldest child,

, was born the following year in Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, on 14 December 1924; making Prithviraj a father at age 18. By the time Prithviraj moved to Bombay City, Bombay Presidency in 1927, the couple were the parents of three children. In 1930, Ramsarni joined Prithviraj in Bombay. The following year, while she was pregnant for the fourth time, two of their sons died in the space of one terrible week. One of their children, Devinder (called Devi), died of double-

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, while the other child, Ravinder (called Binder or Bindie), died of poisoning in a freak incident when he swallowed rat-poison pills strewn in the garden. The couple went on to have three more children: sons Shamsher Raj (Shammi) and Balbir Raj (Shashi) (who were to become famous actors and filmmakers in their own right), and daughter, Urmila Sial. After his retirement, Prithviraj settled in a cottage called Prithvi Jhonpra near Juhu Beach, West Bombay. The property was on lease, which was bought by Shashi Kapoor, and later converted into a small, experimental theatre, the Prithvi Theatre. Both Prithviraj and Ramsarni had cancer and died 16 days apart. Prithviraj died on 29 May 1972 and Ramsarni died on 14 June 1972. A Samadhi (memorial) of Raj Kapoor at their family farm ''"Rajbaugh"'', which means the ''"garden of kings"'', also houses Privthiraj Kapoor and his wife's memorial. Rajbaugh lies on the banks of Mula-Mutha River in Loni Kalbhor village 30 km east of

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

in Maharshtra. Kapoor family sold part of 125 acres Rajbaugh to MIT World Peace University (MIT WPU) which built and houses the

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

for the Kapoor family on its campus. It has 7 pagodas and a viewing gallery which displays the Kapoor family photographs. Raj Kapoor shot many of his films at this farm, including '' Satyam Shivam Sundaram'', '' Mera Naam Joker'', '' Bobby'', and ''

Prem Rog ''Prem Rog'' () is a 1982 Hindi-language Musical film, musical Romance film, romantic Drama (film and television), drama directed and produced by Raj Kapoor, with screenplay written by Jainendra K. Jain (screenwriter), Jainendra Jain and Kamna C ...

'' among others. Kapoor's family

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

inside the farm has been preserved; the popular song ''" Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho"'' was shot inside this bungalow.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.Raj Kapoor Memorial
, mitsft.in.Madhu Jain, 2009
Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema
,

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

.Raj Kapoor Memorial brief
, mitsft.in. He shared a great friendship with the Hindi Literature stalwart Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

Selected filmography

*''Be Dhari Talwar'' (1929) *'' Cinema Girl'' (1930) *''Sher-e-Arab'' (1930) *''Prince Vijaykumar'' (1930) *'' Alam Ara'' (1931) *''

Draupadi Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the Indian epic poetry, ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of K ...

'' (1931) - Arjuna *''Golibar'' (1931) *''Toofan'' (1931) *''Blood Feuds'' (1931) *''Namak Haram Kon'' (1931) *''Dagabaz, Ashiq'' (1932) *'' Rajrani Meera'' (1933) - Rana Kumbh, King of Chitor *''Ramayan'' (1933) *'' Seeta'' (1934) - Ram *'' Daku Mansoor'' (1934) *''Inquilab'' (1935) *'' Manzil'' (1936) - Suresh *'' Vidyapati'' (1937) - King Shiva Singha *''Anath Ashram'' (1937) - Ranjit *''

Milap Milap may refer to: Films * ''Milap'' (1937 film), 1937 Indian film * ''Milap'' (1955 film), 1955 Indian film * ''Milap'' (1972 film), 1972 Indian film Persons * Milap Chand Jain, Chief Justice of Dehli High Court * Milap Mewada, India ...

'' (1937) *'' President'' (1937) - Dewan Prithviraj *'' Abhagin'' (1938) - Promode *''Dharti Mata'' (1938) *'' Dushman'' (1938) *''Adhuri Kahani'' (1939) - Somnath *''Sapera'' (1939) *'' Pagal'' (1940) - Dr. Vasant *'' Sajani'' (1940) - Nanda *'' Dipak Mahal'' (1940) *''Deepak'' (1940) *'' Chingari'' (1940) *'' Aaj Ka Hindustan'' (1940) *'' Raj Nartaki'' (1941) - Prince Chandrakriti (Hindi version) *'' Sikandar'' (1941) - Alexander the Great *''Ujala'' (1942) *'' Chauranghee'' (1942) *'' Ek Raat'' (1942) *'' Gauri'' (1943) *'' Aankh Ki Sharm'' (1943) *'' Ishara'' (1943) *'' Bhalai'' (1943) *''Vish Kanya'' (1943) *'' Maharathi Karna'' (1944) - Karna *'' Phool'' (1945) *'' Vikramaditya'' (1945) - Vikramaditya *''Devdasi'' (1945) *''Shri Krishn Arjun Yuddha'' (1945) *'' Valmiki'' (1946) *'' Prithviraj Samyogita'' (1946) *''Azadi Ki Raah Par'' (1948) *'' Dahej'' (1950) - Thakur (Chanda's dad) *''Hindustan Hamara'' (1950) - Himself *'' Awaara'' (1951) - Justice Raghunath *'' Anand Math'' (1952) - Satyananda *''Insaan'' (1952) *''Aag Ka Dariya'' (1953) *'' Chhatrapati Shivaji'' (1952) *''Ehsan'' (1954) *'' Pardesi'' (1957) - Mehmud Gawan *''Paisa'' (1957) *''Lajwanti'' (1958) *'' Jagga Daku'' (1959) *'' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960) - Emperor Akbar *''Senapati'' (1961) - Senapati *'' Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya'' (1963) - Kunwar Saheb *'' Harishchandra Taramati'' (1963) - King Harishchandra *'' Rajkumar'' (1964) - Maharaja *'' Zindagi'' (1964) - Rai Bahadur Gangasaran *'' Jahan Ara'' (1964) - Shah Jahan *'' Gazal'' (1964) - Nawab Bakar Ali Khan *'' Janwar'' (1965) - Mr. Srivastava *'' Aasmaan Mahal'' (1965) - Asmaan *'' Khakaan'' (1965) *'' Sikandar-e-Azam'' (1965) - Porus *''Lootera'' (1965) - Shah Zaman *''Jahan Sati Wahan Bhagwan'' (1965) - Maharaja Karamdham *''Shri Ram Bharat Milap'' (1965) - Raja Dashrath *''Shankar Khan'' (1966) - Safdar Khan *''Sher E Afghan'' (1966) *'' Yeh Raat Phir Na Aaygi'' (1966) - Professor *'' Daku Mangal Singh'' (1966) *''Lal Bungla'' (1966) - Police Sub-Inspector then S.P. *'' Love And Murder'' (1966) - Inspector *''Insaaf'' (1966) - Judge *''Shamsheer'' (1967) *'' Rustom Sohrab'' (1967) - Rustom Zabuli *''Shamsher'' (1967) *'' Teen Bahuraniyan'' (1968) - Dinanath *''Balram Shri Krishna'' (1968) *''Bambai Raat Ki Bahon Mein'' (1968) - Himself *''Nai Zindagi'' (1969) *'' Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai'' (1969, Punjabi movie) - Gurmukh Singh *''Insaf Ka Mandir'' (1969) - Judge *'' Bombay by Nite'' (1969) - Lalaji *''Sati Sulochana'' (1969) - Param Shivbhakt Lankeshwar Ravan *'' Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970, Punjabi movie) - Giani *''

Heer Raanjha ''Heer Raanjha'' is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Chetan Anand (director), Chetan Anand and produced by his son Ketan Anand. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Pran (actor), Pran, Prithviraj Kapoor, Aji ...

'' (1970) - The King *'' Ek Nannhi Munni Ladki Thi'' (1970) *'' Gunah Aur Kanoon'' (1970) - Jamnadas *''Sher E Watan'' (1971) - Baadshah Hanibaal *''Padosi'' (1971) *'' Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' (1971) - Diwan Bahadur Kapoor *'' Sakshatkara'' (1971,

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

) - Bhoopalayya *''Baankelal'' (1972) *''Naag Panchami'' (1972) - Maharaj Chandradhar *'' Mele Mitran De'' (1972, Punjabi movie) *'' Naya Nasha'' (1973) - Rana *'' Judaai'' (1980) *''Chhatrapati Shivaji'' (2017) - Raja Jaisingh (final film role)

References

External links

*
Doyen of Indian Cinema Prithviraj Kapoor on his love with theatre - inbministry YouTube

by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor, Prithviraj 1906 births 1972 deaths Punjabi Hindus Indian male film actors Indian male silent film actors Indian male stage actors Indian theatre directors Indian theatre managers and producers Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Hindi theatre People from Faisalabad 20th-century Indian male actors Prithviraj Edwardes College alumni Deaths from cancer in India Actors in Hindi theatre