Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Shammi Kapoor: Legends of Indian Cinema
    Shammi Kapoor: Legends of Indian Cinema
    Shammi Kapoor: Legends of Indian Cinema
    Ebook142 pages56 minutes

    Shammi Kapoor: Legends of Indian Cinema

    By Deepa Gahlot

    1/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Shammi Kapoor continues to gather Lifetime Achievement Awards, as the country still dances to his songs. India’s first major dancing star, with a fabulous selection of music to back his moves, he never toppled from the pantheon of film greats, no matter how many superstars came after him.
    The Rebel Star - the middle son of Prithviraj Kapoor - dominated the 60s with his musicals and today’s dancing stars are indebted to him for liberating the Hindi film hero from the strong, silent, traditional role.
    The book traces his career with his ups and downs, touches upon his tempestuous life and gives credit where it’s due. Shammi Kapoor will always be among the best dancing stars and actors ever seen in Hindi films.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWisdom Tree Publishers
    Release dateFeb 4, 2011
    ISBN9788183282284
    Shammi Kapoor: Legends of Indian Cinema
    Author

    Deepa Gahlot

    Deepa Gahlot is a journalist and critic, as well as editor, author and screenwriter. She writes extensively on cinema, theatre, arts, women’s issues and general features for several publications.

    Related to Shammi Kapoor

    Related ebooks

    Entertainers and the Rich & Famous For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Music Of Barsaat

      Feb 6, 2020

      The Music Of Barsaat
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Romanticist

      May 29, 2020

      The Romanticist
      6 min read

    • Article

      Love Is All There Is

      Jun 29, 2020

      Love Is All There Is
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Magic Of Lataji

      Feb 12, 2022

      To the world, she was Lata Mangeshkar; for me, she was my inspiration, my motivation, my goddess. She has been my role model since the age of four, around the time I started listening to her on the radio and began singing myself. As a child, I though

      2 min read

    • Article

      Best Of The Best

      Aug 30, 2019

      Best Of The Best
      3 min read

    • Article

      “She Was A Caged Bird”

      Apr 29, 2020

      “She Was A Caged Bird”
      6 min read

    • Article

      Editor-in-chief

      Aug 21, 2021

      On August 15, 2022, India celebrates 75 eventful years of being the world’s largest democracy. There is much to be grateful for. At Independence, we were an impoverished, underdeveloped nation, where just over 18 per cent of the people could read or

      3 min read

    • Article

      Top 50 power people | The High & Mighty Part-4

      Jul 26, 2019

      40. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev 61, Spiritual Leader and Activist Marketing Guru Because his 'Rally for Rivers', the largest ecological movement ever, has got the support of over 162 million people and has been recognised globally. The movement claims to

      5 min read

    • Article

      Breakout!

      Jul 30, 2019

      Breakout!
      7 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Sep 30, 2019

      Zaira Wasim is all of 18. She recently quit films saying it interfered with her faith. She has a strong sense of self, exhibited most recently when she called out a passenger for allegedly molesting her on a flight. Her acts in Dangal as a wrestling

      3 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      May 30, 2019

      In The Mail
      3 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Jul 30, 2019

      The effervescent Neetu Singh was the poster girl of the ’70s. Her films Khel Khel Mein, Kabhie Kabhie, Amar Akbar Anthony, Doosara Aadmi, Kaala Patthar… are still remembered. She gave it all up when she married Rishi Kapoor. Through the years, she’s

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Hero

      May 29, 2020

      The Hero
      11 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Feb 28, 2020

      1st Prize ₹1500 Salman Khan’s fans are disappointed at the under-performing of Dabangg3. We, his fans, in all goodwill, offer some advice. He should stop doing films with family. He should stay away from sequels, unless it’s a Tiger franchise. He sho

      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Nov 29, 2019

      It’s sad that Mohammed Zahur Khayyam, the ‘musical magician’ behind some of Hindi cinema’s most celebrated soundtracks, passed away recently. He could expertly fuse Hindustani classical music with film tracks. Khayyam’s compositions often outshone th

      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Oct 30, 2019

      Opportunities have opened up for actors, who couldn’t find substantial roles in films. The web has become their refuge. Divyenndu, who started with films like Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Chashme Buddoor, was recently seen in Mirzapur and Badnaam Gali aire

      3 min read

    • Article

      That ’70s Show

      Apr 29, 2020

      So the lockdown continues… You can either crib about it or use your time constructively. Being someone, who always veers towards the positive, I took this opportunity to revisit the cinema of my favourite era. The ’70s. Why do I love the ’70s so much

      2 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Jun 29, 2020

      1st Prize ₹1500 The Filmfare e-issue, which covered the life and times of the late Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, is a collector’s issue. It was heartwarming to go through their movie milestones and memories shared by their colleagues. Both passed awa

      4 min read

    • Article

      It’s A Beautiful Life

      Apr 29, 2020

      Her life script is perhaps more dramatic than the films on her resume. For someone, who created her own puppet theatre at the age of 10, young Kamini Kaushal herself became a puppet in the hands of destiny. She was barely in her 20s, and on the thres

      5 min read

    • Article

      Once Upon a Time in Bollywood

      Dec 24, 2022

      Raj Kapoor’s masterpiece took India, Russia and the Middle East by storm, making him one of the early international stars of Indian cinema. With its many twists and turns, it tells the story of Raj, a roguish and troubled hero who turns to crime. Raj

      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      May 29, 2020

      1st Prize ₹ 1500 The unique idea of shooting the Filmfare May cover with Rajkummar Rao was a smart move. The cover was creatively shot and well styled. Of course, credit goes to Rajkummar’s ladylove Patralekhaa, who did a fab job for her beau. Themat

      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Jan 30, 2020

      It’s fortunate that Dilip Kumar’s masterpieces have been preserved and are available on various mediums. The new generation must watch his films, which can teach more than acting institutes. No one can teach better romance than his Salim in Mughal-E-

      3 min read

    • Article

      Ranveer Singh: The Lion King

      Jan 18, 2019

      Scene 1: Afternoon. Novotel Mumbai, Juhu Beach Ranveer Singh doesn't walk into a room, he makes an entry. Preferably with a portable speaker in hand. It's a signature of sorts. On his first meeting with Maneesh Sharma, who would direct him in his de

      13 min read

    • Article

      In The Mail

      Dec 30, 2019

      The article on Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar in the November issue took me down memory lane. I was born in 1936 and Mahal was a 1949 film. Kamal Amrohi’s directorial debut launched both playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and leading lady Madhubala. Aayega

      4 min read

    • Article

      In Character

      May 29, 2020

      Rishi Kapoor successfully transitioned to character acting in the early 2000s, going on to appear in diverse supporting roles, such as in Fanaa, Agneepath, Student Of The Year, D–Day and Love Aaj Kal. He bagged the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Awar

      4 min read

    • Article

      Kal Aaj aur Kal

      Dec 30, 2019

      Kal Aaj aur Kal
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Reluctant Superstar

      May 2, 2020

      The Reluctant Superstar
      3 min read

    • Article

      Divine danseuse, ACE ACTOR

      Feb 25, 2020

      As we write this, news has just come in that actor-dancer-politician Hema Malini will be contesting the polls from Mathura again for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, having been given the green signal from higher-ups in the ruling party. Is it an enigma

      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Shammi Kapoor

    1/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Shammi Kapoor - Deepa Gahlot

      SHAMMI KAPOOR

      THE DANCING HERO

      SHAMMI KAPOOR

      THE DANCING HERO

      Deepa Gahlot

      © Deepa Gahlot, 2008

      Photographs courtesy: National Film Archives of India, Ronee Naterwala and P.K. Nair

      Photographs: p. (i) Shammi Kapoor in Junglee; p. (ii) Asha Parekh, Helen, Praveen Chaudhury and Shammi Kapoor

      ISBN 978-81-8328-103-4

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior permission of the publisher.

      Published by

      Wisdom Tree

      4779/23 Ansari Road

      Darya Ganj

      New Delhi – 110002

      Ph.: 23247966/67/68

      Published by Shobit Arya for Wisdom Tree; edited by Manju Gupta; designed by Kamal P. Jammual; typeset at Marks and Strokes, New Delhi-110002 and printed at Print Perfect, New Delhi-110064

      CONTENTS

      Editor’s Note                  vii

      1.   Introduction                   1

      2.   The Beginning of a Dynasty         5

      3.   The Turning Point               23

      4.   The Rebel Arrives               43

      5.   ‘Junglee’ and After             55

      6.   Tragedy Strikes                77

      7.   Phase Three                    87

      Filmography                  103

      Shammi Kapoor in Coffee House

      Editor’s note

      It is never easy to be the son or the daughter of a famous father or mother! And when to that is added a famous older brother, the situation becomes doubly fraught. When Shammi Kapoor decided that he, in his turn, wanted to follow the profession of his father and brother, he had a tough act to follow. But follow it he did. He scaled the heights to superstardom in his own manner with seemingly effortless ease. He became the darling of the masses, especially the young. His casual, reckless approach to life was in tune with a period when the country was opening up to Western mores: Elvis Presley had swept the world and Shammi Kapoor took up the challenge in a new India. He became known as the ‘Rebel Star’ because he wanted to sweep out the old and usher in the new.

      Gone was the gravitas of the Kapoor family. Here was a scion of the great Prithviraj Kapoor who discarded the grand manner, put on his dancing shoes and carried the audience along on the wave of a song.

      To get that initial break was not easy, despite the Kapoor aura. He spent four years with Prithvi Theatres, playing Shakespeare and the classics. As many as 18 successive flops before destiny smiled! It was pure chance but he took it and launched on a glittering journey. He dropped the earlier Errol Flynn manner and appearance he had adopted and switched to the young with-it look — slacks, duck tail, cowboy boots, a flamboyant swagger. Romance took on more than a hint of sexuality in all the exuberant song and dance numbers. This handsome dancing star often had new young actresses as his partners — Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, Sharmila Tagore, Mala Sinha, who started on their own starry careers opposite the irresistible Shammi Kapoor. The sixties, as Madhu Jain writes in her book on the Kapoor dynasty, could be said to belong

      SHAMMI KAPOOR

      viii

      to Shammi Kapoor, adding, the older brother created an institution, the younger became one. His ‘yahoo’ heard first in the hit Tumsa Nahin Dekha became his signature after Junglee and entered the folklore of Indian cinema. Two years ago when he was presented a Lifetime Achievement award in Mumbai, the applause and cheers that greeted him proved that his aura had not faded despite his disappearance from the screen.

      Deepa Gahlot, who has observed and written about the cinema for many years, pays homage to one of the Indian cinema’s favourite sons in this book. She writes about him with affection and enthusiasm and in doing so, brings alive a carefree, joyous era of the Hindi cinema.

      Aruna Vasudev

      Series Editor

      EDITOR’S NOTE

      ix

      1

      Introduction

      When the rebel star burst on to the

      scene,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1