Ye chand sa roshan chehra
Ye zulfo ka rang sunhera
Ye jheel si neeli aankhien
Koi raaz hain inme gehra
Tareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya
We all know that Shammi Kapoor’s not physically for us anymore. But this romantic and ultra handsome actor will be there in our hearts for ever and ever. This Elvis Presley of India was born to legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor on 21st October, 1931. Born Shamsher Raj Kapoor, he later became the ‘sher’ of Indian silver screenin 1960s. Brother of legendary actors Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, he didn’t have to struggle much to enter the silver screen. He debuted with a serious role with the film “Jeevan Jyoti” in 1953. But with Filmstan’s Nasir Hussain directed “Tumsa Nahi Dekha” opposite Ameeta and “Dil Deke Dekho” with Asha Parekh, he attained the image of a light hearted stylish playboy.
Tall, athletic, lively, fair complexioned, green eyed with handsome features Shammi soon became a heart throb and his good looks and physique complemented his image. When asked to recall her favourite romantic hero, my 65 year old naani has noone except Shammi Kapoor’s name on her lips. Even 33 year old Mrs. Parul Joshi is a die hard fan of this superstar. My friend Jyotsna is also a Shammi - maniac. The amazing fan following of this incomparable and veteran actor proves that he’s evergreen.
Once when asked about the new and latest romantic icons on the silver screen and who would he prefer to act in his remakes, Shammi Kapoor jokingly commented, “If someone was to remake my films in this decade, I think Emraan Hashmi would play my part the best.”
With Junglee, his new image cemented and his subsequent films followed the same genre. He particularly chose Md. Rafi as his playback. Some of his well known tracks include ’Sar par topi lal’, ‘Lal chhadi maidan khari’, ‘Ae haseena zulfo wali’, ‘Bar baar dekho’ etc. His last appearance was in the movie sandwich in the 2006 where he acted alongside his grandnephew Ranbir Kapoor.
In 1974, he donned the hat of a director and made films like Manoranjan and Bundal Baaz. Although both the films didn’t hit the box office, they got critical acclamations.
Film director Shakti Samanta once quoted in an interview, “I found Shammi to be thoroughly a good man. Even in his hey days, he was humble.”
Other than films, he was a self confessed gizmo freak. He was the founder of Internet Users Community in India (IUCI). He also played a pivotal role in setting up Ethical Hackers’ Association.
For all his contributions to the civil society, he was aptly awarded the “Living Legend Award” by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in 2009.
As we approach his 80th birthday this October, I dedicate a line from his film “Tumsa Nahi Dekha” to him –
‘Yun toh humne lakh haseen dekhe hain, tumsa nahi dekha.’
