Active since 1929; Prithviraj Kapoor acted in Alam Ara (1931), the first talkie film of India
The Kapoor family[13][14] is a prominent Indian show business family with at least 4 generations of the family over 96 years being active in the Hindi film industry.[13] Numerous members of the family, both (biological) and those who have married into the family, have had prolific careers as actors, film directors and producers.[13][15] "The Pioneer" founder of the dynasty was "The Patriarch", Prithviraj Kapoor,[16][15][17] who was the first member of family to begin acting in movies with his 1929 debut film Be Dhari Talwar.[18] He was a pioneer of Indian theatre and the founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).[14][19] His son Raj Kapoor was the most influential actor and director in Hindi cinema.[13][14] The genesis generation or the earliest linear generation of the Kapoor family tree to ever act in the films was Prithviraj Kapoor's father, Basheshwarnath Kapoor, who debuted as actor in 1951 film Awaara, which was produced, directed and starred in lead role by his grandson Raj Kapoor.[16][15][20]
Prithviraj Kapoor was the first from the family to pursue a career in films. His ancestral origins were in Samundri, Lyallpur District, Faisalabad, Punjab Province of British India.[1][2] His father, Basheshwarnath Kapoor, served as a police officer in the Imperial Police in the city of Peshawar;[21] while his grandfather, Keshavmal Kapoor, was a Tehsildar in Samundri.[22] His younger brother, Trilok Kapoor also became an actor; with his first role in the film Char Darvesh in 1933, Trilok emerged as one of the most commercially successful actors of his era.
Raj Kapoor's sons, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor, went on to become well-known actors; his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor, was not as successful as his brothers. Shashi Kapoor's children were unsuccessful in acting because of their European looks. His daughter, Sanjana Kapoor, ran the Prithvi Theatre from 1993[26] to February 2012, his elder son, Kunal Kapoor, runs an ad company, and Shashi's youngest child, Karan Kapoor, currently runs a photography company in London. Shammi Kapoor's son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and retired businessman and his daughter Kanchan Kapoor is married to the son of Manmohan Desai.
Randhir Kapoor is married to Babita. They have two daughters Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan, both of whom have found success in the film industry. Rishi Kapoor was married to actress Neetu Singh; their son, Ranbir Kapoor, has established himself as a leading Bollywood actor, and their daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahani, is a designer. Ranbir Married British-Indian actress Alia Bhatt Kapoor in 2022. They Had a Daughter Named Raha Kapoor who exactly resembles her Grandfathers Rishi and Raj Kapoor.
Prithviraj Kapoor's cousin was Surinder Kapoor[28] who left Peshawar and came to Mumbai with help from Prithviraj Kapoor.[29] who was married to Nirmal Kapoor. His oldest son is Boney Kapoor who was married to Mona Shourie and then to Sridevi and is the father of Arjun, Anshula, Janhvi, and Khushi. His middle son is Anil Kapoor who is married to Sunita Kapoor and is the father of Sonam (married to Anand Ahuja), Rhea (married to Karan Boolani) and Harshvardhan Kapoor. His youngest son is Sanjay Kapoor who is married to Maheep Sandhu and is the father of Shanaya and Jahaan Kapoor. His daughter is Reena Kapoor Marwah who is married to Sandeep Marwah of Marwah Films and Video Studios and is the mother of Mohit (married to Antara Motiwala) and Akshay Marwah (married to Aashita Relan).
Noted actor Kamal Kapoor, who was famous for playing the role 'Narrang' in the 1978 blockbuster movie Don was the maternal first cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor (their mothers were sisters) and so were his brothers Nandkishore Kapoor and Ravindra Kapoor. Kamal Kapoor had five children including Kapil Kapoor and Madhu Behl who married Ramesh Behl. Madhu and Ramesh Behl's son is Goldie Behl, who is married to actress Sonali Bendre, thus the Behl family is related to the Kapoor family by marriage.
Raj's, Shashi's, and Shammi's maternal cousin, Juggal Kishore Mehra, was a singer, whose step-granddaughter was Salma Agha who became an actress and singer in Pakistan.
The Samadhi (memorial) of Raj Kapoor, also housing memorial of his mother and father Prithviraj Kapoor, is at their family farm "Rajbaugh", which means the "king of gardens". Located inside the MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Rajbaugh lies off the NH65 on the banks of Mula-Mutha River in Loni Kalbhor village 30km east of Pune in Maharshtra. Kapoor family sold a part of the 125 acres Rajbaugh to MIT-WPU which built a memorial for the Kapoor family on its campus. The memorial was unveiled in 2014 in the presence of Lata Mangeshkar and members of the Kapoor clan. The Kapoor family memorial has 7 pagodas showing elements of Raj Kapoor's movies and a museum or viewing gallery which shows family photographs and moments from his movie making from 1945 to 1990. Raj Kapoor shot many of his films at this farm, including Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and Prem Rog. Kapoor's family bungalow inside the farm has been preserved. The popular song "Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho" was shot inside this bungalow.[30][31][32][13]
Shashi Kapoor was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his works in Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards, he also featured in a number of English-language international films, particularly films produced by Merchant Ivory. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2011, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 2014, for his contribution to Indian cinema.
Raj Kapoor was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema, and has been referred to as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema and as the Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema.
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, Kapoor worked in over 100 films. He is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards, including one for Best Actor.
Prithviraj Kapoor was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. 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.
Rishi Kapoor was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. Kapoor was the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards.
Ramesh Sippy is an Indian film director, actor and producer in Hindi cinema. He is particularly known for being director in Sholay (1975), which is regarded as one of the most influential films ever made in India. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2013.
Babita Shivdasani Kapoor, also known simply as Babita, is an Indian retired actress who appeared in Hindi-language films. She is the daughter of character actor Hari Shivdasani and the cousin of actress and her contemporary Sadhana Shivdasani.
Randhir Kapoor is an Indian retired actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema.
Kapoor or Kapur is a Punjabi surname of Khatri caste found in the Punjabi Hindu communities.
Jab Jab Phool Khile is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, starring Shashi Kapoor and Nanda. The story is of a poor boy who is a boatman in Kashmir and falls in love with a rich tourist. The film became a "blockbuster" at the box office, and was No. 2 in top ten grossing films at Box Office India of 1965. The songs by the music composing duo Kalyanji Anandji, assisted by then little-known Laxmikant Pyarelal are highlights of the film. The film was screened in Algeria's cinema halls every two days for a couple of years; there had been public demand for it. Shashi Kapoor was one of the most successful Indian actors in North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Libya. In the souks of Marrakesh, even today, some older shopkeepers will give you a discount if you are from the land of Shashi Kapoor.
Namak Halaal is a 1982 Indian Bollywood-language masala film, directed by Prakash Mehra and written by Kader Khan. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Smita Patil, Parveen Babi and Waheeda Rehman.
Kabhie Kabhie is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film written by Pamela Chopra and directed and produced by Yash Chopra under the production banner of Yash Raj Films. The film was released on 27 February 1976 and stars an ensemble cast of Waheeda Rehman, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee Gulzar, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. This was Yash Chopra's second directorial film with Shashi Kapoor and Bachchan in the lead roles after Deewaar (1975), and was particularly noted for its soundtrack compositions by Khayyam. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise directed towards its story, screenplay, direction, dialogues, soundtrack, and performances of the ensemble cast, and is regarded as a cult film over the years.
Rajiv Kapoor was an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a member of the Kapoor family, best known for his lead role in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. He was the youngest son of Raj Kapoor, a Bollywood actor-director-producer.
Nikhil Nanda is an Indian businessman. He is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Escorts Kubota Limited, an Indian multinational engineering conglomerate that specialises in agricultural, construction and railways equipment and machinery. He is a third-generation entrepreneur, being the grandson Har Prasad Nanda, who founded the company in 1944, and son of Rajan Nanda, who served as the CMD of the group util August 2018.
Kapoor Haveli is a residential building in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan.
Aditya Raj Kapoor is an Indian actor, filmmaker, author and retired businessman. Born into the Kapoor family, he is the son of actors Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali.
Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films, series and theatre. A member of the Kapoor family, he is the son of actor Kunal Kapoor. He made his screen acting debut with the film Faraaz (2022) and has since starred in the thriller series Black Warrant (2025).
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