Karan Kapoor

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Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor in January 2020.jpg
Kapoor in January 2020
Born (1962-01-18) 18 January 1962 (age 62)
Occupation(s)Actor, photographer, model, businessman
Years active1978-present
SpouseLorna Kapoor
Children2
Parent(s) Shashi Kapoor
Jennifer Kendal
RelativesSee Kapoor family
Karan Kapoor at a private gallery exhibition in Chelsea. Karan Kapoor at a private gallery exhibition, Chelsea 28.02.2016.jpg
Karan Kapoor at a private gallery exhibition in Chelsea.

Karan Kapoor (born 18 January 1962) [1] is an Indian photographer, actor and model. He is the son of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal. His paternal grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor and his paternal uncles were Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. His elder brother Kunal Kapoor and younger sister Sanjana Kapoor have also acted in some films. His maternal grandparents, Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Kendal, were actors who toured India and Asia with their theatre group, Shakespearana, performing Shakespeare and Shaw. The Merchant Ivory film, Shakespeare Wallah , was loosely based on the family, which starred his father and his maternal aunt, actress Felicity Kendal.

Contents

Personal life

Karan Kapoor was born on 18 January 1962 to actor Shashi Kapoor and British theatre actress Jennifer Kendal.

Kapoor has two siblings. His brother Kunal Kapoor formerly acted in Bollywood movies and now runs ad company Adfilms Valas. Kunal was married to filmmaker Ramesh Sippy's daughter Sheena, who is a well known photographer. They have two children, Shaira and Zahan. Kunal and Sheena are now divorced. [2]

His sister Sanjana Kapoor runs the Prithvi Theatre.

Jennifer was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in 1982 and succumbed to the disease in 1984. [3]

Personal life

He married English model Lorna Tarling Kapoor; the couple are now separated. They have a daughter, Aliya Kapoor and son Zak Kapoor.

Career

Early in his career he was a popular model made famous by the Bombay Dyeing advertisement campaign.

He made his debut in Shyam Benegal's critically acclaimed 1978 film Junoon , which also featured his parents and both siblings. [1] He had a minor part in his father's production 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981). [1] He appeared in the British television series The Jewel in the Crown in 1984.

Karan had a short presenting stint for the BBC's Asian magazine Network East in 1994.

He made his debut in mainstream Bollywood films with Sultanat (1986), alongside Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. He later acted in Loha (1987) and Afsar in 1988, but did not have many offers as an actor. [4] He also modeled major Indian brands, including Bombay Dyeing. [5]

He has since become a photographer and lives in Chelsea, London, [6] with his wife Lorna, daughter Aliya, [7] and son Zak. [1] Karan runs a photography company in the UK.

After a gap of nearly 25 years, Karan returned to public life and returned to India with a series of his photography exhibitions, Time & Tide. Karan's Time & Tide photography exhibition started in his home town Mumbai in November 2016 then taking place in Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi, Ahmedabad & Jaipur throughout 2017. Karan has done much research in the Anglo-Indian communities and travelled through various parts of India in the 1980s to meet these communities and has taken photographs. His articles were published in the BBC, Indian Express, Hindustan Times and other newspapers in November 2016. In his recent interview, Karan said that he is quite keen to do more photography projects in India, because his children have now grown up so he could spend more time in India. Karan also said that he was always interested in photography since his childhood even though being a part of very famous Bollywood family of Kapoors. Karan's elder brother Kunal Kapoor is now a leading ad-maker of India and younger sister Sanjana Kapoor runs the Junoon foundation to promote arts, culture and drama.

Filmography

Actor

YearFilmRole
1978 Junoon
1981 36 Chowringhee Lane Davie
1986 Sultanat Samir
1987 Loha Karan
1988Afsar

TV Series

Still photographer

Miscellaneous Crew

Awards

His photograph "Old Couple" won at the International Photography Awards 2009 in the People/Lifestyle category. It was one of five nominations he received that year. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shashi Kapoor</span> Indian film actor, producer (1938–2017)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prithviraj Kapoor</span> Indian actor (1906–1972)

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.

<i>Shakespeare Wallah</i> 1965 American film

Shakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, about a travelling family theatre troupe of English actors in India, who perform Shakespeare plays in towns across India, amidst a dwindling demand for their work and the rise of Bollywood. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance. The music was composed by Satyajit Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Kendal</span> English actress (1934–1984)

Jennifer Kendal was an English actress and the founder of the Prithvi Theatre. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the film 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981). Her other film appearances included Bombay Talkie (1970), Junoon (1978), Heat and Dust (1983), and Ghare Baire (1984).

<i>Hum Tum</i> (film) 2004 film by Kunal Kohli

Hum Tum is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Kunal Kohli. Produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films, it is loosely based on the English film When Harry Met Sally... (1989). The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji, with Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Rati Agnihotri and Jimmy Sheirgill. Hum Tum follows the encounters of two individuals, Karan and Rhea, who run into each other on several occasions under various circumstances.

Prithvi Theatre is a theatre located in the upscale neighbourhood of Juhu, Mumbai. Prithviraj Kapoor the spearhead of one of the most influential actor and director families in Bollywood, the Kapoor family, founded the travelling theatre company 'Prithvi Theatres' in 1944 and the company ran for sixteen years. The theatre was built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer in memory of Prithviraj, Shashi's father, who had dreamt of having a "home" for his repertory theatre company. It was designed by architect Ved Segan and opened in 1978. The building and running of the theatre was supervised by Jennifer until her death in 1984. Shashi Kapoor was the theatre's Managing Trustee and the daily affairs were looked after by trustee Kunal Kapoor with a small but efficient team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapoor family</span> Indian film family

The Kapoor family is a prominent Indian show business family with at least 4 generations of the family over 95 years being active in the Hindi film industry. 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. "The Pioneer" founder of the dynasty was "The Patriarch", Prithviraj Kapoor, who was the first member of family to begin acting in movies with his 1929 debut film Be Dhari Talwar. He was a pioneer of Indian theatre and the founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). His son Raj Kapoor was the most influential actor and director in Hindi cinema. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randhir Kapoor</span> Indian film actor (born 1947)

Randhir Raj Kapoor is a retired Indian actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema. He was an established actor of the 1970s and received two Filmfare Award nominations and was one of the popular actors of the 1970s. However, his career declined in the early 1980s, following which he rarely appeared in films.

<i>36 Chowringhee Lane</i> 1981 Indian film

36 Chowringhee Lane is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. It marked the directorial debut of Sen, who had until then been known as a leading actress of Bengali cinema. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role, along with Dhritiman Chatterjee and Debashree Roy.

Kapoor or Kapur is a Punjabi surname of Khatri clan found in the Punjabi Hindu and Sikh communities.

Geoffrey Kendal was an English actor and theatre director who delivered Shakespeare performances throughout India in the 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanjana Kapoor</span> Indian actress

Sanjana Kapoor is an Indian theatre personality and former film actress. She is the daughter of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor. She ran the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai from 1993 to February 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1959)</span> Indian actor

Kunal Kapoor is an Indian actor, film producer, director and advertisement maker. Elder son of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal, he made his debut with the 1972 English-language film Siddhartha, later acted in Shyam Benegal's Junoon and in his first mainstream Bollywood film, Ahista Ahista, opposite Padmini Kolhapure as well as Vijeta. He also acted in the art films Utsav (1984) and Trikal (1985).

<i>Junoon</i> (1978 film) 1979 Indian film

Junoon is a 1979 Indian Hindi language film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal. The film is based on Ruskin Bond's fictional novella, A Flight of Pigeons, set around the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vanraj Bhatia, and cinematography by Govind Nihalani.

Romesh Thapar (1922–1987) was an Indian journalist and political commentator. Affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Thapar was the founder-editor of the monthly journal Seminar, published from New Delhi, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shashi Kapoor, roles and awards</span> Shashi Kapoor filmography

Shashi Kapoor was an Indian actor, film director, film producer and assistant director. He acted in Hindi and English films as the lead hero. He starred in over 150 films. He is the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, three National Film Awards, and two Filmfare Awards.

<i>Phir Se...</i> 2018 film directed by Kunal Kohli and Ajay Bhuyan

Phir Se is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Kunal Kohli and Ajay Bhuyan. Initially slated for 2015 release, the film released after 3 years on Netflix in 2018. The web film stars Kunal Kohli, Jennifer Winget and Sumona Chakravarti. Rajit Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Kanwaljeet Singh and Sushmita Mukherjee are in supporting roles. This is the first web film of director Kunal Kohli as an actor and the debut web film of Jennifer Winget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zahan Kapoor</span> Indian film actor (born 1992)

Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films and theater plays. A member of the Kapoor family, he is son of actor Kunal Kapoor and Sheena Sippy.

References

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  2. Meet the Kapoors Archived 13 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine , Network 18.
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  6. "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) - 7days - Eye on England". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  7. "'Dream Lover' Karan Kapoor blessed with a baby girl : EYECATCHERS - India Today". intoday.in. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
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