43 Facts About Raj Kapoor

1.

Raj Kapoor, known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor, was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema.

2.

Raj Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in history of Indian cinema, and has been referred to as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema and as the Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema.

3.

Raj Kapoor was inspired by Charlie Chaplin and played characters based on The Tramp in films such as Awaara and Shree 420.

4.

Raj Kapoor's films were global commercial successes in parts of Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Africa and the Soviet bloc.

5.

Raj Kapoor was born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor on 14 December 1924 at Kapoor Haveli, a large house then owned by his grandfather in the Qissa Khwani Bazaar neighborhood of Peshawar, British India into a Punjabi Hindu family of the Kapoor clan, who belonged to the Dhai Ghar Khatri community.

6.

Raj Kapoor's parents were Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsarni Devi Kapoor.

7.

The Kapoor family hailed originally from Samundri, Samundri Tehsil, Lyallpur District, Punjab Province, British India.

8.

Raj Kapoor was the eldest sibling of six children in the family.

9.

Raj Kapoor was the grandson of Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor, great-grandson of Dewan Keshavmal Kapoor, and great-great-grandson of Dewan Murli Mal Kapoor, and was part of the famous Kapoor family.

10.

Raj Kapoor's brothers were the late actors Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor.

11.

Raj Kapoor is the nephew of actor Trilok Kapoor, who is the younger brother of his father Prithviraj Kapoor.

12.

Raj Kapoor's maternal first cousin, Juggal Kishore Mehra, was a singer, whose step-granddaughter, Salma Agha, later became an actress and singer.

13.

Raj Kapoor attended several different schools like Colonel Brown Cambridge School in Dera Doon, St Xavier's Collegiate School in Calcutta and Campion School in Bombay.

14.

Raj Kapoor had his first success as producer, director and star of Barsaat released later that year.

15.

Raj Kapoor went on to produce and star in several hit films made under his R K Banner including Awaara, Aah, Shree 420, Jagte Raho and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai, the last was directed by Radhu Karmakar, his longtime cinematographer, and which won Filmfare Award for Best Film.

16.

Raj Kapoor produced the hit social films Boot Polish and Ab Dilli Door Nahin.

17.

Raj Kapoor launched his second son Rishi Kapoor's career in 1973 when he produced and directed Bobby which was a huge box office success and introduced actress Dimple Kapadia, later a very popular actress; it was the first of a new generation of teen romances.

18.

Raj Kapoor acted in fewer films by the late 1970s and early 1980s but played a notable supporting role alongside Rajesh Khanna in Naukri and as the titular character alongside Sanjay Khan in Abdullah.

19.

Raj Kapoor played a detective in two comedy films: Do Jasoos and Gopichand Jasoos, both directed by Naresh Kumar.

20.

Raj Kapoor's last acting role was a cameo appearance in a 1984 released British made-for-television film titled Kim.

21.

Raj Kapoor was set to direct Henna starring his son Rishi and Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar before his death in 1988.

22.

Raj and Krishna Kapoor had five children: three sons, actors Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor, and two daughters, Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain.

23.

Raj Kapoor's granddaughters Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, and grandson Ranbir Kapoor are the latest Bollywood superstars from the Kapoor family, while another of his grandsons, Nikhil Nanda, is a noted industrialist.

24.

Raj Kapoor had a longtime romantic relationship with renowned actress Nargis Dutt during the 1940s and 1950s, despite being a married man, although neither ever publicly admitted to this.

25.

Raj Kapoor was followed three months later by her brother Rishi, Kapoor's second son, who died in April 2020.

26.

Raj Kapoor suffered from asthma in his later years; he died of complications related to the disease in 1988 at the age of 63.

27.

Raj Kapoor collapsed at the event where he was to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in New Delhi, and was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi for treatment.

28.

Raj Kapoor was hospitalised for about a month before he succumbed to complications arising from his asthma.

29.

Raj Kapoor shot many of his films at this farm, including Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, and Prem Rog.

30.

Raj Kapoor is often referred as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema in the Indian media.

31.

Raj Kapoor commissioned these famous lyrics for Mera Joota Hai Japani, a song from the movie Shree 420:.

32.

Raj Kapoor was a canny judge of filmi music and lyrics.

33.

Raj Kapoor is remembered for his strong sense of visual style.

34.

Raj Kapoor used striking visual compositions, elaborate sets, and dramatic lighting to complete the mood set by the music.

35.

Raj Kapoor introduced the actresses Nimmi, Dimple Kapadia, and Mandakini, as well as launching and reviving the careers of his sons Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv.

36.

Raj Kapoor was called "the Clark Gable of the Indian film industry".

37.

Raj Kapoor had received many awards throughout his career, including 3 National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare Awards and 21 nominations.

38.

Raj Kapoor's acting in the former was rated as one of the "Top Ten Performances of All Time in World Cinema" by Time magazine.

39.

Raj Kapoor was named "Showman of the Millennium" by Star Screen Awards in 2002.

40.

In June 2011, Noah Cowan, artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, and Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft along with members of the Kapoor family came together to pay tribute to the life and work of Indian actor, director, mogul and legend Raj Kapoor, as presented in partnership by TIFF, the International Indian Film Academy, and the Government of Ontario.

41.

In 2011, it was announced that Raj Kapoor will be inducted into the Brampton Walk of Fame in Ontario, Canada.

42.

Raj Kapoor worked with them in 20 films in all including 10 of his own films from Barsaat until Kal Aaj Aur Kal.

43.

Also, when Mukesh died, Raj Kapoor had said, Main ne apni aawaaz ko kho diya.