Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor, one of the most widely recognized Indian actors globally. Born in 1959 to Surinder and Nirmal (also known as Suchitra) Kapoor, he has built an incredible career. Today, he has acted in close to 100 movies and currently has five in production!

Early Life and Humble Beginnings

Growing up in a chawl in Tilak Nagar, the Punjabi-speaking actor shared his childhood with his elder brother Boney, his sister Reena, and his younger brother Sanjay. Interestingly, his father worked as the secretary for the legendary Shammi Kapoor. As a self-described loner without many friends, Anil attended the nearby O.L.P.S. (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor) School.

Finding His Passion for Acting

During the annual Ganesh Maha Utsav, Anil became an ardent fan of the Bollywood films telecast for the festival. Specifically, he deeply admired Raj Kapoor. Because of this strong influence, people often saw him as a mimic of the legendary showman. Although he landed a child artiste role alongside Shashi Kapoor in Tu Payal Main Geet, the movie unfortunately never released.

College Days and Acting Training

Following school, he went on to study at St. Xaviers College. Daily, he commuted by bus and train from Chembur to Bombay V.T., walking the rest of the way. During this time, he met Mazhar Khan. However, a distracted Anil was kicked out during his second year due to his lack of presence. Subsequently, his attempts to join the Pune Film Institute failed when he did not pass the written examination. Consequently, he decided to hone his craft by joining Roshan Taneja’s Acting school.

Bollywood Breakthrough and Behind-the-Scenes

Anil finally made his silver screen debut with a character role in Hamhare Tumhare. Shortly after, he landed his very first lead role in Woh 7 Din, and from there, there was no looking back! In addition to acting, he has proudly produced two movies: Gandhi My Father and Badhaai Ho Badhaai. Furthermore, he even worked as a Casting Director and Outdoor In-charge for the film Hum Paanch.

International Stardom and Personal Life

In 2008, Kapoor made a massive international splash in Danny Boyle’s Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Consequently, he shared the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Later, his phenomenal performance in the eighth season of the American action series 24 generated rave reviews from the press globally.

Outside of his thriving career, Anil met the wealthy and chic Sindhi-speaking model, Sunita Bhambhani, and happily married her in 1984. Since then, the couple has welcomed three children. His eldest daughter is the popular actress Sonam Kapoor. His second daughter, Rhea Kapoor, attended school in New York and is now a successful producer in Mumbai. Finally, he also has a son named Harshwardhan Kapoor.

Follow on Google News Follow on Whatsapp