Shekhar Kapur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shekhar Kapur
Kapur in 2008
Born	Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (1945-12-06) 6 December 1945 (age 79) Lahore, Punjab, British India
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	1974–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Medha Gujral ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1994)​ Suchitra Krishnamoorthi ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2007)​
Children	1
Relatives	Sohaila Kapur (sister) Dev Anand (uncle) Chetan Anand (uncle) Vijay Anand (uncle) Purab Kohli (nephew)
Family	Anand-Sahni family
Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India
In office 30 September 2020 – 1 September 2023
Preceded by	B. P. Singh
Succeeded by	R. Madhavan

Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is a famous Indian filmmaker. He comes from the well-known Anand-Sahni family. Shekhar Kapur has won many awards, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, and three Filmfare Awards. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Kapur first became known in Bollywood for his role in the TV show Khandaan. He then started directing films. His first movie was Masoom in 1983, which became a favorite among fans. He gained even more fame with Mr. India in 1987.

Later, he became known around the world with his 1994 film Bandit Queen. This movie was based on the true story of Phoolan Devi, an Indian bandit and politician. The film was shown at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and the Edinburgh Film Festival. In 1998, he directed Elizabeth, a movie about British Queen Elizabeth I. This film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. He also directed the war film The Four Feathers (2002) and the sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age in 2007.

Early Life and Education

Shekhar Kapur was born on 6 December 1945 in Lahore, which was then part of British India. His family was Punjabi Hindu. His father, Kulbhushan Kapoor, was a successful doctor, and his mother was Sheel Kanta Kapoor.

When India was divided in 1947, his family was on a train from Pakistan to India. A terrible event happened, and his mother pretended to be dead, hiding Shekhar and his sister under her body to keep them safe. Kapur later said that the partition of India happened through "the blood of one people."

Shekhar Kapur is the nephew of the famous Indian actor Dev Anand. His mother, Sheel Kanta, was the sister of actors Chetan, Dev, and Vijay Anand. Shekhar is the only son in his family and has three sisters. One sister, Neelu, was married to actor Navin Nischol. Another sister, Aruna, is married to actor Parikshit Sahni. His youngest sister is Sohaila Kapur.

Kapur went to Modern School in New Delhi. He studied economics at St. Stephen's College. When he was 22, he became an accountant in England, as his parents wanted him to study accountancy. He then started working for a big oil company. In 1970, he moved to the United Kingdom and worked as an accountant and consultant for several years.

Filmmaking Career

In India

Shekhar Kapur became a director with the family drama Masoom in 1983. It starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and young actors Jugal Hansraj and Urmila Matondkar. The movie was about a boy who was a secret to his stepmother and how he tried to find acceptance.

In 1987, he directed the science-fiction film Mr. India. This movie starred Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, and Amrish Puri as the famous villain Mogambo. Puri's line "Mogambo Khush Hua" (Mogambo is happy) is still very popular. In 1994, Kapur directed the highly praised film Bandit Queen. He even had a small role in it as a truck driver.

Kapur sometimes left films before they were finished. For example, he started directing Joshilaay (1989) but left halfway. He also began Barsaat (1992), which was supposed to be Bobby Deol's first film, but he was replaced by another director. In 1995, he partly directed Dushmani before its producer finished it.

Kapur also helped produce the film The Guru. He started an Indian film company with other directors, but they only made one film, Dil Se.. (1998). Kapur also helped produce the Bollywood musical Bombay Dreams by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This musical was shown in London and New York City.

In 2016, Kapur made a film and documentary about Amma, called "The Science of Compassion."

International Films

In 1998, Kapur gained international fame again after Bandit Queen when he directed Elizabeth. This movie was about the reign of British Queen Elizabeth I and won an Academy Award. The sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, released in 2007, was nominated for two Academy Awards.

Some news outlets thought his 2002 movie The Four Feathers showed the British Army in a bad light. However, he said he was only against colonization, not against Britain itself.

Future Projects

In 2019, it was announced that Kapur will direct a TV series based on the "Ibis Trilogy" by Amitav Ghosh. These books are about historical conflicts between Britain, India, and China in the mid-1800s.

Kapur is also planning to adapt Amish Tripathi's popular book series, Shiva Trilogy, into a TV web show. He will direct it with Suparn Verma.

Other Work

Shekhar Kapur started his career as an actor in the movie Jaan Hazir Hai (1975) and later in Toote Khilone in Bollywood. He also acted in several Hindi TV shows, such as Udaan and Upanyaas.

He was a judge on the TV reality show India's Got Talent, which aired on Colors.

In a unique role, Kapur provided the voice of Mohandas Gandhi for an audiobook of The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

In 2013, Kapur hosted the TV show Pradhanmantri on ABP News. On this show, he was the narrator, sharing interesting facts about Indian history.

Comic Books

In 2006, Kapur started Liquid Comics and Virgin Animation. This company creates new stories and characters for people around the world. Their first comic books were Devi and The Sadhu. Devi is about a strong female warrior, and The Sadhu is about a man choosing between his spiritual path and human feelings.

Personal Life

Shekhar Kapur was in a relationship with actress Shabana Azmi for seven years. He first married Medha Gujral, who was the niece of former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral. They divorced in 1994. Medha passed away in 2014 due to liver failure.

Kapur later married actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi in 1999. They have a daughter named Kaveri Kapur. The couple divorced in 2007. In 2020, there was a disagreement about property related to their daughter Kaveri.

Filmography

Awards and Honors

In 2000, Shekhar Kapur received the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest award for civilians in India. In 2010, he was one of the judges for the international competition at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. In 2020, Kapur became the president of the Film and Television Institute of India.

In 2023, Kapur was the head of the jury for the International competition at the 54th International Film Festival of India.

See also

In Spanish: Shekhar Kapur para niños