Anil Kapoor Movies
A native of Mumbai, India, born December 24, 1959, Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor grew up in the thick of show business, with an executive assistant-turned-film producer father and a homemaker mother. Kapoor signed for his first acting role at seven years old, in a feature entitled Tu Payal Main Geet that eventually went unreleased; the experience nevertheless revealed Anil's true passion and his life's calling to him. He attended the local OLPS school, then St. Xavier's College, where he participated in dramatic competitions and netted a Best Actor trophy at an intercollegiate drama contest. At the same time, however, Kapoor felt a marked lack of commitment to his general studies and was expelled from college after two years due to non-attendance; reportedly "relieved" by this occurrence, the blossoming actor used that apparent step backward as a step up, confounding his distraught parents in the process by focusing all of his attention and energy on aggressive dramatic training. When an application to the esteemed Pune Film Institute failed to generate admission, Kapoor instead teamed up with fellow upstart Mazhar Khan and enrolled in famed acting coach Roshan Taneja's drama classes, training aggressively at a breakneck pace to make it in Indian cinema. He also studied singing and dancing, and got a foothold in the local film industry by working as a casting director and assistant producer.Film roles then began to arrive; Kapoor signed for his debut with a part in Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaya, and followed it up with roles in such features as Woh Saat Din and Laila, but only achieved stardom thanks to his lead billing in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal (1984), alongside Dilip Kumar. Subsequent projects included Rakhwala (1989), Loafer (1996), Armaan (2003), and Tashan (2008). Kapoor returned to producing on the 2007 Gandhi, My Father. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
This Hindi melodrama is set during India's fight for independence from the British. Although lavish song and dance numbers are unexpectedly common in Indian cinema, the soundtrack, prepared by prolific film composer Rahul Dev Burman remains a favorite among Indian fans. This musical tells the story of two lovers during this politically turbulent period. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- 1982
First-time filmmaker and director Ashok Ahuja has made a film about a director making a film -- undoubtedly following the adage that it is better to stick with something you know in any attempt at fiction. The director in the film is busy trying to get a writer to agree to work with him on his next project, based on one of the writer's own stories. No matter how persistent he is, the writer does not keep his original promise to join with the director and drops him for another, more lucrative venture. In spite of this setback, the director does not give up and writes and produces his own story. Both his film and this film end at about the same time, as the director is waiting for everyone to come out of the theater -- and give some feedback on his creation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naseeruddin Shah
Anil Kapoor and Shakti Kapoor star in the Indian Abhimanyu, but their characters have absolutely nothing in common. Anil's sister Poonam Dhillon is raped by Shakti. Anil has no recourse; he is a dirt-poor peasant, while Shakti is the son of a wealthy landowner. There is nothing for Anil and Poonam to do but leave the village, taking their shame with them. Years later, Anil and Poonam, wise to the ways of the non-Indian world, exact a not-so-sweet revenge upon Shakti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Directed by Honey Irani, Armaan centers around Dr. Siddharth Sinha's (Amitabh Bachchan) effort to build a state-of-the-art hospital that would provide treatment to any patient, regardless of race, caste, or financial status. His son, Dr. Akash Sinha (Anil Kapoor), is initially determined to help his father reach his goal, but his priorities change after finding himself caught in a complicated love triangle. Eventually, Dr. Akash must choose between the woman that he loves and his father's dream. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, (more)
- 1991
In this romantic comedy from India, Raju (Anil Kapoor) is a young man who has grown up under the thumb of his step-mother, who has raised him to be a farmer. When he attends a friend's wedding, he meets a woman named Saraswati (Madhuri Dixit) and quickly falls in love with her. Raju longs to see Saraswati again and meets up with her at a festival, where he saves her from an attack by a pervert. However, while he's walking her home, the pair are caught in a rainstorm and must take refuge in a barn. When they return the next morning, everyone is convinced they spent the night together in an inappropriate manner, and Raju marries Saraswati to save her reputation. However, Raju's mother is not especially happy with her son's new bride, and soon Saraswati is at war with her mother-in-law. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Filmmaker Feroz Khan explores the tragedy of a man who transformed the soul of a nation, but could not provide salvation for his own flesh and blood. Mahatma Gandhi was known in life as "The Great Soul" -- the "Father of a Nation." But while Gandhi's peaceful form of civil disobedience led India to independence and inspired civil rights movements across the globe, his eldest son, Harilal, was wandering the streets of India destitute and conflicted. His father's identity the bane of his existence, Harilal converted to Islam as an act of rebellion, reconverted back to Hinduism as an act of penance, and eventually succumbed to the devastating effects of alcoholism. As racial hatred raged in South Africa and colonial humiliation ran rampant in India, a personal tragedy that few but Mahatma Gandhi's closest companions knew about was consuming both father and son from the inside out. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darshan Jariwala, Akshaye Khanna, (more)
A man tries to bring a modern view of marriage to old India in this musical romance. Vijay (Anil Kapoor) is a successful businessman who, after a long stay in the United States, comes home to India to oversee his family's business affairs. His father Vishwanath (Anupam Kher) thinks it's time Vijay settled down, and attempts to arrange a marriage between his son and Megha (Kajol), the pretty daughter of a middle-class family. Vijay objects to the notion of arranged marriages, and agrees only under one condition -- that if he is not happy with Magha after one year, he is free to walk away. Megha grudgingly agrees to the arrangement, and soon comes to enjoy marriage with Vijay, especially since he accords her a degree of independence more common in the west than in India. However, after twelve months, Megha thinks all is going well, and hopes to start a family with her husband when Vijay announces he intends to leave her under the terms of their agreement. Angry, Megha leaves Vijay, and he soon finds he deeply regrets turning away his bride. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, (more)
- 1989
Joshilaay is a bitter pill to take for anyone who thinks that Indian movies consist chiefly of Satyajit Ray epics and lighthearted musicals. Popular Indian film personality Anil Kapoor doesn't make his entrance until after half the cast has been murdered. The culprits are a pair of out-of-control criminals, played by Kulbhusan Kharbanda and Rajesh Vivek. Kapoor and Sunny Deol, the sons of two of the victims, wait many years to exact their revenge. The question: was it worth the wait? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Raj Kumar Santoshi explores cultural misogyny with a quartet of compelling tales in this intense and personal drama. Pregnant and locked in a loveless marriage with her uncaring husband, Raghu (Jackie Shroff), Manisha abandons him to embark on a soul-searching and sometimes disturbing journey. The four Sitas she meets on her long journey each weave a telling tale concerning their integral roles in their respective communities and the hardships they've faced in trying times. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
