Shammi's son, debut at 53

Aditya Raj Kapoor, son of Shammi Kapoor, is all set to make his acting debut at 53. “If I feel I can come out as an actor at this age, then I can,” he says.
However, he had not planned to take up acting, it just happened. “I came back here to direct a film with Rakhi Sawant, but it didn’t take off, the producer opted out.” It was at this point that he was approached by Sachindra Sharma, the writer of Mumbai 118 (one of his upcoming films), who asked him to try his hand at acting, and that is how “my whole career took a right turn.Destiny, literally, came knocking at my door, and I welcomed it,” says Aditya.
The debutant actor, who has three films coming up in a month’s time, informs, “In Mumbai 118, I play the protagonist – a simple man, who falls in love with a much younger girl. In the second, Chase, I am the antagonist, a super specialist industrialist. My third will be Dewangee Ne Hadd Kar Di.”
Talking about his directorial ventures, Aditya says, “I made three English movies from 2004 to 2007 – Shamaal, Sambar Salsa and Don’t Stop Dreaming. The second is with Rishi Kapoor, while the third is with Rishi and Suniel Shetty. These released in London and the West.”
But ask him what made him zero in on Rakhi Sawant as the protagonist of the film, Balti Devi: Queen Of Southall, and he only says, “I’m not talking about that whole subject right now, I am keeping it under wraps.” Any inspiration from Amitabh Bachchan’s role in Cheeni Kum, when he decided to act? “Amitabhji has been a source of inspiration, because he has literally opened the highway for mature actors to do meaningful work in India. I’m really indebted to him for doing so. Mr Bachchan in his stint as actor in the latter half of his career is my inspiration for mature roles.” On Sanjeev Kumar, who’s his favourite actor, the actor-director says, “I worship him. He was a guy who could play a hero and a character artiste in two films that released on the same day, and still be accepted in both of them. That’s because he forgot who he was and just played the character.”
He made a different career choice, and did not go the Kapoor way. He was a management consultant for 15 years, and then spent seven years in Dubai, where he began his directorial career. “I made my English films between London and Dubai. Then I decided to come back to India to direct a movie, where my acting career began,” he reveals.
We ask him why he got into business rather than films, and he says, “I decided after working as an assistant director to Raj Sahab, not to do any more work in RK Studios, but to do management work for sometime. I wanted to have a business life, I didn’t want to do films at the time I should have done them.” Any regrets for not sticking on to films? “Regretting is bad business because you pause too much at the same platform,” he says wisely.
Talking about Raj Kapoor, he says, “I was very close to him. I was the blue-eyed boy of his company and he probably would have turned me into a film director. He would teach me anything. I did my schooling with Randhir Kapoorji in Dharam Karam, and I did my college with Raj Kapoorji in Satyam Shivam Sundaram.”
He continues, “Growing up in the big Kapoor clan was very easy as well as very difficult. Easy, because everyone spoke the same language, and difficult, because there was a lot of pressure as everyone was trying to come out in the same slot. Today, there are a lot of character roles too, but at that time, it was just the hero.”
Talking about his mother, the legendary Geeta Bali, he says, “If I miss anyone, it’s my mother, because she would have been very happy that her son has become an actor.” His father, he says, always taught him right and wrong. “And that’s not a pleasant task,” he points out. As for coping with the loss of his mother at nine, he says, “It probably takes its toll a little later. It takes time, but then you get over the over the loss. Kya karoge – thoda rooge, chillaoge.” He adds, “But my father had a terrible time because they were madly in love. I think he had a tough time coping with it, and on top of that, he became a superstar around that time – in 1965.”
Out of all the movies his father acted in, which would be his favourite? He promptly names Kashmir Ki Kali, Teesri Manzil and Junglee. Shammi’s acting style, he describes “is very debonair, carefree, casual and charming; someone who could sweep you off your feet. A proper rom-com hero.” Looking back at his childhood days, he recounts, “More memorable than going on shikaar trips, was going for film shoots with him (Shammi), so I could see all his pretty heroines up, close and personal. That was great fun.” At this point, he gets nostalgic, and says, “The Kapoor clan is a wonderful banyan tree under which a lot of people can take shade.” For the younger Kapoors – Kareena and Ranbir – he says that they are very passionate about their work. “If the Tatas can continue for 20 generations, why can’t the Kapoors? Both Kareena and Ranbir are lovely people. They have done an excellent body of work, though Ranbir has just started now, and has lots to accomplish.”
Has direction taken a backseat for him? “For a very brief moment. But this helps me to understand what the actor is going through, so that I can be a little more respectful towards the actor, when I direct a film.” Any blockbuster dreams under the RK banner? “Forget the blockbuster situation. A good script is a good script. A good script well told is what matters,” he replies. To conclude, he says, “I have a script for myself that I would be launching very soon, but I’ll talk about it a bit later.”
Follow us on Twitter for more stories