Remembering Shashi Kapoor

The legendary Kapoor — actor, international star, producer, theatrelover — was much more than the sum of his parts.

- Maithili Rao

 It is with mixed feelings that I write the first column for the New Year. This is not an obituary, but a reflective celebration of someone who was more than a Bollywood star. Shashi Kapoor was the quiet, subtle achiever in a khandaan that is synonymous with flamboyance. Prithviraj, the leonine patriarch, might have shunned typical filmi glamour, but his two older sons made up for the missing flamboyant factor with gusto. Shashi Kapoor, who loved to live in the huge shadow of his legendary father, grew from a reluctant screen actor to become a beloved star/actor/producer, ultimately destined to gather admirers who cherished his quiet dignity and respected the transparent sincerity and overall sense of innate decency. They also loved the irresistible twinkle in the eye that lit up romance. The package was completed by his fabled charm and devastating good looks, which had two generations of women crushing on him.

In a family of super megawattage-blazing showmen, Shashi shone like a benevolent moon, subject to waxing and waning. Even at a low point in a career that was often judged solely by the box-office, his personal charisma was never in doubt, despite the mediocrity of the many films he chose to do, or was forced to choose for survival. Charm can be obviously blatant, flaunting its potency with in-your-face arrogance. It can also beguile in subtle ways, like coffee percolating and filling the room with its aroma.