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Vidyarambham (Malayalam: വിദ്യാരംഭം) is a Hindu tradition where children between two and three years old are formally initiated into the characters of the syllabary.

The ceremony of Vidyarambham (Vidya means "knowledge", arambham means "beginning') for the children is held on Vijayadashami (the last day of Navaratri) day. On that day thousands of people arrive at the temple to initiate learning to their children.

Initiation into the world of syllabary usually begins with the writing of the mantra "Om hari sri ganapataye namah"(ഓം ഹരി ശ്രീ ഗണപതയേ നമഃ) Hari(ഹരി) refers to the Lord, sri(ശ്രീ), to prosperity. Initially, the mantra is written on sand or in a tray of rice grains. Then, the master would write the mantra on the child's tongue with gold. Writing on sand denotes practice. Writing on grains denotes the acquisition of knowledge, which leads to prosperity. Writing on the tongue with gold invokes the grace of the Goddess of Learning, by which one attains the wealth of true knowledge. Nowadays it is celebrated by people across all castes and religions.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Thiruvullakkavu SreeDharmaSastha Temple

v t e 16 Hindu Saṃskāras (rites of passage) Pre-natal Garbhādhāna Puṁsavana Sīmantonnayana Childhood Jātakarman Nāmakaraṇa Niṣkramaṇa Annaprāśana Cūḍākaraṇa Karṇavedha Educational Vidyārambha Upanayana Vedārāmbha Keśānta Samāvartana Marriage Vivāha Last Antyeṣṭi Related topics Nishekam Pumsavana Simantonayana

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor at the San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California (24 July 2009)
Born	(1959-12-24) 24 December 1959 (age 52)[1] Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Sunita Kapoor (1984–present)
Children	Sonam Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Harshvardhan
Parents	Surinder Kapoor (father) Nirmal (mother)
Relatives	Boney Kapoor (brother) Sanjay Kapoor (brother)

Anil Kapoor (Hindi: अनिल कपूर; Punjabi: ਅਨਿਲ ਕਪੂਰ; born 24 December 1959)^[1] is an Indian actor, producer and director who has appeared in many Bollywood films and more recently international films.

He won his first Filmfare Award, in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his role in Yash Chopra's Mashaal (1984). Kapoor earned his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in N. Chandra's Tezaab (1988) and later again for his perfornance in Indra Kumar's Beta (1992). He also starred in many other critically and commercially successful films, including Woh Saat Din (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Janbaaz (1986), Karma (1986), Mr. India (1987), Virasat (1997) for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, Biwi No.1 (1999), Taal (1999) for which he won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Pukar (2000) for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, No Entry (2005), and Welcome (2007).^[2]

Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press.^[3][4] Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognised Indian actors.^[5] He has also appeared in the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Personal life and education[link]

Anil Kapoor was born to film producer Surinder Kapoor and his wife Nirmal. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School - Chembur, in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai, and then St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.^[6] Kapoor's elder brother, Boney Kapoor, is a film producer, while younger brother, Sanjay Kapoor, is also an actor.

In 1984, he married Sunita Kapoor (née Bhambhani). He has two daughters and a son, Harshvardhan. Kapoor's elder daughter is actress Sonam Kapoor. Rhea Kapoor attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai. He is a practicing and devout Hindu. He is a distant relative of Raj Kapoor. He grew up in Raj Kapoor's house with former Bollywood actor Rajiv Kapoor.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

As an actor[link]

1980s[link]

Kapoor made his Bollywood debut with Umesh Mehra's Hamare Tumhare (1979) in a supporting role. After a few minor roles in films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Shakti (1982), he got his first leading role in the 1983 Hindi film, Woh Saat Din. Kapoor later tried acting in Tollywood and Sandalwood, and appeared in Bapu (artist)'s Telugu film Vamsa Vriksham and Mani Ratnam's Kannada debut film Pallavi Anu Pallavi released in 1983.

Next, he appeared in Yash Chopra's drama Mashaal (1984) as a tapori, for which he won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. His tapori persona and stubble look was considered unconventional at the time, but would later become more fashionable in India many years later.^[7] Kapoor's 1985 releases included Yudh and Saaheb.

Going on to deliver huge commercial success with films like Meri Jung (1985), a career-defining role of an angry young lawyer fighting for justice, which eventually established Kapoor's credential as a mature actor and both audience and critics gave their thumbs up to his performance. Kapoor played a comic tapori in Karma (1986), the biggest hit of the year.^[8] Also in 1986, Kapoor played the role of a care free playboy in the hit Janbaaz, costarring Feroz Khan.^[9][10] Kapoor's other release of 1986 Insaaf Ki Awaaz was a box office hit.^[11] In the same year Basu Chatterjee directed Chameli Ki Shaadi and he displayed his crackling flare in comedy.^[12]

Kapoor generated wide applause from audience of all walks of life for his title role in Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi film Mr. India (1987), the biggest hit of the year.^[13] The film became one of his biggest box office hits and shot him to superstar status.^[14] Anil kapoor was equally impressive in Mahesh Bhatt directed film Thikana.^[15] In 1988, he was rewarded with his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his rivetting performance in the hit film, Tezaab, the biggest blockbuster of 1988.^[16] Anil proved to be the only saving grace even in flops like Ram-Avtar.^[17] The following year he delivered more mega commercial and critical successes with Ram Lakhan (which became the second highest box office earner of 1989)^[18] and the audience went berserk with the song One Two Ka Four. In the highly acclaimed film Parinda, Kapoor played his role with conviction, and his biggest achievement was displaying the vulnerability of his character so perfectly.^[19] In Rakhwala, Kapoor played a tapori again and the film was declared a success.^[14][20] Kapoor excelled in his eccentric portrayal of an autistic person in the 1989 hit, Eeshwar and this film proved his versatility as an actor.^[21]

1990s[link]

The year 1990 saw him play a dual role, as twin brothers in the highly successful Kishen Kanhaiya and in the same year he further attained reasonable box office success with Ghar Ho To Aisa.^[22] Kapoor came up with a critically acclaimed performance in Awaargi. Many critics called that his best performance ever.^[23] This was followed by a restrained yet striking performance as a middle age man in Yash Chopra's romantic drama Lamhe, a landmark film of Indian cinema and Yash Chopra's best work to date. It was the first film in which he appeared without a moustache. Although the film was a box office failure in India, it proved to be a success overseas. Kapoor's 1991 release, Benaam Badshaah was accorded above average status at the ticket window.^[24]

In 1992, Kapoor received his second Filmfare Best Actor Award for his hard-hitting performance in Indra Kumar's Beta — the biggest blockbuster of the year — opposite Madhuri Dixit.^[25] Kapoor was highly impressive with his comic act in Khel and his comic timing was one of the highlights of the film.^[26] In 1993, Boney Kapoor's much delayed mega-budget, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja was a disaster at the box office and damaged Kapoor's reputation as the industry's biggest star at the time. The only major success in these years was Laadla with Sridevi, a film produced by Nitin Manmohan.^[27] Kapoor gave a splendid performance as a simpleton lover in the hit musical 1942: A Love Story. His 1995 release, Trimurti (film) was a box office disaster, though Kapoor's performance was creditable.^[28] Kapoor came up with a decent performance in the average performer Gharwali Bharwali.^[29]

After a few box office failures, he had box office success with films like Loafer (1996),.^[30] In Judaai, Kapoor's depiction of a loving husband twisted between his two wives was appreciated and this film fared well at the box office.^[31] Deewana Mastana (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999) and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999) were box office hits.^[32] Kapoor’s unusual characterization of a zealous, crooked musical superstar in Taal (1999) shocked both audience and critics alike.^[33] He also won rave reviews for his superb performance in Virasat, a remake of the Tamil film, Thevar Magan (1992), in which Kamal Hassan had played Kapoor's role. He also starred in the unsuccessful Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate, which was legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherji's last commercial release, along with Juhi Chawla. He shaved his moustache once again for the film, in the second half, where he played actor Sajid Khan's wife and his delightful comic timing was a real treat to watch.

2000s[link]

Kapoor's first release of 2000 was Bulandi (2000 film), in which he played a double role, showing restraint and maturity as the elder Thakur.^[34] He won his first National Film Award in the Best Actor category for his role in Rajkumar Santoshi's critically acclaimed Pukar in 2000. Kapoor again tasted critical and commercial success with Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai in 2000.^[35][36] Kapoor stole the show as Rajeev in the much delayed, Karobaar, a film directed by Rakesh Roshan, where Kapoor’s dialogue delivery was appreciated.^[37] He delivered a powerhouse performance in Shanker's Nayak which is considered to be his best performance by many.^{[38][39][40][41]}

In 2002, Kapoor gave an excellent performance in the role of a fat man in Badhaai Ho Badhaai, a takeoff from the Hollywood hit, Nutty Professor.^[42][43] He notched up yet another glorious performance in the Indra Kumar directed film Rishtey.^[44][45] In Om Jai Jagadish, he gave an amazing performance.^[46] Kapoor shared the screen with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan for the first time in Armaan, and underplayed his character of a neurosurgeon superbly.^[47][48]

In his 2003 release, Calcutta Mail, he delivered one of his best performances. His character was defined with ample scope to perform in this screenplay-driven performance and in spite of the strong supporting cast, this really came out as Kapoor's one-man show.^[49][50] He ignited the silver screen with an authoritative performance in Musafir.^[51][52] Kapoor gave an incredibly restrained performance as the stricken husband in the thriller My Wife's Murder, which he also produced.^{[53][54][55][56]} Anees Bazmee's super-hit comedy No Entry (2005), followed for Kapoor that year. The film went on to become the highest grossing film of the year.^[57] He was also in the film Bewafaa, playing a rich businessman who is forced to marry the sister of his wife after she passes away in childbirth.

Kapoor played a grey character with finesse in the 2005 thriller, Chocolate.^[58][59] Anil's first release of 2007 Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love was a box office hit in overseas though a flop in India.^[60] Anees Bazmee's Welcome, which released on 21 December 2007 and was declared the biggest success of the year.^[61] Kapoor's understated performance in Subhash Ghai's Black and White was highly lauded.^[62][63][64] His first release in 2008, Abbas Mustan's thriller, Race became a box office hit. Vijay Krishna Acharya's, Tashan marked Anil's comeback to Yash Raj Films but failed to do well at the box office.

His most recent films were his first English-language film, Slumdog Millionaire, which was released on 12 November 2008, and Yuvvraaj, which was released on 21 November 2008. Yuvvraaj, with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, failed to do well at the box office. On the other hand, Slumdog Millionaire has won a number of international awards and received rave reviews from critics, costing only US $15 million to produce, but pulling in more than $352 million worldwide. In January 2009, he attended the 66th Golden Globe Awards ceremony along with the team of Slumdog Millionaire, which won four Golden Globe Awards. Kapoor demonstrated his well-known enthusiasm after Slumdog won the Academy Award for Best Picture (one of eight awards). also received a nomination for Best Ensemble at the Black Reel Awards of 2008 and has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

2010s[link]

In 2010, Kapoor starred in the eighth season of the American television series 24, portraying Omar Hassan, President of the fictional Islamic Republic of Kamistan. In October of that year he was cast to play a villain in both Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (released in December 2011) and Power.^[65] Power was to be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi but was shelved due to unknown reasons. Other projects that he currently has in the pipeline include Cities (a Hollywood project co-starring Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom), Mr. India 2, the sequel to No Entry, Priyadarshan's Tezz with Ajay Devgn, Race 2 and Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Wadala. He has also signed Khiladi 786, that is scheduled to release during Diwali.^[66]

As producer[link]

In 2002, Kapoor produced his first film, the comedy Badhaai Ho Badhaai, in which he also starred in. It was followed by My Wife's Murder (2005), and Gandhi, My Father (2007). Gandhi, My Father focuses on the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi (2007) and was awarded the National Film Award - Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film). He produced the movie Shortkut: The con is on starring Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi. In 2010, he produced the movie Aisha, starring his daughter Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol in the lead roles. The film performed moderately at the box office, grossing Rs. 15.50 crore in its theatrical run.^[67] He has acquired the remake rights for the American TV success, 24, reportedly for an amount of INR 100 cr. It took him about 1.5 years to license the rights to create an Indian rendition of the popular TV show.^[68] Kapoor will be stepping in the protagonist's (Jack Bauer) role as well. Kapoor played the role of President Hassan in the 8th season of the original series aired on Fox Network.

As singer[link]

Anil Kapoor has on rare occasions contributed to the soundtracks of his movies, as a singer. One of his first playback songs was the title track of the 1986 Bollywood comedy Chameli Ki Shaadi. The song was comedic in nature and depicted the love story of the titular Chameli and her lover Charandas, played by Kapoor. Chameli was portrayed by Amrita Singh. In the same decade, he was credited on the song "Tere Bina Main Nahin Mere Bina Tu Nahin" for the film Woh Saat Din. He is also credited on the song "I Love You" from Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In 2008, Kapoor provided a rhyme-like-dialogue to introduce his character in Yashraj's Tashan. His theme was titled "Bhaiyaji ka Tashan". Interestingly, his co-stars in the movie also had their introductions incorporated in the soundtrack, which was composed by Vishal-Shekhar. Akshay Kumar 's theme was titled "Bachchan Pandey ka Tashan". Kareena Kapoor 's was "Pooja ka Tashan". Saif Ali Khan was credited for "Jimmy ka Tashan". he had one full album"WELCOME" as a co-singer with SALMA AGHA in 1986.the album was scored by BHAPPI LAHIRI.it is rollicking album which exemplifies his singing prowess.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

• 2002: Badhaai Ho Badhaai
• 2005: My Wife's Murder
• 2007: Gandhi, My Father
• 2009: Short Kut: The Con is On
• 2010: Aisha
• 2010: No Problem

Director[link]

• 2010: Aisha

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anil Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anil Kapoor

• The Anil Kapoor Fan Club on Facebook