It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Slash and burn. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2010.

A forest patch cleared for Jhum

Jhum or Jhoom cultivation is a local name for slash and burn agriculture practiced by the tribal groups in the northeastern states of India like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and also in the districts of Bangladesh like Khagrachari and Sylhet. This system involves clearing a piece of land by setting fire or clear felling and using the area for growing crops of agricultural importance such as upland rice, vegetables or fruits. After a few cycles, the land loses fertility and a new area is chosen.

Most farmers make huts near their land for shelter

Jhum cultivation is most practiced on the slopes of hills in thickly forested landscapes. The cultivators cut the treetops to allow sunlight to reach the land. They burn all the trees and grasses for clean and fresh soil. It is believed that this helps to fertilize the land, but can leave it vulnerable to erosion. Later seeds and crops are planted. Plants on the slopes survive the rainy season floods. Looking at all the effects, the government of Mizoram has launched a policy to end Jhum cultivation in the state.^[1]

References[link]

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Ravi Teja (born Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju on 26 January 1968) is an Indian Telugu film actor. He won the Nandi Award for Best Actor for the film Neninthe in 2008. He has acted in other films including Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru, Idiot, Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi, Venky, Bhadra, Vikramarkudu, Krishna, Kick, and Mirapakaay. These successful films have established him within a short period of time as one of the leading actors in Tollywood.

Early life[link]

Ravi Teja was born as Bhupatiraju Ravishankar Raju to father Bhupatiraju Rajgopal Raju and mother Rajya Lakshmi Bhupatiraju on 26 January 1968 in the Indian village of Jaggampeta, Andhra Pradesh, India. Ravi Teja's father was a pharmacist and mother was a homemaker. He is the eldest of three sons and the other two Bharath and Raghu are also actors. Ravi Teja spent most of his childhood in Northern India because his father used to move very often due to his work. Due to that, his schooling was done in Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai and Bhopal. Ravi Teja completed his schooling at N.S.M. public school. Later on he moved to Vijayawada along with his family and completed his Bachelors in Arts at Siddhartha Degree College. From early child hood Ravi Teja had dreamt of acting in films. As a result, in 1988 he went to Chennai to start his career in films.

Personal life[link]

Ravi Teja got married to Kalyani in 2002.^[1] The couple have two children, Mokshadha (b. 2003) and Mahadhan (b. 2006).^[2] He is known to be good friends with Puri Jagannadh.

Career[link]

Early career (1990-1996)[link]

In the following years of his arrival to Chennai, Ravi Teja struggled to get even a small opportunity to prove himself at acting. Strong willed, Ravi never gave up on his dream to be an actor. Y. V. S. Chowdary and Gunasekhar were his roommates during struggling days^[3] Finally after few years of struggle, he began his career with small roles in films like Karthavyam (1991),^[4] Chaitanya (1991) and Aaj Ka Goonda Raj (1992). After gaining few years of experience, Ravi became an assistant director. He worked in both television and films. As an assistant director, he worked in several Bollywood as well as Telugu projects including Prathibandh, Aaj Ka Goondaraj, and Criminal.^[5] He met Krishna Vamsi and worked as an assistant director under him for the 1996 hit film Ninne Pelladutha. Vamsi also gave Ravi an opportunity to act in a small role in that film. He continued to work as an assistant director for few other films.^[6]

[edit] Sindhooram, Nee Kosam and breakthrough (1997-2000)

In 1997, while still working as an assistant director, Ravi got an opportunity to act in the film Sindhooram directed by Krishna Vamsi. Vamsi cast Ravi as one of the lead actors. The film was critically acclaimed and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. Ravi Teja's performance was critically acclaimed and was appreciated by the movie-goers. This was the turning point for Ravi's acting career.

Following the fame he got, he continued acting in small yet significant roles in films like Seetharamaraju, Padutha Teeyaga, Manasichhi Choodu and S. V. Krishna Reddy's Premaku Velayara. He became well known to Telugu movie-goers with these films and was acclaimed for his acting. In 1999, he was cast in a leading role by Srinu Vaitla for Nee Kosam co-starring Maheswari. The film was critically acclaimed and won the Silver Nandi for Best Film. Ravi Teja won the prestigious Nandi Award for Best Actor Special Jury for his performance. This was Ravi's first award. Following this, he started appearing in more significant roles such as Krishna Vamsi's Samudram, Chiranjeevi's Annayya and Budget Padmanabham. He also appeared in lead roles in multi-starrer films such as Kshemanga Velli Labanga Randi, Tirumala Tirupathi Venkatesa, Sakuntumba Sapari Vare Sametham and Ammayi Kosam.

Lead roles and success (2001–2005)[link]

In 2001, Ravi Teja's association with Puri Jagannadh began when the later cast Ravi as the lead role in Itlu Sravani Subramanyam. The movie was a commercial hit and got Ravi Teja much required success as a solo lead actor. For the second time, Ravi Teja won the Nandi Special Jury Award for his performance. In 2002, his next film Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru, directed by Vamsy and co-starring Kalyani was released. The film was a successful at the box office and won Ravi lot of acclaim. The year also saw Ravi in Idiot. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and co-starring Rakshita, the film was a blockbuster hit and Ravi's performance and dialogue delivery were praised by critics and movie-goers alike. With three consecutive successes, Ravi Teja became a big name in Telugu cinema.

The year also saw the release of Krishna Vamsi's Khadgam. Ravi Teja was cast as one of the lead actors. The movie was a huge success at the box office and won Sarojini Devi Award for a Film on National Integration. Ravi's portrayal of a young wannabe actor won him the Nandi Special Jury Award for the third time and his performance was praised^[7]. In 2003, Ravi again worked with director Puri Jagannadh for Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi. The film co-starring Asin became a blockbuster hit and Jeevi of idlebrain praised him:"Ravi Teja did well. His strength lies in his dialogue delivery and reckless body language"^[8]. The year also saw Ravi working in commercially successful films like Dongodu, co-starring Kalyani and directed by Bheemineni Srinivas and Veede, co-starring Aarthi Agarwal and directed by Ravi Raja Pinisetty. In the same year, Ravi was also seen in films like Ee Abbayee Chala Manchodu, Anveshana and Oka Raju Oka Rani, which failed to do well at the box office.

In 2004, Raviteja was seen in Venky, co-starring Sneha. The film was directed by Srinu Vaitla, who previously made the critically acclaimed Nee Kosam with Ravi. The film was commercially successful and was declared a hit, Idlebrain wrote:"His comedy is very good in the first half. His antics with Siddanthi and the way he curses himself in front of the mirror is hilarious"^[9]. The same year saw Ravi acting in Naa Autograph, co-starring Gopika and Bhumika Chawla. The film was directed by cinematographer turned director S. Gopal Reddy. It was successful at box office and Ravi won accolades for his performance in the film especially a critic wrote:"Ravi Teja delivers a stunning performance as a dejected lover"^[10]. The same year had Ravi in Chanti. The film was directed by Sobhan and was a failure at the box office. In 2005, Ravi was seen in commercially successful hit Bhadra. It was directed by Boyapati Srinu and Ravi was paired alongside Meera Jasmine. He was also seen in Bhageeratha, directed by Rasool Ellore and co-starring Shriya Saran; the film performed well at the box office. He also worked in the crime film Shock, directed by Harish Shankar and co-starring Jyothika and produced by Ram Gopal Varma, the film was unsuccessful at the box-office.

Commercial stardom (2006–2010)[link]

In 2006, Raviteja worked with director S. S. Rajamouli for Vikramarkudu. Co-starring Anushka Shetty, the film became a blockbuster hit, Jeevi praised his performance:"Vikramarkudu is the best film of Ravi Teja so far in histrionics aspect. He did both characters of Athali Sathi Babu and Vikram Rathod equally well, His mannerism of ‘jintata’ is simply superb"^[11]. Later in 2006, Raviteja was seen in Khatarnak, directed by Amma Rajasekhar and co-starring Ileana D'Cruz, the film was unsuccessful and bombed at the box office. In 2007, Raviteja was seen working for the third time with director Srinu Vaitla for Dubai Seenu. Co-starring Nayantara, the film was very successful at the box office and was declared a hit. The year also saw Ravi doing a cameo in Chiranjeevi's Shankar Dada Zindabad. In 2008, Raviteja was seen in the blockbuster hit Krishna. Co-starring Trisha Krishnan and directed by V. V. Vinayak, the film was released for Sankranthi and performed very well at the box office. In August 2008, Raviteja was seen in Baladur. The film was declared a flop and was unsuccessful at the box office. Later in the year, Ravi again collaborated with director Puri Jagganath for Neninthe. Although the film was not successful at the box office, Ravi Teja's portrayal of an upcoming assistant director in the film won him the prestigious Nandi Award for Best Actor. This was Ravi's fourth time winning the Nandi award.

In 2009, Raviteja worked with director Surender Reddy for Kick. Co-starring Ileana D'Cruz, the film was declared a blockbuster and performed amazingly well at the box office. Later that summer, he was seen in Anjaneyulu. The film had an average run at the box office. In 2010, he was seen in the multi-starrer Shambo Shiva Shambo alongside Allari Naresh, Siva Balaji and Priyamani — a remake of 2009 Tamil hit film Naadodigal. The Telugu version was unsuccessful although Ravi won accolades for his performance. The year also saw Raviteja in the film Don Seenu, directed by Gopichand Malineni. Co-starring Shriya Saran, it was very successful at the box office and was declared as one of the biggest hits of 2010.

"Mass Maharaja" and current work (2011–present)[link]

In 2011, Ravi Teja was seen in blockbuster hit film Mirapakaay, directed by Harish Shankar. Co-starring Richa Gangopadhyay and Deeksha Seth, it performed very well at the box office. Ravi was credited as "Mass Maharaja" for this film, implying his massive following in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh: "Mass Maharaj" Ravi Teja. The year had him acting in the experimental film Dongala Mutha under the direction of Ram Gopal Varma. With a crew of only eight people including Varma, filming was completed within five days^[12] and was made with a budget of 6.5 lakh budget.^[13] Later that year, Ravi Teja appeared in Veera, directed by Ramesh Varma and co-starring Kajal Aggarwal and Taapsee Pannu. The film received mixed reviews and had an average run at the box office. He also did a cameo in Ram Gopal Varma's Katha Screenplay Darshakatvam Appalaraju. In 2012, Ravi was seen in Nippu under the direction of Gunasekhar. Produced by YVS Chowdary and co-starring Deeksha Seth, the film was released on 17 February 2012. The film received mixed reviews upon release. The year will also see Ravi Teja in Daruvu, directed by Souryam fame Shiva and co-starring Taapsee Pannu. The movie is scheduled to be released on 25 May 2012. Ravi Teja will collaborate again with Puri Jagannadh for the film Devudu Chesina Manushulu, co-starring Ileana D'Cruz. The movie is expected to begin filming in March 2012 and be released in June 2012. Apart from these Ravi Teja will be seen in an untitled Venkat Prabhu project. It is said to have Ravi Teja as the other protagonist and belongs to the buddy cop genre.^[14]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ravi Teja at the Internet Movie Database

Anushka Shetty
Shetty at TeachAIDS launch event in 2010
Born	Sweety Shetty[1] (1981-11-07) 7 November 1981 (age 30)[2] Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Other names	Sweety, Tommulu
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005—present

Anushka Shetty (born on 7 November 1981 as Sweety Shetty) is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu (2006).^[3] After starring in a series of high-budget productions alongside leading Telegu and Tamil actors, she went on to became one of Telegu and Tamil cinema's leading actresses in the successive years,^[4] while receiving high critical acclaim for her portrayal of the titular character in Arundhati,^[5] and as Saroja in Vedam,^[6] which fetched her two Filmfare, one Nandi and two CineMAA Awards.

Early life[link]

Anushka Shetty was born as Sweety Shetty on 7 November 1981^[2] in Mangalore. Shetty is an ethnic Bunt hailing from the landed Bellipady Uramalu Guthu family.^[7] Her parents are Prafulla and A.N. Vittal Shetty.^[7] She has two brothers Gunaranjan Shetty and Sai Ramesh Shetty who is a cosmetic surgeon.^[7] She attended her schooling in Bangalore. She did her Bachelor of Computer Applications at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.^[8] She was also a Yoga Instructor and has trained under yoga guru Bharat Thakur.

Film career[link]

Shetty made her acting debut in Puri Jagannath's 2005 Telugu film Super alongside Akkineni Nagarjuna. The same year, she acted in another film Mahanandi, which was an unsuccessful venture. In 2006, she had four releases, the first being S. S. Rajamouli's Vikramarkudu opposite Raviteja, in which she portrayed the character Neeraja Goswami. The film went on to become very successful and got her much recognition, that eventually made her very popular in Andhra Pradesh.^[3][9] She next had starred in the film Astram, a remake of the 1999 Hindi film Sarfarosh, following which she debuted in the Tamil film industry, acting in the Sundar C.-directed action flick Rendu, sharing screen space with R. Madhavan. Later that year, she made a special appearance in A. R. Murugadoss' directorial debut in Telugu, Stalin.

Her first release in 2007 was Lakshyam, after which she starred in Raghava Lawrence's Don opposite Nagarjuna again. The former, in particular, succeeded at the box office.^[10] In 2008 she had appeared in six films. Okka Magaadu was the first release, in which she played one of three female leads. Her subsequent releases Swagatam alongside Jagapati Babu and Bhumika Chawla and Baladur opposite Ravi Teja garnered poor reviews and box office returns.^[11][12] She next appeared in the film Souryam with Gopichand which became a box office hit.

In 2009, Shetty first starred in the blockbuster hit Arundhati. In this heroine-centric film, she essayed two roles for the first time.^[4] It was a critical as well as commercial success. Critics heaped praise on Anushka for her performance. Idlebrain's Jeevi wrote that she was "simply amazing in two roles" and that she did "exceptionally well with subtle yet impact creating performance", while Rediff claimed that she was "brilliant and breathtaking in parts",^[13] labelling Arundhati as "totally Anushka's film".^[14] Sify noted that she was "at her best with great performance".^[15] She went on to win the Nandi Special Jury Award and the Filmfare Best Actress Award among other accolades. Her next film, the action flick Billa, a remake of the 2007 Tamil namesake, itself a remake of the 1978 Hindi film Don, featured Shetty in a role contrary to that in Arundati. Her final release in 2009 was her second Tamil feature film, Vettaikkaran with leading Tamil actor Vijay which was one of the highest grosser of the year.^[16] She had an array of releases in 2010, with her Tamil release Singam co-starring Suriya emerging her highest-grosser of the year, while most her Telugu films performed poorly. She portrayed a prostitute in Krish's critically acclaimed anthology film Vedam,^[6] winning accolades for her performance, including her second consecutive Filmfare Award, following which she was selected to reprise the character in its Tamil remake, Vaanam as well. Her other 2010 releases were Panchakshari, Khaleja, Nagavalli and Ragada.

Vaanam became her first 2011 release, which received critical acclaimed reviews as well. Her next release Deiva Thirumagal with Vikram became a critical and commercial success, fetching her laurels for her portrayal as Anuradha, a lawyer. The successes of her Tamil films led to Anushka growing in popularity in Tamil cinema. She was subsequently offered several high-profile productions, including A. R. Murugadoss' new project starring Vijay and the Gautham Menon-directorial Neethane En Ponvasantham featuring Jeeva.^[17] with Sify calling her the "most wanted heroine in Kollywood".^[17] She confirmed that she had signed two Tamil films, Selvaraghavan's Irandam Ulagam opposite Arya and an action-masala film to be directed by Suraj, co-starring Karthi.^[18][19] She agree to be part of another Tamil production, Thaandavam, in November 2011.^[20] She is shooting for two Telugu projects as well, the fantasy film Damarukam alongside Akkineni Nagarjuna and the period drama Rampachodavaram.^[21] She is also acting in Koratala Siva's Vaaradhi opposite Prabhas.^[22]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Wins

• 2010: Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu - Arundhati
• 2010: Nandi Special Jury Award - Arundhati
• 2010: CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Arundhati
• 2010: Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine - Vettaikkaran
• 2011: CineMAA Award for Best Actress (Jury) - Vedam
• 2011: Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu - Vedam
• 2011: Jaya Award for Favorite Actrees - Deiva Thirumagal

Nominations

• 2011: Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu - Nagavalli
• 2011: Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine - Singam

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anushka Shetty

• Anushka Shetty at the Internet Movie Database

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Shammi Kapoor (Hindi: शम्मी कपूर; born Shamsher Raj Prithviraj Kapoor; 21 October 1931.^[4][5] – 14 August 2011) was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s and played supportng roles from 1974 to 2011.

Shammi Kapoor is hailed as one of the most entertaining lead actors that Hindi cinema has ever produced and his notable films include Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Dil Tera Diwana, Professor, China Town, Rajkumar, Kashmir Ki Kali, Janwar, Teesri Manzil, An Evening in Paris, Bramhachari, Andaz and Vidhaata. He received the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1968 for his performance in Brahmachari and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Vidhaata in 1982.

Early life[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

He was given the name Shamsher Raj Kapoor at his birth in Mumbai to film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor and Ramsharni Kapoor née Mehra.^[4] Shammi was the second of the three sons born to Prithviraj (the other two being Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor), both successful Bollywood actors. Though born in Mumbai, he spent a major portion of his childhood in Kolkata, where his father was involved with New Theatres Studios, acting in films. It was in Kolkata that he did his Montessory and Kindergarten. After coming back to Mumbai, he first went to St. Joseph's Convent (Wadala) and then, to Don Bosco School. He finished his matric schooling from New Era School at Hughes Road.

Kapoor had a short stint at Ruia College, in Matunga, Mumbai, after which he joined his father’s theatrical company Prithvi Theatres. He entered the cinema world in 1948, as a junior artiste, at a salary of Rs. 50 per month, stayed with Prithvi Theatres for the next four years and collected his last pay check of Rs. 300, in 1952. He made his debut in Bollywood in the year 1953, when the film Jeevan Jyoti was released. It was directed by Mahesh Kaul and Chand Usmani was Kapoor’s first heroine.

Film career[link]

Kapoor started out with serious roles but with Filmistan's Nasir Hussain directed Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) opposite Ameeta and Dil Deke Dekho (1959) with Asha Parekh, he attained the image of a light-hearted, and stylish playboy. Tall, athletic, lively, fair complexioned, green-eyed and with handsome features, Shammi was a heartthrob, and his good looks and physique complemented his image. Both the films were debut films of the respective actresses Ameeta and Asha Parekh and both went on to be big hits and are regarded as classics.

With Junglee (1961) his new image was cemented and his subsequent films were all in this genre. He particularly chose Mohammed Rafi as his playback voice. In his early career in fifties, he had often played second fiddle to established heroines like Madhubala in films such as Rail Ka Dibba (1953) and Naqab, with Nutan in Laila Majnu, with Shyama in Thokar and with Nalini Jaywant in Hum Sab Chor Hain though none of them except Thokar clicked at the box office. But producers after 1960 apart from the actresses from southern India, loved pairing Shammi with new heroines, three of them became huge stars in their own right in Hindi films: Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and Sharmila Tagore.^[6] Of all his heroines, he said that Sharmila Tagore, Rajshree, and Asha Parekh were easy to work with.^[7] Sharmila Tagore and Saira Banu made their Bollywood debuts with Shammi Kapoor in Kashmir Ki Kali and Junglee respectively^[8] He and Asha Parekh were paired together in four films, the most successful being besides debut film of Asha Parekh, the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966) and the romance film Jawan Mohabbat.

In the early fifties he accepted serious roles in women oriented films like Shama Parwana (1954) with Suraiya, comedy flick Mem Sahib (1956) with Meena Kumari and thrillers like Chor Bazar (1954), which were all successful at the box office and in the tragic love story Mirza Sahiban with (1957) (a box office flop) opposite Shyama, but did not gain recognition and fame among the masses. Other than the above hits, he had fifteen films as flops to his credit till 1957. The other hits in late fifties included Mujrim (1958), Char Dil Char Rahen, Raat Ke Raahi (1959). His performances in K A Abbas' Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) and Kidar Sharma's Rangeen Raatein (1956) were also noteworthy but remained underfeted.^[9] It was only after triple success of Tumsa Nahi Dekha (1957), Ujala and Dil Dil Deke Deko (both 1959), that he became popular with the audience and became a star. In the first half of the 1960s, Kapoor was seen in successful films like College Girl, Basant, Singapore, Boy Friend, Professor, Dil Tera Diwana, Vallah Kya Baat Hai, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, Bluff Master, Janwar and Rajkumar. Although nominated before, in 1968, he received the first Filmfare Best Actor award of his career for the film Bramhachari. He made a unique place for himself in the industry as he was the only dancing hero in Hindi films from the late fifties till early seventies. Saira Banu said in an interview "At the time when Dilip sahab, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand ruled the industry, it was Shammi Kapoor who created a niche for himself with his unique dance moves. He used to say he didn't know how to dance but he would just listen to the music and feel it. He was the only 'dancing hero' at that time."^[10] He used to compose dancing steps by himself in the songs picturised on him and never needed a choreographer. This earned him the name of Elvis Presley of India.^[2][11]

His pairing opposite Southern heroines were always a success at the box office. He delivered hits opposite B. Saroja Devi like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Preet Na Jane Reet, with Padmini gave Singapore (1960 film), opposite Vyjayanthimala had hits like College Girl and Prince (1969 film). In the sixties his successful run continued until new romantic icon Rajesh Khanna entered the scene in 1969.^[12] However Shammi did have commercial successes in late sixties, like Budtameez and Sachaai with Sadhana, Latt Saheb with Nutan and Tumse Achha Kaun Hai with Babita.

In the 1970s, Kapoor’s weight problem proved an obstacle in his path of success and ended his career as a romantic hero as his films started failing. His last hit film, in which he played the lead role, was Andaz (1971). As his career as hero ended, Shammi started playing charcater roles in films from 1974. Shammi played Saira Banu's father in Zameer (1974), when he had been her leading man a decade earlier in Junglee (1961) and Bluff Master (1964).In 1974, he donned the hat of a director and made Manoranjan in 1974 and Bundal Baaz (1976). However, both the films failed to create magic at the box office though were critically acclaimed and have developed a cult fan following over the years. His directorial venture Manoranjan (1974), a movie inspired from Irma La Douce, had Sanjeev Kumar in lead role and Shammi played a supporting role himself. In Bundal Baaz (1976) he casted Rajesh Khanna in the main lead and Shammi played the role of a genie in the film. Critics hailed these 2 films as classics and to be ahead of its time. In the 1980s and 1990s, he continued to play supporting roles in many films and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in Vidhaata (1982). His notable roles as a character actor were in Hero, Vidhaata, Hukumat, Batwara, Tahalka, Chamatkar, Namak and Prem Granth. He got the opportunity to do some films in other languages such as Bengali and Tamil in the nineties. He did a social melodrama serial called Chattan aired on Zee TV for more than a year in the 1990s. He eventually cut down on film appearances by the late 1990s and early 2000s and made his appearances in the 1999 Salman Khan and Urmila Matondkar starrer Jaanam Samjha Karo, 2002 release Waah! Tera Kya Kehna and the delayed 2006 release Sandwich. He made his last appearance in Imtiaz Ali's directorial venture Rockstar co-starring his grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor, the grandson of his brother Raj Kapoor.

Film director Shakti Samanta directed Shammi Kapoor in six hit films like Singapore, Pagla Kahin Ka, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris and Jaane Anjane and quoted in an interview “I found Shammi to be a thoroughly good man. Even in his heydays, he was humble."^[13]

Personal life[link]

Shammi Kapoor, in 1953, dated Nadia Gamal, a belly dancer from Cairo.^[14] Shammi quoted in an interview that "We met in Ceylon and we were in love. Somehow things did not work out and she went back to Cairo."^[15] Kapoor met Geeta Bali in 1955, during the shooting of the film Rangeen Raaten, where he was the leading actor and she played a cameo. Geeta Bali was a well established actress and a popular star at this point of time and Shammi had not tasted any success. They fell in love during the outdoor stints of the movie at Ranikhet, an ancient Army based hill-station in the Kumaon region, but since she was a year older to him and had acted with his elder brother in Bawren Nain and his father in Anand Math, they were skeptical. Four months after they first met, they married at Banganga Temples, near Napean Sea Road of Mumbai with Hari Walia as the sole witness. They informed their parents only after their marriage. Geeta Bali also did cameo in Shammi starrer Mujrim (1958). They were paired together in Miss Coca Cola, a box office dud and Coffee House. After their marriage Geeta Bali acted in 14 films and retired from the film industry. Geeta Bali's last film as a lead was Jab Se Tumhe Dekha Hai opposite Pradeep Kumar, in which Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor made special appearances.

Shammi and Geeta lived a life of bliss in the coming years. They had a son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, on 1 July 1956, at Shirodkar's Hospital, Mumbai, a year after they were married. Five years later, in 1961, they had a daughter, Kanchan.

Tragedy struck in 1965, during the filming of Teesri Manzil. Geeta died of small pox, leaving Shammi with two small children.

In 1969, he married Neela Devi Gohil from the former royal family of Bhavnagar in Gujarat. He was gaining weight rather significantly now and this ended his career as a romantic hero in the early 1970s. Andaz (1971) was one of his last hits.

Shammi Kapoor was the founder and chairman of Internet Users Community of India (IUCI). He had also played a major role in setting up internet organizations like the Ethical Hackers Association. Kapoor also maintained a website dedicated to the Kapoor family.^[16]

In 2006, he told interviewers that he underwent dialysis three times a week. Irrepressible even then, this punishing regimen has failed to depress him. Rather, he said that he was thankful to God for giving him so much.

He died of renal failure around 5:15am on 14 August 2011 at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for chest infection.^[17]

Death[link]

Kapoor was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai on 7 August 2011 suffering from chronic renal failure. His condition remained serious for next few days and he was kept on ventilator support.^[18] He died on 14 August 2011, 05:15 am IST, of chronic renal failure, aged 79.^[19][20] Funeral was held on Monday, 15 August at Banganga cremation ground, Malabar Hill, Mumbai. Aditya Raj Kapoor, the actor's son, performed the last rites at the cremation. The entire Kapoor family were present to pay their last respects, including his younger brother Shashi Kapoor, sister in law Krishna Kapoor, grand nephew Ranbir Kapoor, nephews Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv, Randhir's wife Babita and grand nieces Karishma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.^[21] Bollywood personalities Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy, Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Shahrukh Khan, Kabir Bedi and Priyanka Chopra were among those who attended the funeral.^[22]

Awards, nominations and other recognition[link]

• 1962 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor--Professor^[23]
• 1968 – Filmfare Best Actor Award, Brahmachari^[24]
• 1982 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Vidhata^[25]
• 1995 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award^[26]
• 1998 – Kalakar Awards – Special Award for "contribution in Indian Cinema"^[27]
• 1999 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement
• 2001 – Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2001 – Anandalok Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2002 – Invaluable Contribution To Indian Cinema at the IIFA.^[28]
• 2005 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards^[29]
• 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cinema at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).^[30]
• 2009 – Phalke Legend Actor Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy [1]^{[dead link]}
• Recipient of the prestigious Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.^[31]
• Rashtriya Gaurav Award^[32]

Partial filmography[link]

^[33]

Further reading[link]

• The Kapoors: the first family of Indian cinema, by Madhu Jain. Penguin, Viking, 2005. ISBN 0-670-05837-8.

References[link]