(Reuters) – Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor passed away in the early hours of today after a prolonged illness, the doctor attending to him said. He was 79.
Kapoor, known for his flamboyant style and energetic dance moves that charmed movie-goers of all generations, is survived by his wife Neela Devi and two children.
“He was on dialysis for the past 8 to 9 years and was admitted to hospital a week ago. He had kidney failure, and also respiratory failure,” Bhupendra Gandhi of Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai told Reuters.
The film industry was quick to react.
“Shammi Kapoor ji passed away this morning at 5:15 am… Rushing there now… the flamboyance and joi de verve (sic) of the Industry lost,” actor Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his Twitter account.
Kapoor, one of the Hindi film industry’s three Kapoor brothers (the other two being Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor), was part of what is known as Bollywood’s first family.
Remembered best for his ‘Yahoo’ song in the movie “Junglee”, Kapoor won a Filmfare award for best actor in 1968 for his role in “Brahmachari”.
Sharmila, Saira pay tribute
(Times of India) Sharmila Tagore and Saira Banu who made their Bollywood debuts with Shammi Kapoor in “Kashmir Ki Kali” and “Junglee” respectively said they will miss the star who was “high spirited and so full of life”.
Sharmila Tagore, who made her foray into Hindi films with Shammi Kapoor in 1961 romantic movie “Kashmir Ki Kali” and later featured with him in the hit movie “An Evening In Paris”, is very sad and upset by the loss of such a wonderful person.
“He had so much courage and so much of energy, which was just wonderful. He was a fun loving person,” she told a news channel.
Reminscing about the shooting of “Kashmir Ki Kali”, Tagore said: “I remember while shooting ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, he would rehearse something and do something totally different during the take. He would come from right and then from left and start doing impromptu scene which we never rehearsed. It was great fun working with him.”
When director Shakti Samantha used to ask him the reason for his pranks, Shammi Kapoor used to just laugh.
“He was completely over inhibition and full of life and this is what I learnt from him. He was so bubbly and this is the lesson which I took from him,” she added.
Stating that Kapoor was a person full of life, Tagore said his ill health never dampened his high spirits. “Whenever he was alright, he met people, always eager to know about the world. He was the kind of person who never wanted people to be sad around to him because he himself was full of life,” she said.
Saira Banu said the news of Kapoor’s death came as a grievous shock.
“Shammi Kapoor is one person you cannot associate with death. One would feel that he is eternal. He was so full of life. Even on the wheelchair, he couldn’t restrict his bubbly nature. He came out of every illness with absolute perfection,” she told news channel Headlines Today.
“There was never a moment of pain in his talks, neither was there any craving for sympathy. He always used make us laugh with his anecdotes, always sharing lovely tete-a-tate with Yusuf Sahib ( Dilip Kumar),” she added.
“We met recently and when I asked him about the health of his brother Shashi, who was ill, he told me he will recover soon,” she said adding that Kapoor was such a positive person and that losing him is a terrible shock.
She said that Kapoor was one actor who carved a niche in Bollywood not only with his own style of acting, dancing and songs but also because he was a wonderful human being.
Reminiscing about “Junglee”, the film that she starred in opposite Kapoor, Saira Banu said he put himself on the map of leading actors in Bollywood of that time. ” ‘Junglee’ brought a new musical colour in Indian film industry. The movie set everything on fire, everyone started running towards Kashmir and everyone started aping his style and dance.
“He was like a bottle of soda. I have never seen him quiet or upset. He used to vibe well with every age group, be it my grandmother, my husband (Dilip Kumar) or my niece who had a terrible crush on him,” she added.
Hema Malini, who worked with Kapoor in films like “Andaaz” and “Meera” tweeted that it is a very sad day for the Hindi film industry. “The film fraternity has lost one of the most loved actors and a much adored human being today, Shammiji. I had the most wonderful opportunity to work with him in films,” she posted on microblogging site Twitter.
“He was a live-wire on and off the sets. So enthusiastic about his work and very dedicated to giving his best, Shammiji’s power-packed performances touched people’s hearts and his high level of energy was not limited to acting.
“His presence anywhere drew attention. Although he was at the end of his career when I acted with him in Andaz, I was simply amazed at the way he performed the number ‘Dil use do jo jaan de de’,” she added.
A member of the famed Kapoor family, the actor passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital at 5 a.m. He was admitted to the hospital a week ago after renal failure.
He was the second of three sons born to the iconic Prithviraj Kapoor. His equally versatile actor brothers were Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor.