Shashi Kapoor: The Last Of The Kapoor Pioneers
Though Deewar is a Bachchan-centered film, Shashi Kapoor stood out by choosing to let Amitabh's character stand out. Seen from a management perspective, this is an outstanding example of team work, where the individual ego is dismissed to make way for emergence of the larger perspective. Shashi Kapoor not only looked good, he made everyone around him look good too.
The passing away of Shashi Kapoor has invoked a feeling of sadness that comes with losing your friendly neighbour. That's what Shashi Kapoor was – a simple star, a friend who enthralled audiences for decades with his charm, simplicity of acting and intellectual potency. He was simply the star next door, not the one who rose above all of us on cinema screens.
Shashi Kapoor was never counted as amongst the megastars of his era – like his own brothers, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna or Dharmendra. In the '70s of course Amitabh Bachchan's rise relegated all competent and incompetent heroes to the background. Yet, Amitabh's career graph is inseparable from Shashi Kapoor's as they paired to produce some magnetic performances in movies like Deewar, Do Aur Do Paanch, Suhaag, Kabhie Kabhie, Kaala Patthar, Shaan and Namak Halal. In each of these films, Bachchan is the show stopper, but Shashi Kapoor provides the anchor.
The trio of Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna had women swooning over them due to their incredibly good looks. In Sharmeelee, Shashi looks stunning to say the least. As his career evolved, he did not strive to be a specialist, like the `romantic Rajesh` or the `angry young man Amitabh`. Shashi was not a brand in that sense. His branding came only from the immortal `Mere Paas Maa Hai` line in Deewar. But even there, Bachchan stole the show with his intense dialogue delivery. Bachchan perhaps has a lot to owe Shashi Kapoor because he made him look good on screen by being a back-peddler than an equal on screen.
It is a tribute to Shashi Kapoor's humility that though he was elder to the Big B and his senior in the industry, he played his younger brother in Deewar. The film is a classic and is iconic for its dialogues, story line, action sequences and direction. Though it's a Bachchan-centered film, Shashi Kapoor stood out by choosing to let Amitabh's character stand out. Seen from a management perspective, this is an outstanding example of team work, where the individual ego is dismissed to make way for emergence of the larger perspective.
Shashi Kapoor aged gracefully and never felt tied down by any image. He seamlessly moved from being a commercial star to doing films with a parallel cinema touch to being cast in character roles. Though the chocolate hero next door in the early days of his career, Shashi Kapoor transited to doing films with depth like New Delhi Times. He even produced quality movies like Kalyug and Junoon. He was perhaps ahead of his times when he directed a super hero film Ajooba with who else, but Bachchan in the lead. While his brother Raj Kapoor will always be remembered for the RK banner and his path-breaking films, Shashi Kapoor too made no mean attempt to add to the intellectual horizon through his brand of film-making. The RK Studios banner has been fledgling since Raj Kapoor's death, but the brand of Shashi Kapoor's films have created a space for themselves in Bollywood. He was the last of the Kapoor pioneers. This is no mean achievement as the masses had mad adulation for his brothers Raj and Shammi and his nephew Rishi.
My personal Shashi Kapoor favourite is his 1981 film Baseraa, in which he co-starred with Raakhee and Rekha. He presents a mature character who is caught between his love for his sick wife and a practical life situation. Though caught between two difficult choices, he stands out as a character and as an actor. This role in a sense typifies Shashi Kapoor for all of us. In his career, he never seen as a mega star, but every mega star he worked with got a fillip because of his presence.
Shashi Kapoor not only looked good, he made everyone around him look good too.
RIP Shashi Kapoor.
