the second you hear the identify Shammi Kapoor, your mind instantly performs “Yahoo” or “Oh Haseena Zulfon Wali”. The actor, who would have turned 90 right this moment, had he been alive, has amassed an enormous fan following throughout his profession along with his electrical power, flamboyant character and ‘Shammi magic’-influenced songs. The actor was, undoubtedly, the gamechanger of Bollywood as he changed the standard ‘hero’ within the Sixties, when the trio of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor was ruling. All three had their very own personalities – if Dilip was the tragedy king, Dev Anand was the cosmopolitan man, whereas Raj Kapoor was the lovable vagabond with a coronary heart of gold. Shammi was naturally totally different.
Despite being written off early in his profession (Tumsa Nahi Dekha had 18 flops to his identify earlier than turning his life), Shammi Kapoor didn’t quit. He “felt the need for change” and made a change with the assistance of his spouse and well-known actor Geeta Bali. “I shaved my mustache and created a new wardrobe for myself, wearing my own clothes in my movies. I picked up trendy shirts, tees, jeans, jackets and scarves – I had picked up some of them from abroad – and hopped into a jeep and intensified my search for a new identity. Geeta (my wife) helped me with my makeover,” the actor had defined to author Rauf Ahmed.
Shammi Kapoor was named the Rebel star who dared to say no to the large banners as he was afraid of repeating himself. (Express Archive Photo)
Nasir Hussain’s 1957 movie Tumsa Nahi Dekha not solely arrange Shammi, but it surely additionally modified the way in which a Hindi movie hero appeared, behaved and most significantly danced. While a typical lead was joyful to swing across the timber, Shammi imbibed the crude strikes of Elvis Presley.
As he stepped on the ground to shoot for “Yoon Toh Hum Lakh Haseen Dekhi Hai, Tumse Nahi Dekha…”, each a part of his physique shook, there was an intense physicality to his efficiency. He had an incomparable rhythm in his physique, which satisfied Nasir Hussain to depart the filming of all different songs within the movie to Kapoor. And from right here Shammi Kapoor made his place within the trade.
Nasreen Munni Kabir summed it up in Bollywood’s Top 20 Superstars of Indian Cinema, “He exudes an immaculate and irresistible sensuality, a far cry from the heroes of the time, who anticipated romanticism but rarely sensuality. With his dreamy eyes, soft voice, charming dialogue delivery and charming personality, Shammi Kapoor channeled the raw appeal of Elvis Presley – especially during the performances of songs. “
Shammi Kapoor was named the Rebel star who dared to say no to the large banners as he was afraid of repeating himself. He additionally didn’t wish to go down the trail that different Kapoors adopted – his father Prithviraj Kapoor, identified for his large picture, and his brother Raj Kapoor, whose socialism-inspired cinema grew to become a benchmark within the trade. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai as soon as stated, “Shammi Kapoor transformed the image of a Hindi film hero from gloomy and anxious to joy in singing and dancing.”
Cinematographers obtained to see Shammi Kapoor as a person of one million expressions. He wooed a ravishing Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) with the antics of his lover boy and his dance on the shikara within the track “Tareef Karoon Kya Usse Tum Bana”. His twinkling eyes melted the hearts of his heroines and his viewers as effectively. He gave superhits along with his charming and carefree roles in films like Dil Deke Dekho, Jungle, Dil Tera Deewana, Professor, Rajkumar, An Evening in Paris and Brahmachari.
Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali. (Express archive picture)
Apart from his singing and dancing, it was Kapoor’s garments that caught the eye of the youth. His style sense had a Western affect. At a time when Bollywood heroes wore both a kurta or a shirt, Shammi Kapoor got here out in a T-shirt and leather-based jacket, which modified the way in which actors appeared on-screen. He did not draw back from attempting out pop-up colours, which had been rejected by others for being female.
Naseeruddin Shah, who claims to be an enormous fan of the late actor, as soon as stated about him, “He had a method that nobody may match, be it the way in which he danced or dressed stylishly. He would remind me of James Dean and I might surprise what he was doing right here on earth!” Well, not just James Dean, Kapoor was compared to many Hollywood stars including Elvis Presley. But Aamir Khan had said, “Shammi Kapoor is known as India’s reply to Elvis Presley, however I say that Elvis Presley is America’s reply to Shammi Kapoor.”
Even 11 years after his loss of life (he handed away on 14 August 2011 on account of extended sickness), Shammi Kapoor stays an establishment for all budding actors. He was an actor who dominated an period of Indian cinema and as Kirron Kher places it within the movie Hum Tum, “Kamal Da Banda Hai Shammi Kapoor”, he would stay the one rockstar.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
