Prithviraj Kapoor, the shahenshah of Bombay cinema

There are several artistes who are remembered in film history for their work. The name of Prithviraj Kapoor, founding father of the Kapoor family in Hindi cinema, is etched in history as much for his single-minded dedication and commitment to his art as for his memorable screen roles and his larger-than-life personality.

Born in Peshawar in the erstwhile North West Frontier Province, Prithviraj lost his mother when he was just three years old. He grew up in Samundri, Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), in Punjab and joined King Edward's College in Peshawar for his higher studies, carving an identity for himself in dramatics.

Having completed his graduation, Prithviraj was on his way to becoming a lawyer but failed his first-year examination as his heart was on the stage.

It was in 1928 that the doyen of Hindi cinema first came to Bombay from Peshawar. Determined to become an actor in the city of dreams, he faced the wrath of his father, dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, when the latter learnt of his son’s ambitions. Nonetheless, he embarked on his goal with vigour. He went to Imperial Studios looking for work and the owner, the legendary Ardeshir Irani, started him off as an unpaid extra.

Recalling the moment in an interview years later, Kapoor replied to Irani’s offer with “I understand, sir, the meaning of the word ‘unpaid’, but I don’t know what ‘extra’ means.” He worked in the silent film Challenge (1929) and got his first break as a hero soon after in Cinema Girl (1930), on the recommendation of Ermeline.

Described as a “sculptured Greek god come to life” by writer-director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Kapoor’s handsome personage and commanding presence mesmerized all those who watched him on screen.

After working in silent films, he was asked to work in the first talkie, Alam Ara (1931). Irani offered him the role of an old man, a sipaah salaar (general) in the film. Kapoor was only 23 at the time. Though he was not playing the lead, Kapoor accepted the role, glad to be making a transition to the future of cinema.

In 1932, he joined the Grant Anderson Theatrical Company under J Grant Anderson and performed plays by classical and modern playwrights. The plays were in English and while touring, the troupe reached Calcutta and he joined New Theatres, appearing in Debaki Bose’s Rajrani Meera (1933), Seeta (1934) and Vidyapati (1937); PC Barua’s Manzil (1936), and Nitin Bose’s Dushman (1939), amongst others.

With the success of his films, Prithviraj Kapoor returned to Bombay in 1939 as a star and worked in one of the most notable films of his career, Sohrab Modi’s Sikandar (1941). A consummate actor, Kapoor got under the skin of his character, dissolving the separation between himself and the character.

In the book Prithviwallahs, Shashi Kapoor recounted an incident that took place on the sets of the film. Prithviraj Kapoor was in costume for the part of Alexander/Sikandar when Sohrab Modi, who plays the king Porus in the film, walked in. The former did not wish Modi, nor did he get up from his seat. When Modi enquired why, he said, “Sikandar does not know Sohrab Modi.” On hearing this, Modi saluted Kapoor and said, “But I know Sikandar!”

Sikandar (1941): Masterful meeting of titans Sohrab Modi and Prithviraj Kapoor

A similar incident took place on the sets of K Asif’s magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam (1960), where Kapoor played the titular role of the emperor Akbar, immersing himself in the character once again.

Shammi Kapoor spoke about the actor's dedication in an interview with The Indian Express newspaper and said, “He [Prithviraj] would enter the make-up room saying, ‘Prithviraj Kapoor ab jaa rah hai [Prithviraj Kapoor is leaving now]. When ready, he would come out saying, ‘Akbar ab aa rah hai [Akbar is arriving now]’”. Such was his dedication that he wore the actual iron armour in the punishing heat of Rajasthan and walked barefoot in the desert in the scene where he goes to the dargah to pray for a son, refusing to shoot the scene any other way.

It was almost as if the sheer scale and grandeur of the historical and mythological films were the only genres able to do justice to the actor whose first love remained theatre.

In 1944, he established Prithvi Theatres and its first production was Shakuntala, the immortal play by Kalidas. The company toured the country for 16 years and many of its plays dealt with social and political issues of the time. Kapoor played the lead in the plays, never missed a performance, and did not employ an understudy. Despite several financial losses, he kept the theatre running with the income he made from his film career.

Fondly called ‘Papaji’, Kapoor was known for his large-heartedness. A progressive artiste, he was a founding member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). An idealist, he never bothered much about money, choosing to share it with those around him and pursuing his passion rather than amassing wealth. A sensitive and passionate man, he extended himself to people constantly, helping them out in whatever way he could. For example, he was pivotal in persuading Dilip Kumar’s father to accept his son’s acting career.

It was with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’s film Awara (1951) that Prithviraj Kapoor moved to character roles, playing father to his real-life son, Raj Kapoor. It is also seen as the first film in a long time where the older Kapoor appears in regular clothes and not in costume that he so frequently wore!

Towards the end of his career, Prithviraj Kapoor made a foray in Punjabi films, acting in the immensely successful Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai (1969) by Ram Maheshwary and Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970), directed by his dear friend Dara Singh.

In a Filmfare interview recalling his most memorable roles, the thespian summed up his career thus, “My roles are a part of life. I have lived them and I still cling to them, as I cling to almost everything, including my good old Opel Olympic which dates back to 1939. Itself heavy and ponderous, it has borne my gross tonnage from studio to studio through the years. It, too, brings back memories and is memorable.”

As the founder of Hindi cinema's first family, Prithviraj Kapoor navigated the coming of the talkies, the changing popularity of different genres, and even modifications in acting style. Yet, he embraced it all, with love for his craft and sheer humility, serving as a lodestar for future generations.