Kunal Kapoor is the eldest son of Shashi Kapoor, a renowned Bollywood actor, and late Jennifer Kendal (Jennifer Kapoor). He is a former Indian film actor. He is mostly known for producing several popular actors and actresses of different generations.
Kunal Kapoor comes from the legendary Kapoor family who has all been famous actors in the Bollywood industry for over six decades. He is of British and Indian descent. His grandfather was the famous Prithviraj Kapoor, and his paternal uncles are Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. Karan Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor were his brother and sister respectively. His maternal grandparents Laura Kendal and Geoffrey Kendal were actually actors who toured across India and Asia with their theatre group, "Shakespeareana", performing William Shakespeare and G.B. Shaw. The Merchant Ivory film, Shakespeare Wallah, was loosely based on the family, which starred his father and his aunt, the actress Felicity Kendal. He was also involved in directing various television commercials.
Career of Kunal Kapoor
Kunal Kapoor made his debut as an actor with the 1972 English-language film "Siddhartha" where he enacted the role of a son to his real-life father who played the title character. He then appeared in Shyam Benegal`s critically acclaimed 1978 film, Junoon, which also featured his father, mother and both his siblings. In 1981, he did his first mainstream Bollywood film titled Ahista Ahista, opposite Padmini Kolhapure. In 1982, he once again featured alongside his father in the film Vijeta.
In 1984, he appeared in the British mini-series The Far Pavilions which was based on an epic novel of the same name. After that he appeared in the film Utsav (1984) and the critically acclaimed Trikal: Past Present and Future (1985) also directed by Shyam Benegal. He made his last film appearance in Maashuka in 1987 and has since quit acting.
Later, Kunal Kapoor established his own advertisement company, Adfilm-Valas, in 1987. Kunal directed the TV commercials and the most popular were the Bombay Dyeing series. Kunal Kapoor also manages The Prithvi Theatre, along with his father, Shashi Kapoor and Sister Sanjana Kapoor.
Personal Life of Kunal Kapoor
Sashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor are the parents of Kunal Kapoor. He married Sheena Sippy, the daughter of renowned film director Ramesh Sippy. The couple is blessed with a son and a daughter named Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor and a beautiful daughter named Shaira Laura Kapoor.
Filmography of Kunal Kapoor as an Actor
* Siddharta (1972)
* Junoon (1978)
* Ahista Ahista (1981)
* Vijeta (1982)
* Utsav (1984)
* Trikaal (1985)
* Sajan Tara Sambharna (1985)
