Shekhar Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film director and producer. A critically acclaimed director, he rose to popularity with the movie
Bandit QueenBandit Queen is a 1994 Indian film based upon the life of Phoolan Devi. It was directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas as the title character. It was produced by Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment.The Music was Composed by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.- Plot :The film opens in the...
. His historical biopics of Queen Elizabeth I (
ElizabethElizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough...
and its sequel
Elizabeth: The Golden Age) garnered several Academy Award nominations, including two Best Actress nods for Cate Blanchett.
Early life
Kapur was born in British India (modern-day
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) to Kulbhushan Kapur, a doctor who had a flourishing practice, and Sheel Kanta, a journalist and stage actress. The nephew of actors Vijay Anand and
Dev AnandDharam Dev Anand , better known as Dev Anand , is an Indian Hindi Cinema actor, director and film producer. Dev is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and...
, he was discouraged to get into show business by his father. His schooling was at the
Modern SchoolModern School, commonly known as Modern, is a co-educational private school in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1920 by Lala Raghubir Singh and Sir Sobha Singh. Considered to be one of the elite schools, Modern is also referred to as the Eton of India. It is the first private school established...
, New Delhi. He did his economics course at
St. Stephen's CollegeSt. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...
. At 22, Kapur became a
chartered accountantChartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, having studied accountancy to please his parents.
Career
Kapur started his career working with a multinational oil company. He moved to Great Britain in 1970, and spent several years working as an accountant and management consultant.
He started his career as an actor in the movie
Jaan Hazir Hai (1975) and later in
Toote KhiloneToote Khilone is a 1978 Bollywood film produced by Prem Sawhney and Mahendra Shah. The film is directed by Ketan Anand . The film stars Ketan's cousin Shekhar Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Utpal Dutt. The films music is by Bappi Lahiri...
in
BollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
. He also appeared in several Hindi TV serials, like
UdaanUdaan was the name of a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on the Indian Television channel DD National in 1989 - 91. The serial was written and directed by Kavita Choudhary who was also the main lead of the serial. It also starred Shekhar Kapur in a cameo. It was probably the first Indian...
opposite Kavita Chaudhary, and films, but failed to flourish as an actor.
He turned director with
MasoomMasoom is a 1983 Indian film and Shekhar Kapur's first directorial venture. The critically acclaimed film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Tanuja, Supriya Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey, as well as child actors Jugal Hansraj, Aradhana and Urmila Matondkar. The screenplay and dialogues were...
(1983). He then directed the 1987 science-fiction film
Mr. India which was one of the most successful films of the 1980s. In 1994 he directed the critically acclaimed
Bandit Queen and also played a cameo in the film as a truck driver.
Kapur was also partly involved in the production of several Bollywood films. He partly directed the movie
Joshilay (1989), which starred
Sunny DeolSunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
,
Anil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
, Sridevi and Meenakshi Sheshadri. In 1992 he was set to direct another science-fiction film titled
Time Machine, which was to star
Aamir KhanAamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, director and producer who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema....
,
Raveena TandonRaveena Tandon is a National Film Award winning Indian actress, producer, and a former model. She has primarily worked in Bollywood films, though she appeared in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films as well....
,
Naseeruddin ShahNaseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
and Rekha. However, halfway through production, financial problems forced the film to be abandoned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3b6GQXSAxg. He partly directed
DushmaniDushmani is a 2009 Hindi-language Indian film directed by Imran Khalid, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Armaan Kohli, Faisal Khan and Puru Raajkumar-Plot:...
, starring
Sunny DeolSunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
,
Jackie ShroffJackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
and
Manisha KoiralaManisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
.
In 1998, he received international recognition for directing the Academy Award-winning period film
ElizabethElizabeth is a 1998 biographical film written by Michael Hirst, directed by Shekhar Kapur, and starring Cate Blanchett in the title role of Queen Elizabeth I of England, alongside Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant and Richard Attenborough...
. A fictional account of the reign of
Queen ElizabethElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, the movie was nominated for 7
OscarAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
s. The 2007 sequel,
Elizabeth: The Golden Age, was nominated for 2
OscarAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
s. He was accused of being anti-British by British tabloids for his portrayal of the British Army and the Empire in the 2002 movie
The Four FeathersThe Four Feathers is a 2002 action drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson...
. This perception was heightened by the fact that during an interview for the DVD release of
The Four Feathers, he spoke favourably of the
MahdiMuhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself as the Mahdi or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith...
, a fanatical religious leader depicted in the film.
Kapur was the executive producer of the film
The Guru. He also established an Indian film company with Ram Gopal Verma and Mani Ratnam, though the group has thus far produced only one film,
Dil SeDil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film...
(1998), starring
Shahrukh KhanShahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
and
Manisha KoiralaManisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
. He was also executive producer of the
BollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
-themed
Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musicalMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Bombay DreamsBombay Dreams is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan,and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years...
, which has been running in
the West EndWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, London since 2002, and on
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in New York City since 2004.
In 2005, Kapur worked with Okan Quail on
Hunji!, a story of a young Indian maid who idolised
Sachin TendulkarSachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
. Some claim that this was his finest film ever. Critics across the UK and India called it a flop.
In 2006, Kapur formed
Liquid ComicsLiquid Comics is a comic book company, founded in 2006 as Virgin Comics LLC, which produced stories for an international audience. The company was founded by Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group, author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan, Suresh...
and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for a global audience. Its Shakti titles debuted with
Devi and
The SadhuThe Sadhu is a comic book series based on the character of the same name. The Sadhu was created by Gotham Chopra and Jeevan Kang and the series is part of the Shakti line of comics published by Virgin Comics....
.
Devi is about "a fierce feminine warrior, stronger than the Gods themselves . . . a champion of the heavens, and the protector of man;" and
The Sadhu is about one man's choice between his spiritual oath and his human instinct,"
In an unusual role, Kapur provided the voice of
Mahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
in the Charkha Audio books title of
The Story of My Experiments with TruthThe Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through to 1920. It was initiated at the insistence of Swami Anand and other close co-workers of Gandhi, for him to explain the background of his public campaigns...
, alongside
Nandita DasNandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...
as narrator.
He served as judge on a reality TV series,
India's Got TalentIndia's Got Talent is the Indian franchise of the Got Talent series, and is a cooperative effort between India's TV channel Colors and Britain's FremantleMedia. The first episode of India's Got Talent premiered on June 27, 2009. India's Got Talent follows the global Got Talent format, in which...
, aired on Colors. He was a member of the jury at the
2010 Cannes Film FestivalThe 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...
in May 2010.
Future projects
His future projects include
Long Walk to FreedomLong Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work written by Nelson Mandela, and published in 1995 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Mandela was once regarded as a terrorist but he is now regarded as uncontroversial...
,
Paani,
The Last Full Measure. A third episode in the Queen Elizabeth series is planned. According to screenwriter
John RogersJohn Rogers is a screenwriter, comedian, film producer, and comic book writer. Although born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he attended McGill University in Montreal and is better known publicly as a Canadian writer...
, the success of
Elizabeth led to Kapur being tapped to work on an adaptation of
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Foundation Trilogy, but the project was eventually shelved. Kapur also tentatively planned to helm a motion picture account of the life of the Buddha, entitled
Buddha, but the plans were later dropped for unstated reasons. He also planned to adapt
LarklightLarklight is a children's novel by author Philip Reeve. Illustrated by David Wyatt, it is the first book in the Larklight Trilogy. The hardcover edition has alternate title lines Or the Revenge of the White Spiders! or to Saturn's Rings and Back!...
, a book by
Philip ReevePhilip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
.
In an interview with
Associated ContentAssociated Content is a division of Yahoo that focuses on online publishing. Yahoo's Associated Content distributes a large variety of writing through its website and content partners, including Yahoo News.-History:...
, Kapur announced he is no longer attached to
LarklightLarklight is a children's novel by author Philip Reeve. Illustrated by David Wyatt, it is the first book in the Larklight Trilogy. The hardcover edition has alternate title lines Or the Revenge of the White Spiders! or to Saturn's Rings and Back!...
.
He is set to direct
Paani. The film will be produced by
Danny BoyleDaniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
. Its music will be composed by
A. R. RahmanAllah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
. The announcement for the film was made at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival in 2010.
Filmography
Direction Filmography
| Year | Title |
| 1983 |
Masoom Masoom is a 1983 Indian film and Shekhar Kapur's first directorial venture. The critically acclaimed film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Tanuja, Supriya Pathak and Saeed Jaffrey, as well as child actors Jugal Hansraj, Aradhana and Urmila Matondkar. The screenplay and dialogues were...
|
| 1987 |
Mr. India |
| 1989 |
Joshilay (Co director) |
| 1992 |
Time Machine |
| 1994 |
Bandit QueenBandit Queen is a 1994 Indian film based upon the life of Phoolan Devi. It was directed by Shekhar Kapur and starred Seema Biswas as the title character. It was produced by Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment.The Music was Composed by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.- Plot :The film opens in the...
|
| 1998 |
Elizabeth |
| 2002 |
The Four Feathers The Four Feathers is a 2002 action drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, Djimon Hounsou and Kate Hudson...
|
| 2007 |
Elizabeth: The Golden Age |
| 2008 |
New York, I Love You New York, I Love You is a 2009 romance film released in the United States on October 16, 2009. From the producer of Paris, je t'aime, it stars an ensemble cast, among them Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Anton Yelchin, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Irrfan Khan, Rachel Bilson,...
|
| 2009 |
Dushmani Dushmani is a 2009 Hindi-language Indian film directed by Imran Khalid, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Armaan Kohli, Faisal Khan and Puru Raajkumar-Plot:...
(Co director) |
| 2009 |
Passage Passage is a 2009 short drama film, directed by Shekhar Kapur, written by Sheila Callaghan and Amy Kaufman, composed by A.R. Rahman, and starring Haley Bennett, Julia Stiles and Lily Cole. It was shot in Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina...
|
| 2012 |
Paani(pre-production) |
| 2012 |
Mallory(pre-production) |
Acting Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1974 |
Ishq Ishq Ishq |
|
| 1975 |
Jaan Hazir Hai Jaan Hazir Hai is a 1975 Bollywood film directed byManohar Nath Rangroo.-Cast:*Urmila Bhatt*Iftekhar*Jankidas*Trilok Kapoor*Shekhar Kapur*Prem Krishan*Murad*Natasha*Ranjan*Komilla Wirk...
|
|
| 1978 |
Toote Khilone Toote Khilone is a 1978 Bollywood film produced by Prem Sawhney and Mahendra Shah. The film is directed by Ketan Anand . The film stars Ketan's cousin Shekhar Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and Utpal Dutt. The films music is by Bappi Lahiri...
|
|
| 1979 |
Jeena Yahan Jeena Yahan is a 1979 Bollywood film directed by Basu Chatterjee.Produced by N.P Ali/Jamu Pictures-Cast:*Shekhar Kapur*Shabana Azmi*Dina Pathak*Sunder*Purohit*Devendra Khandelwal *Kiran Vairale*V.K. Pathak...
|
|
| 1980 |
Khanjar Khanjar is a 1980 Hindi language film produced and directed by Atmaram. This action thriller casts Navin Nischol in the lead with the support cast of Reena Roy, Suresh Oberoi, Amjad Khan, Jankidas, Jayshree T., Jeevan, K. N. Singh, Mehmood, Murad, Reeta Bhaduri, Sajjan, Shekhar Kapur...
|
Ramesh |
| 1984 |
Bindiya Chamkegi -Plot:Shalini 'Shalu' lives a wealthy lifestyle with her businessman brother, Shyam Kapoor, and is expected to marry Surajbhan, the son of wealthy Thakursaheb. She would prefer that Shyam got married first so that he can have someone to look after him, but as he was in love with a woman named Maya,...
|
Raj A. Kumar |
| 1988 |
Falak (The Sky) A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1988:-Highest grossing:# Tezaab Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Chunkey Pandey# Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan, Meenakshi Sheshadri# Paap Ki Duniya Sunny Deol, Neelam, Chunkey Pandey...
|
Inspector - Jimmy |
| 1989 |
Gawaahi Gawaahi is a 1989 Bollywood film directed by Anant Balani on his directorial debut. The film starred Zeenat Aman, Ashutosh Gowariker, Shekhar Kapur and Ranjeeta...
|
|
| 1990 |
Drishti Drishti is a 1990 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani, and stars Dimple Kapadia , Shekhar Kapur and Irrfan Khan. The film is one of the rare film to have music direction by noted classical singer, Kishori Amonkar....
|
Nikhil |
| 1991 |
Nazar Nazar may refer to:* Nazar , or evil eye stone, is an amulet of stone or glass which is believed to protect against evil eye, widely used in Turkey* Nazar , a masculine given name....
|
Antique Dealer/Money Lender |
| 1992 |
Saatwan Aasman |
Dev |
As a Producer
- 1998 Dil Se
Dil Se is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta. Mani Ratnam also co-wrote the screenplay for the film...
... (executive producer)
- 2002 The Guru (executive producer)
- 2011 Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told (documentary)
- 2012 Paani (pre-production)
External links