Raj Kapoor

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Lore & Background

Arjun Kapoor was born on 26 June 1985 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to film producer Boney Kapoor and entrepreneur Mona Shourie Kapoor. He is of Punjabi ancestry from both sides. He is the grandson of filmmaker Surinder Kapoor, and the nephew of actors Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor and producer Sandeep Marwah. He is the first-cousin of former actress Sonam Kapoor, actors Mohit Marwah, Harshvardhan Kapoor and producer Rhea Kapoor. He has a younger sister, Anshula Kapoor. Actress Sridevi was his stepmother, and he has two half-sisters, Khushi Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor. He was 11 when his father separated from his mother. Kapoor said in an interview about his father's second marriage: 'When we were kids, it was difficult. But what can you do? How long will you complain? You have to accept what is, take it on your chin, and move on.' He added, 'We don't really meet and spend time together so it doesn't really exist.' His mother died in 2012. After Sridevi died in 2018, his relationship with his half-sisters Khushi and Jahnvi improved. Kapoor also opened up on the bullying he faced post Boney's marriage with Sridevi. Kapoor was educated at the Arya Vidya Mandir school in Mumbai until his 11th grade. After failing his eleventh grade examinations, he quit his studies and did not complete grade 12. In his teens and early twenties, Kapoor developed obesity and approximately weighed 140 kg; he later said that due to his condition, he used to be 'sloppy, grumpy' and 'under-confident'.

Reader's Guide

Kapoor's first job in the film industry was as an assistant director on Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003. He also assisted Advani on Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007) and worked as an associate producer on two of his father's productions—No Entry (2005) and Wanted (2009). He was signed on for a three-film contract with Yash Raj Films. In 2011, a debut film named Virus Diwan was shelved. He debuted with Yash Raj Films' romantic drama Ishaqzaade (2012) opposite Parineeti Chopra. While filming a running sequence in Barabanki, Kapoor suffered a spasm in his hamstring muscle, though he finished the scene after resting for five minutes. The film grossed over ₹46 crore at the domestic box office and was termed a super hit by Box Office India. His performance earned him the Zee Cine Award for Best Male Debut and nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year (male). Taran Adarsh noted, 'Arjun makes a fantastic debut. He comes across as fiery and rustic and at the same time self-assured and assertive in this reckless and intrepid character.' His next Yash Raj film was the action thriller Aurangzeb (2013), where he portrayed two estranged twin brothers, Ajay and Vishal. Critic Rachna Saltz from The New York Times said Kapoor is a 'star of an earlier generation' and is 'well-cast and matched'. The film underperformed at the box office. In 2014, Kapoor teamed with Yash Raj Films for the third time on Gunday, a crime action film also starring Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, and Irrfan Khan. He described his character as 'temperamental' who acts in a 'moment's heat.' Gunday proved a commercial success, accumulating over ₹1.2 billion worldwide. After his three-film deal concluded, Kapoor starred opposite Alia Bhatt in 2 States (2014), an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel. He played Krish Malhotra, an IIM Ahmedabad MBA student wanting to become a writer. The project earned more than ₹1.75 billion worldwide, his biggest commercial success so far. He received a nomination for the IIFA Award for Best Actor. His last release of 2014 was Homi Adajania's adventurous satire Finding Fanny. In 2015, Kapoor featured in Tevar, a remake of the Telugu film Okkadu (2003), co-starring Sonakshi Sinha and Manoj Bajpayee as a Kabaddi player. The film was poorly received both critically and commercially. In 2016, Kapoor hosted the seventh season of Colors TV's reality series Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. That same year, he starred opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in R. Balki's satirical comedy-drama Ki & Ka, portraying a stay-at-home husband. Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today wrote that Kapoor 'looks like a mouthing sharp'. The film received mixed reviews but emerged a commercial success grossing ₹1.03 billion. In 2017, Kapoor starred in the teen romantic drama Half Girlfriend, based on Bhagat's novel, playing Madhav Jha, a basketball champion who hardly speaks English. Kapoor admitted he signed the film despite not reading the novel. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews and emerged a below average grosser. Later that year, he played twin brothers for the second time in Mubarakan, a comedy directed by Anees Bazmee, co-starring his uncle Anil Kapoor. Saibal Chatterjee wrote that Kapoor 'demonstrates a comic flair that is crying out for a better film'. 2018 to 2023 proved disappointing years in Kapoor's career, as these films were major commercial failures, except his OTT releases. In 2018, he starred in Namaste England, a spin-off to Namastey London (2007), reuniting with Parineeti Chopra. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote, 'Seriously, one more film of this quality and the careers of Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor could be in grave jeopardy.' In 2019, his first release was the crime drama India's Most Wanted, where he played an agent on a secret mission. His second release was Ashutosh Gowarikar's big-budget period drama Panipat, featuring him as Maratha commander-in-chief Sadashivrao Bhau. In 2021, his first appearance was in the black comedy-drama Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, his third collaboration with Parineeti Chopra, released on 19 March. His second appearance was in Sardar Ka Grandson, paired opposite Rakul Preet Singh. His third appearance was in the horror comedy Bhoot Police co-starring Saif Ali Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Yami Gautam.

Did You Know?

• Arjun Kapoor was 11 when his father separated from his mother.
• He weighed approximately 140 kg in his teens and early twenties and described himself as 'sloppy, grumpy' and 'under-confident'.
• Kapoor's first job in the film industry was as an assistant director on Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003.
• While filming a running sequence for Ishaqzaade in Barabanki, Kapoor suffered a spasm in his hamstring muscle but finished the scene after resting for five minutes.
• Kapoor admitted he signed Half Girlfriend despite not reading the novel it was based on.