Kunal Kapoor (actor)

Kunal Kapoor is a former Indian film actor of British and Indian descent. He is the son of Shashi Kapoor and late Jennifer Kendal and brother of Indian model Karan Kapoor

Family background

Kunal was born in the Kapoor family, particularly known for having produced several generations of actors and actresses. His paternal grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor and his paternal uncles are Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. His maternal grandparents, Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Kendal, were actors who toured India and Asia with their theatre group, Shakespeareana, performing Shakespeare and Shaw. The Merchant Ivory film, Shakespeare Wallah, was loosely based on the family, which starred his father and his aunt, actress Felicity Kendal.

He has two children, Zahan Prithviraj Kapoor & Shaira Laura Kapoor.

Career

Actor

Kunal mostly acted in his father's films. He made his debut with the 1972 English-language film Siddhartha in which he played the son of the title character played by his father. He then appeared in Shyam Benegal's critically acclaimed 1978 film Junoon which also featured his parents and both siblings. In 1981 he appeared in his first mainstream Bollywood film titled Ahista Ahista opposite Padmini Kolhapure. The film was a box office hit but it failed to launch his career. In 1982 he once again featured alongside his father in the much acclaimed Vijeta. After that he appeared in the controversial art film Utsav (1984) and Trikal (1985).

Director and Producer

In 1987, Kunal set up his own company, Adfilm-Valas, and started producing and directing television commercials. One of his memorable creations was the "Dream Lover" series for Bombay Dyeing, starring his brother, Karan Kapoor. Since then, he has directed more than 800 television commercials. He is considered among the leading directors and producers of commercials in India, and is considered one of the best television advertisement directors in India. He is particularly known for his large scale formats, action, glamour and humour. Of late some of the more successful car commercials in India have been produced and directed by him.

Adfilm-Valas has also line-produced for many international feature films and adfilms shot in India. Notably, the credit sequence of the film City of Joy, and the French films Le Cactus (2005) and Fire in Paradise. John Boorman, Zack Snyder, Jean Clayde Thibaut & Bruno Aveillan are some of the International Directors of commercials for whom Adfilm-Valas has line produced.

Kunal Kapoor, and with his father, Shashi Kapoor, are the Trustees of the Shri Prithviraj Kapoor Memorial Trust & Research Foundation, which owns and runs Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, Mumbai (set up and built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer Kapoor). The Prithvi Theatre aims to promote professional Indian theatre, develop new theatre talent and audience, and be a centre of inspiration for Theatre and the performing arts.

Filmography

Actor

External links

• Kunal Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database
• Fansite