A unique, Sold-Out Programme at Sky Theatre on July 6 from 6.30 pm
Venkat Raman
Auckland, June 30, 2024
The immortal melodies that launched or sustained the careers of scores of lyricists, composers, conductors and singers thanks to The Kapoor Family of the Hindi Cinema can be heard at ‘Kapoors: A Tribute’ on Saturday, July 6. 2024 at Sky Theatre in Auckland City.
Singer and Organiser Arif Zia is putting together the programme with local talent and we notice from the charts that at the time of this report, only 15 tickets remained to be sold.
Please check here or https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/kapoors-night/auckland/tickets
An interminable Link
While music forms an interminable link in the Indian film industry, it has had a special bond with The Kapoors for at least three generations comprising Prithviraj and Trilok (First), Prithviraj’s sons Raj, Shammi and Shashi (Second) and Raj’s two sons Randhir and Rishi (Third). Raj Kapoor’s third son Rajiv was not successful in the film industry while his two daughters did not enter the industry.
The children of Shammi Kapoor (Aditya Raj and Kanchan) and Shashi Kapoor (Kunal, Karan and Sanjana) are also not in films.
Among the third generation, Randhir’s two daughters Karishma and Kareena have been successful Hindi actors and Rishi’s son Randhir is a highly successful actor.
The first and second-generation Kapoors took an active interest in all their films, whether they were producers, directors or just actors. Such interest ranged from serious discussions with music directors, lyricists and singers. Raj Kapoor also evinced interest in recording and re-recording all songs in his films, while Shammi Kapoor spent hours with choreographers to get the ‘right move and facial expression’ in every line. He later evolved his own unique charismatic style, including the ‘Yahoo!’ format. He found the right note of buoyancy in the voice of Mohammed Rafi.
Prithviraj Kapoor belonged to the early era of films and was cast in a supporting role in the first ‘talkie’ called Alam Ara in 1931. He is remembered for his role as Emperor Akbar in Mughal E-Azam, a highly successful 1960 film which earned him the Best Supporting Actor at the Filmfare Awards that year. The film however became equally famous for its songs composed by Naushad Ali.
Raj Kapoor, the Great Showman
As he established his R K Films and built the famous RK Studios in Mumbai’s Chembur in 1948, Raj Kapoor realised that music is a recipe for success especially in emotional dramas for which his films were famous.
He was the first son of Prithviraj and was named Shrishti Nath Kapoor and was also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor. Most of his characters in films were called Raju.
From Aag (1948) his directorial debut to Barsaat, Sangam and Mera Naam Joker to the three-generation formula film Kaal Aaj Aur Kal (which featured Prithviraj, his sons and grandsons), almost every film of Raj Kapoor was known for its melody.
Although Raj Kapoor respected all music directors and was their canny judge, the Shankar-Jaikishan duo was his choice. He introduced them to Hasrat Jaipuri (earlier known as Iqbal Hussain) and they formed a formidable team. The sudden death of Jaikishan (in 1971) and the fading of Shankar prompted him to turn to other composers- Laxmikant Pyarelal (Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Prem Rod and Prem Granth), R D Burman (Dharm Karam) and Ravindra Jain (Ram Teri Ganga Maili and Henna).
Singer Mukesh Mathur was the voice of Raj Kapoor and the similarity was incredible. There were just a few exceptions wherein a different voice (Manna Dey for Aye Bhai Zera in Mera Naam Joker) was used. Upon Mukesh’s death, Raj Kapoor, “I have lost my voice.”
The immortal songs of Sangam (the longest-running film of the time- 238 minutes with two intervals) were the combined efforts of Raj Kapoor, writers Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra and Music Directors Shankar Jaikishan. The first line of the song, ‘Yeh Mera Prem Patra Padkar’ (picturised on Rajendra Kumar in Sangam) was reportedly from a poem that Jaipuri wrote in praise of the girl he loved at school but did not dare to present), while Mujhe Budhha Mil Gaya in the same film brought a rift between singers Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.
Shammi Kapoor, another legend
Like his brother, Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor) placed great emphasis on song sequences and acted with almost all leading stars of his decades. Most music directors of his era including Naushad, Roshan, Ravi, O P Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan and R D Burman have scored songs which are lilting even today. There was a certain finesse in the melodies of the 1950s through to 1970s which were responsible for the success of movies at the box office.
From Jeewan Jyoti in 1953 to Rockstar in 2011, Shammi Kapoor worked in more than 100 films, with varying degrees of success.
After the success of songs in Dil Deke Dekho (the title track from the film in 1959) and China Town (in 1962 with Baar Baar Dekho and Dekhoji Ek Baala Jogi), he started choreographing his song sequences, the most notable among them being Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening in Paris, Pagla Kahin Ka, Prince and Brahmachari.
Shammi Kapoor was in every type of music – Ramba, Samba, Western Classical, Gypsy Music and Jazz. His loose-limbed grace and innate sense of rhythm shaking every canon of dance that Hindi films had hitherto seen on screen became his obsession.
Shashi Kapoor: Versatility personified
Born Balbir Raj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor was a versatile actor whose acting talent impressed international filmmakers such as Merchant Ivory. The songs picturised on him became hits- the films include Waqt, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Kanyadaan, Sharmeelee, Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Chor Machaye Shor, Kabhi Kabhie and Namak Halaal.
The Third Generation
Randhir Kapoor and his younger brother Rishi, both sons of Raj Kapoor were also successful film actors, with about 50 films each to their credit. Their films also featured hit songs, tuned by popular composers of the time.
