Sanjana Kapoor (born 1967) is an Indian theatre personality and former film actress. She is the daughter of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor. She ran the Prithvi Theatre in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

from 1993 to February 2012.

Biography

Sanjna Kapoor was born in the

Kapoor family The Kapoor family
The New York Times. 30 April 2020. is a prominent Indian show business fa ...

. Her paternal grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor and her paternal uncles were

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

and

Shammi Kapoor Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards, winning in the categories of Best Actor for ...

. Her brothers

Kunal Kapoor Kunal Kapoor may refer to: * Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1959), Indian film actor * Kunal Kapoor (actor, born 1977), Indian actor, writer and entrepreneur * Kunal Kapoor (cricketer) (born 1987), Indian cricketer * Kunal Karan Kapoor (born 1982), In ...

and Karan Kapoor have also acted in some films. Her 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 her father and her aunt, actress

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her ...

. Sanjana attended the Bombay International School in Mumbai. She made her acting debut in the 1981 film ''

36 Chowringhee Lane ''36 Chowringhee Lane'' is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. It marked the directorial debut of Sen, who had until then been known as a leading actress of Bengali cinema. The film was very well receiv ...

'' which was produced by her father and starred her mother Jennifer Kendal in the lead. She played the younger version of the character her mother played. She later appeared in '' Utsav'' (1984), also produced by her father, and played her first leading role in a

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

film titled ''

Hero Hiralal ''Hero Hiralal'' is a 1988 Indian film directed by Ketan Mehta, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Sanjana Kapoor in leading roles. It is a movie about an auto rickshaw driver who falls in love with a film actress. The movie showcased performances b ...

'' (1989), which was successful at the box office. She then appeared in

Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...

's critically acclaimed film '' Salaam Bombay'' in 1988 but has since quit acting in films, shifting her focus to theatre in the 1990s. In 1991, she played the role of the Japanese wife in the theatre Production of

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's immortalised film '' Rashomon'' based on the Broadway play by Fay and Michael Kanin. She has also acted in A.K. Bir's ''

Aranyaka The Aranyakas (; sa, आरण्यक; IAST: ' ) are the part of the ancient Indian Vedas concerned with the meaning of ritual sacrifice. They typically represent the later sections of the Vedas, and are one of many layers of the Vedic texts ...

'' (1994). She hosted the ''Amul India Show'' on television for three and a half years. She managed the Prithvi Theatre in Juhu,

and ran theatre workshops for children till 2011. In 2011, she announced her decision to leave Prithvi Theatre, and launched ''Junoon Theatre'' in 2012, an arts based organization which would work with traveling groups; staging plays at smaller venues across India. Sanjna Kapoor was awarded the French honour of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) for her outstanding contribution to theatre in 2020.

Personal life

Sanjana Kapoor has been married twice. Her first husband was actor and director

Aditya Bhattacharya Aditya Bhattacharya (born 1965) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, most known for his feature film, ''Raakh'' (1989), starring Aamir Khan and Pankaj Kapur, which garnered three National Film Awards. He is the son of film director Basu ...

(famous for '' Mandi'' and ''

Raakh ''Raakh'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Aditya Bhattacharya, starring Aamir Khan and Supriya Pathak in the lead roles with Pankaj Kapur, Gajanan Bangera and Jagdeep. The film was Aamir Khan's first movie after '' ...

''), son of filmmaker

Basu Bhattacharya Basu Bhattacharya (1934–19 June 1997) was an Indian film director of Hindi films. He is perhaps best known for his 1966 film ''Teesri Kasam'', starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman (based on the short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam" by Phanish ...

and Rinki Bhattacharya (daughter of noted filmmaker

Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...

). Kapoor then married the tiger conservationist, Valmik Thapar, son of the journalist Romesh Thapar. Valmik is a nephew of JNU historian Romila Thapar (sister of Romesh Thapar). Sanjana and Valmik have a son together, Hamir Thapar.

Filmography

References

External links

*
''Carrying On With Family Tradition'', An Interview

The Moving Stage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor, Sanjna 1967 births Living people Indian film actresses Actresses from Mumbai Indian theatre managers and producers Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses of European descent in Indian films Actresses of European descent in Bollywood films Indian people of English descent Sanjana Indian women theatre directors Businesspeople from Mumbai 20th-century Indian businesswomen 20th-century Indian businesspeople 21st-century Indian businesswomen 21st-century Indian businesspeople