Aditya Raj Kapoor (born 1 July 1956) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, author and retired businessman. Born into the Kapoor family, he is the son of actors

Shammi Kapoor Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most s ...

and

Geeta Bali Geeta Bali (born Harkirtan Kaur; 15 November 1930 ‒ 21 January 1965) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Bali is regarded among the finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Bali acted in over 75 films in a career spanni ...

Early life

Kapoor was born to actors

and

on 1 July 1956 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

. He is the grandson of actor

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...

, cousin of actors

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. ...

Karan Kapoor Karan Kapoor (born 18 January 1962) is an Indian photographer, actor and model. He is the son of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal. His paternal grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor and his paternal uncles were Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoo ...

Randhir Kapoor Randhir Kapoor (born 15 February 1947) is a retired Indian actor, film producer and director who worked in Hindi cinema. Part of the Kapoor family, he is the son of actor–filmmaker Raj, grandson of actor Prithviraj and the brother of a ...

and Rajiv Kapoor. He is uncle to actors

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...

Karishma Kapoor Karisma Kapoor (; born 25 June 1974) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. One of the leading and highest-paid actresses of the 1990s and early 2000s, Kapoor is a recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and ...

and

Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...

. He attended The Lawrence School, Sanawar from 1963-1969, he later dropped out from the school. In 2023, he completed his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the age of 67 from

Indira Gandhi National Open University Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a National university, public Open university (concept), open & Distance education, distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former Prime Minister of India, prime ...

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

via correspondence.

Career

1973-2003: Assisting, producing films and business ventures

After finishing his school education, Kapoor started his acting career being an assistant director with his uncle

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

for his romantic film ''

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People *Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (surname), a list of surnames * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwrit ...

'' (1973) and then went onto work as assistant director in films; '' Dharam Karam'' (1975), ''

Satyam Shivam Sundaram ''Satyam Shivam Sundaram'' () is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Raj Kapoor and written by Jainendra Jain, starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman. It talks about the differences between physical and ...

'' (1978), '' Geraftaar'' (1985), ''

Ajooba ''Ajooba'' () is a 1990 superhero film, produced and directed by Shashi Kapoor and co-directed by Soviet filmmaker Gennadi Vasilyev. An Indian-Soviet co-production, it is loosely based on Arabic folklore such as ''One Thousand and One Night ...

'' (1990). He also did a walk-on part in the film ''

'' (1978). He turned producer with the 1989 film ''

Gawaahi ''Gawaahi'' () is a 1989 Bollywood film directed by Anant Balani. It was his directorial debut. The film stars Zeenat Aman, Shekhar Kapur, Ranjeeta Kaur and Ashutosh Gowariker. It was based on the 1934 play '' The Night of January 16th'', a ...

'', which had

Zeenat Aman Zeenat Amanullah Khan (born 19 November 1951), known professionally as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and model who mainly works in Hindi films. One of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema, she established herself as one of the highest paid ...

Tanuja Tanuja Mukherjee (née Samarth), known mononymously as Tanuja, (born 23 September 1943) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi film industry. Part of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Shobhna Sam ...

and

Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award and three F ...

in key roles. He then ventured into producing television shows; ''Ek Do Teen Char'' (1987-1988) and ''Mama Ji'' (1992-1993). After refusing to act in films, he turned businessman. His construction company developed the amusements parks Fantasy Land in Mumbai and Appu Ghar in Delhi. He also owns a truck and warehouse business.

2004-2009: Directorial ventures

After a hiatus from Bollywood, Kapoor made a comeback as writer and director of '' Don't Stop Dreaming'' and '' Sambar Salsa'' (both 2007).

2010-present: Expansion into acting

Kapoor's first important role as an actor came with

Jagmohan Mundhra Jagmohan "Jag" Mundhra (29 October 1948 – 4 September 2011) was an Indian director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his early career as an American exploitation film writer-director. Family and early life Mundhra was born at Nagpu ...

's ''

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national American financial institution * Chase UK, a British retail bank * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...

'' (2010). Following ''Chase'' he played the role of a businessman who falls in love with a prostitute in ''Mumbai 118''. Kapoor also starred in ''

Diwangi Ne Had Kar Di ''Diwangi Ne Had Kar Di'' () is a 2010 Hindi romance film/thriller film directed by Jiten Purohit and produced by himself under the banner of ''Asheema Creations''. The film was released on 19 November 2010. Plot Cast * Aditya Raj Kapoor * ...

'' (2010), '' Isi Life Mein'' (2010), '' Say Yes to Love'' (2012) and '' Yamla Pagla Deewana 2'' (2011). In 2014, he participated in the bike-ride ''India Hai'', that covered several Indian states and some nearby countries like

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

. In the same year, Kapoor appeared in the

Ashutosh Gowariker Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Indian cinema, Indian Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment ...

-directed television series ''

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

''.

Personal life

In 1982, Kapoor married to Priti Kapoor. The couple have two children together, daughter Tulsi and son Vishwapratap. He currently resides in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

Biking

Kapoor turned biker at a late age and started travelling on his bike. In 2014, he participated in the bike-ride contest ''India Hai'' that covered several Indian states and some nearby countries like Nepal and Bhutan. He wrote his first book ''Bike on a Hike'' in 2015, in which he told about his biking experiences. In 2018, he travelled through over a dozen countries over 302 days as part of his world tour on his bike Triumph Bonneville T100. He has clocked 35,000 km around the world, starting off in June 2017 from

Prithvi Theatre Prithvi Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre located in the upscale neighbourhood of Juhu, Mumbai. Prithviraj Kapoor the spearhead of one of the most influential actor and director families in Bollywood, the Kapoor family, founded the trave ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, his step-mother, Neela Kapoor, cousins

, Kunal Kapoor and friend

Jackie Shroff Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), known by his screen name Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model from Mumbai, Maharashtra, who primarily works in the Hindi film industry. In a career spanning over four decades, he ...

were also present there with his wife Priti Kapoor at the start of his journey. He also wrote a book titled ''Quest'', which documented his travelling experience of these 35,000 km on bike. It was launched in Majorda,

in 2021.

Filmography

Films

Assistant director *''

'' (1973) * '' Dharam Karam'' (1975) *''

'' (1978) *'' Geraftaar'' (1985) *''

'' (1990)

Television

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

Aditya Raj Kapoor's Official Blog
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor, Aditya Raj Living people Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors from Mumbai Film directors from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai Hindi-language film directors Aditya Raj 1956 births