Shashi Kapoor

Bollywood actor who also starred in British and American films

Shashi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actor and producer from the 1970s and 80s, has died after a long illness. He was 79.

Kapoor acted in more than 100 Hindi films and was also a key theatre personality. He also appeared in British and American movies produced by Merchant Ivory.

His English-language movies included The Householder in 1963, Shakespeare Wallah in 1965, Bombay Talk- ie in 1970 and Heat and Dust, in which he co-starred with his wife, British actress Jennifer Kendal, in 1982.

Some of his popular Bollywood films were Deewar (Wall), Kabhie Kabhie (Sometimes), Namak Hala (Loyal Servant) and Kaala Pathar (Black Rock).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come.”

Kapoor was a member of a family dynasty in the Bollywood film industry. He was the youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, a veteran of Bollywood and the theatre.

Shashi Kapoor began acting at four in plays produced and directed by his father and started in films as a child actor in the late 1940s. He made his debut as a leading actor in movies in 1961.

He is survived by two sons and a daughter. His wife died in 1984.