Mumbai, Nov 3 (IANS) The Kapoor family patriarch, Prithviraj Kapoor’s archival pictures were released on his birthday, by his great grandson Zahan Kapoor, and it offers a whole bouquet of memories. One of the pictures features him along with his son, Shashi Kapoor who was 8 years old at the time.
The picture is from the play, ‘Shankuntala’, which marked the first production of Prithvi Theatres in 1944. While Prithviraj Kapoor essayed the role of Dushyant, his son Shashi Kapoor played the role of Bharat.
Zahan Kapoor took to his Instagram on Tuesday, and shared a joint post featuring a series of pictures of Prithviraj Kapoor on his birth anniversary.
‘Shakuntala’, which was based on the eponymous Sanskrit play by Kalidasa, was the inaugural production of Prithvi Theatres, founded by actor Prithviraj Kapoor on January 15, 1944. Uzra Mumtaz, younger sister of legendary actor Zohra Sehgal, portrayed Shakuntala. The production marked Kapoor's ambitious entry into organised repertory theatre.
Prithvi Theatres, which was conceived as a travelling theatre company, went on to perform across 112 towns in India, staging 2,662 shows over 5,982 days. Prithviraj Kapoor himself appeared in every performance. The company subsequently became known for socially relevant plays addressing contemporary issues.
Other pictures include Prithviraj Kapoor and HIS wife Rama in a relaxed mood at Raj Kapoor's house in Chembur, him recording a Prithvi Theatres play at the All India Radio studio, him posing with the troupe at the Delhi Station after a tour of Kashmir in 1952, him with his 2nd son, Shammi Kapoor, meeting his audience after a show, in his late 40s, and early 30s.
Prithviraj Kapoor’s roots belonged to the present day Pakistan. He was born in Samundri, in undivided Punjab's Lyallpur district, now Faisalabad, Pakistan. His father served as a police officer. Kapoor spent his formative years between Lyallpur and Peshawar, studying at Edwardes College before moving to Bombay in 1928 to pursue acting.
Following the Partition of India in 1947, he left his birthplace and childhood homes across the newly drawn border. He reportedly longed to revisit Samundri but never got the opportunity. The displacement remained a personal tragedy, even as he built an enduring theatrical and cinematic legacy in India through Prithvi Theatres.
--IANS
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