Prithviraj Kapoor: who got a job as an extra without salary but he became a hero within 11 days; Let’s know the story
In the year 1928, a burly young man entered the office of the top boss of Bombay Film Company. There was a strict Pathan guard posted at the gate; to deal with him, this man used his native language Pashto and tricked the guard and made an entry. This entry somehow got the man a job, but he got a job as an extra without salary. This man was none other than Prithviraj Kapoor, who established the foundation of the Kapoor family in Bollywood. Prithviraj Kapoor worked for 10 days and on the eleventh day he was signed as the hero for the next film. Due to his charismatic personality, he got the lead role in the second week itself. This may surprise you, maybe you won't even believe it, but it is true and also proof of his incredible charm and confidence.
How did he get his first film?
The shooting of a new film was about to start but the hero was absent. The angry director took the heroine to the place where the extras were sitting and asked her to choose her main character from among them. He pointed directly towards the heroine. Thus Prithviraj Kapoor began his remarkable journey as a great artist on the theatre stage, the big screen and in his personal life and became the father of the first family of the Hindi film industry. This family is still flourishing with its fourth generation. This family gave many legendary actors. By the way, Prithviraj is the only Indian actor who has appeared in two films with three generations of a family. His father Basheshwarnath Kapoor and sons Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor appeared together in 'Awara'. His son Raj Kapoor and grandson Randhir Kapoor appeared with him in 'Kal Aaj Aur Kal'.
A Star on Every Stage
Prithviraj Kapoor, who came from a Punjabi Khatri family, was in government service for a long time. He was born in Lyallpur and was educated in Peshawar, where he graduated from the famous Edwards College and studied law for a year, but then he decided that it was not for him and instead decided to make a film career. He came to Bombay in 1928 borrowing money from his father's sister and soon became a leading actor of the silent era. He also acted in the first Indian talking film 'Alam Ara' in 1931. His talent was also displayed in the theatre. The theatre acts 'Pathan' and 'Shylock' show his most powerful characters.
Famous for Playing Kings
You must remember Sohrab Modi's Sikandar. In this film, Prithviraj Kapoor played the role of a Greek. He was absolutely perfect in this role. His skill gave him equal status to Sohrab Modi who played the role of King Porus. It was only after this that he came into the limelight in 1941. However, years later, Prithviraj himself played the role of Porus in 'Sikandar-e-Azam'. Although Prithviraj Kapoor is best known for his role of Emperor Akbar in the 1960 classic film 'Mughal-e-Azam', he also played the roles of many other kings, whether historical or mythological. He played the role of Lord Rama twice. Apart from this, he also appeared in the role of King Dasharath and Ravana. He also appeared in the role of both Arjun and Karna. Apart from King Vikramaditya and Harishchandra, he also brought alive the characters of 12th century Chauhan Namdhari, Rana Kumbha, Emperor Shah Jahan and Raja Mansingh on screen.
Received Great Honors
When his sons took over the reins of acting in the mid-1950s, Prithviraj Kapoor reduced his work in films. Considered one of the founding fathers of Hindi cinema, Kapoor was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1969 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1971. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1960. Prithviraj Kapoor died of cancer in 1972. Now Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan are carrying forward his legacy.
