The 70s saw a handsome actor entering the film industry who, more than his acting, was famous for his good looks. His looks were also one of the reasons why this actor, despite giving many hit films, could never become a superstar. This actor was touted to give megastar Amitabh Bachchan competition, however, his looks often overpowered his acting skills which affected his career.
This actor, who was popular in both India and abroad, once caused veteran actress Sharmila Tagore to forget her lines during a scene. When Sharmila Tagore reportedly looked at this actor for the first time, thanks to his good looks, she forgot her lines. This actor was always offered to play romantic roles in films which often took away his chances of showcasing his talent and that's why he could never become a superstar.
The actor we are talking about today is none other than Shashi Kapoor, the third and youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor. Shashi Kapoor began his film career as a child artist with 'Aag' (1948) and 'Awaara' (1951), where he played the younger version of the characters played by his older brother Raj Kapoor.
Shashi Kapoor appeared as a child artist in many films before he made his debut as a lead hero in Yash Chopra's 'Dharmputra' in 1961. A breakthrough role for Shashi Kapoor was in 1965 when he appeared in two highest-grossing films of 1965 - Yash Chopra's 'Waqt' and Suraj Prakash's 'Jab Jab Phool Khile'.
Shashi Kapoor ruled the silver screen for four decades and took the Kapoor family's legacy forward in films. There was a time when Shashi Kapoor worked in a new director's film with a signing amount of just Rs 100.
In the year 1982, Ramesh Sharma expressed his desire to direct a film titled 'New Delhi Times'. As the film's budget was low, Shashi Kapoor agreed to sign it for Rs 101. 'New Delhi Times', after its release in 1986, proved to be a landmark film for Shashi Kapoor who won his first National Award for Best Actor for it.
Shashi Kapoor is considered a legend of Indian cinema but he also had to suffer in his career thanks to his good looks.
Reports state that Shabana Azmi also once stated that Shashi Kapoor suffered a loss because of his good looks. Director Shyam Benegal who worked with Shashi Kapoor in many films has also said that the actor was largely offered romantic roles and occasionally his beauty overpowered his talent.
This could be one of the reasons why, despite being a great actor, Shashi Kapoor struggled to become a superstar.
