Mumbai, October 20 (IANS). Shammi Kapoor’s name became a symbol of a great change in Bollywood in the 1950s and 60s. Born on October 21, 1931 in Mumbai, Shammi Kapoor belonged to the famous Kapoor family of Bollywood. He carried on the tradition of his elder brother Raj Kapoor and father Prithviraj Kapoor, but in his own unique style. With his charismatic personality and fun dancing, he added a new color to Hindi cinema, which is still remembered today. Shammi Kapoor’s film career started in 1953 with ‘Jeevan Jyoti’, but he got real recognition in 1957 with ‘Tumsa Nahi Dekha’. This film established him as a romantic hero. His rock-n-roll dance moves and ‘Yahoo’ style in films like 1961’s ‘Junglee’ and 1964’s ‘Kajal’ drove the youth crazy. His hit songs—’Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’, ‘Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ and ‘Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera’ took music and cinema to new heights. In the 1960s, films like ‘Teesri Manzil’, ‘An Evening in Paris’ and ‘Brahmachari’ made him a superstar. Mohammad Rafi’s voice was a perfect match for him, both of them worked together in many songs. After the film ‘Manzil’ in 1974, he stayed away from lead roles, but later surprised the fans by playing cameo roles in many films. Shammi Kapoor said that the secret of success in cinema is to change yourself with time. He incorporated western music and dance into Indian films, which was a revolution for his fans. His loving style, long hair and colorful shirts are still remembered as fashion icons. If any performer in Indian cinema holds the title of ‘Rebel Star’, it is Shammi Kapoor. Rauf Ahmed’s book ‘Shammi Kapoor: The Game Changer’ carefully showcases his unique personality. A famous incident highlights this ‘game changer’ attitude of Shammi Kapoor—when he immortalized an iconic scene of the film by turning an accident into his charisma. This incident happened during the shooting of “Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra”, one of the most romantic songs of the 1964 super hit film ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’. The song was shot on a shikara in the serene Dal Lake of Srinagar, featuring Shammi Kapoor’s heroine Sharmila Tagore. Shammi Kapoor was known for his signature dance style, which he himself called ‘freestyle’ or ‘yahoo’ dancing. He danced to his tune without paying attention to the choreographer’s instructions. The song was filmed in full swing. In his excitement, Shammi Kapoor lost his balance on the narrow bank of the shikara and started sliding towards the icy water of the lake. Shammi Kapoor deliberately pushed himself full force into the lake instead of falling! He was completely drenched in water. The next moment he swam back to the shikara smiling and looked at the shy Tagore with his wet ‘Yahoo’ smile. All of this is captured in a single ‘raw’ shot. Everyone present on the set, even the director Shakti Samant, was stunned. Not only was the shot used in the film, but the scene became one of the most memorable scenes of Shammi Kapoor’s career. This anecdote illustrates that Shammi Kapoor was not just an actor but an artist who blurred the line between acting and life. He lived each of his characters with such ease and energy that even accidents became part of his style. –IANS JP/AS
When Shammi Kapoor turned an accident into a memorable scene from the film
