Pankaj Kapur Biography: Pankaj Kapoor is an Indian stage, cinema, and television actor from Ludhiana, Punjab. He has appeared in numerous films and television series. Dr Dipankar Roy in Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991) and ‘Abba ji’ in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003), both of which earned him National Film Awards, have been his most acclaimed film roles to date. In the 1980s and 1990s, he became a ubiquitous name as a result of his television series Karamchand, a surprisingly popular detective comedy, and Office Office, a comedic satire on the prevalent corruption.
Pankaj Kapur Biography
Early Years And Education
Pankaj Kapur was born to a Khatri household in Ludhiana, Punjab, on May 29, 1954. While growing up, he concluded his education in Punjab and developed a keen interest in theatre and acting. He enrolled in the National School of Drama in order to pursue his passion.
Pankaj Kapoor initially studied engineering in New Delhi and graduated at the top of his class in 1973. He then enrolled at the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi, where he graduated in 1976 with the ‘Best Actor Award’.
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Pankaj Kapur Career
After graduating from National School of Drama, he spent the next four years performing in theatre until Richard Attenborough offered him the role of Gandhi. He has directed over 74 plays and serials over the years, including Mohandas B.A.L.L.B., Wah Bhai Wah, Sahabji Biwiji Ghulji and Drishtanth, Kanak Di Balli, Albert’s Bridge, and Panchvan Savaar. He made his film debut in the 1982 film Arohan by Shyam Benegal. In 1982, he portrayed the second secretary of Mahatma Gandhi, Pyarelal, in Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi. Subsequently, he voiced Ben Kingsley in the Hindi version of the film.
Thereafter, he appeared in a string of powerful art films that came under the Parallel Cinema category, with leading art film directors, starting with Shyam Benegal’s Mandi (1983) and Kundan Shah’s comedy classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro again in 1983; this was followed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s satirical Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984), Mrinal Sen’s hauntingly poignant Khandhar (1984), and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s suspense thriller Khamosh in 1985. During this period, parallel cinema flourished in India, and he became a favourite of the majority of them. In the decade that followed, he appeared in numerous art films, many of which went on to receive National Film Awards.
In 1986, he made the transition to television with his memorable performance as ‘Karamchand Jasoos’ in the detective comedy Karamchand, which also starred Shushmita Mukherjee. The serial garnered him immediate national fame. Over the years, he has been seen in numerous TV serials, including, ‘Kab Tak Pukaroon’ (Doordarshan) ‘Zabaan Sambhaal’ Ke, a remake of English TV series, Mind Your Language; ‘Lifeline’ with Vijaya Mehta, ‘Neem ka Ped’ which displayed his finest acting prowess on television, and finally comic interludes in ‘Philips Top 10’ which made him once again, a favourite of the masses.
Awards
In the 1991 film Ek Doctor Ki Maut, he played the leading character of a struggling scientist, for which he received the National Film Award – Special Jury Award. With the series “Office Office” in 2000, he returned to television. In 2003, he gave an outstanding performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Maqbool. Maqbool earned him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2004. In the interim, he continued to demonstrate acting excellence in films such as Blue Umbrella (2005), Dus (2005), and Halla Bol (2007). Then, he appeared in the television series Naya Office Office, a sequel to his previous successful series Office Office.
Pankaj Kapur Personal Life
Shahid Kapoor is Pankaj’s son from his first marriage to Neelima Azeem. Pankaj married Supriya Pathak in 1984, and the couple has a son and a daughter.