One of the most cherished and adored actors of Bollywood, Shashi Kapoor needs no introduction. The late actor had charisma, a pleasing personality and a smile to die for, and all of this had helped him carve his place into millions of hearts for decades. Women were crazy for him and wanted to be with him. They would line up outside his shooting sets to get a glimpse of him. Shashi Kapoor had made his debut as an actor in the 1961 film, Dharmputra. Then, he had featured in numerous films such as Sharmeelee, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Dil Ne Pukara, Haseena Maan Jayegi, Kanyadaan, Pyar Ka Mausam, and Bombay Talkie among others.
Talking about Shashi Kapoor's personal life, the actor had fallen head over heels for a co-member, Jennifer Kendal at the Prithvi theatre group. The two had faced their own ups and downs but had taken their relationship to the next level by tying the knot despite all odds. However, soon after their wedding, the couple faced some serious financial issues as they had fallen short of money and work. In an interview, Shashi's son, Kunal Kapoor had talked about the same.
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Back in 2017, in an interview with Rediff.com, Shashi Kapoor's son, Kunal Kapoor revealed that when his father started his career in Hindi films, he had faced problems finding an actress for his film. Sharing that his father had directed only one film, Kunal had said:
"When my father was launched as a lead actor in Dharamputra, none of the actresses wanted to work with a newcomer. Nanda was the only actress who agreed to work with him even though she was a star at that time. My father directed only one film, Ajooba. The film was a big party on the sets. Everybody had a blast."
Further in the interview, Kunal had revealed that his father, Shashi wasn't interested in direction and added that he was great at his job as an actor. The doting son had also mentioned that some of Shashi Kapoor's hits are still considered classics to this date.
Elaborating on the same, Kunal had stated:
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"I don't think he was interested in direction. He is an actor. Likewise, he is not a businessman to produce a film. He made great films because he gave his cast and crew whatever they wanted. My father was one of the earliest actors to do crossover films, with the successful producer-director team of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory. He did films like Householder and Shakespeare Wallah that are considered classics today."
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Late actor, Shashi Kapoor didn't have any work or money in the late '60s and he had experienced a financial crisis. In the same interview, Kunal had said that his father had to sell his sports car, and Shashi's wife and Kunal's mother, Jennifer Kendal had also started selling things because of the same. He added that after the 1971 film, Sharmeelee, their situation had changed for the better. In his words:
"In the late '60s, he did not have any work. We saw a lot of him then. That was also the time we discovered Goa. He sold his sports car. Mum also started selling things because we didn't have money. After Sharmeelee (1971), things changed again. There have been many ups and downs, but it never bothered us."
Well, not just financially, Shashi Kapoor had suffered from emotional and health issues as well, and his condition had worsened with each passing day. For the unversed, after 26 years of marital bliss, his wife, Jennifer Kendal had left for her heavenly abode and had taken a part of him with her.
Shashi was never himself again as Jennifer's demise had left him heartbroken and consumed him. Moreover, Shashi Kapoor had started drinking heavily and had lost the will to live. Their tragic love story had left everyone teary-eyed, and whatever fate had brought upon Shashi Kapoor was unbelievable!
While Jennifer had died on September 7, 1984, due to cancer, an emotionally-drained Shashi had breathed his last on December 5, 2017.
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