Pankaj Kapur is an Indian actor, director, and writer who works predominantly in Bollywood films. He got into recognition for acting in Hindi films like ‘Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin’ (1987), ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’ (2003), ‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’ (2013), and ‘Jersey’ (2022).
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Pankaj Kapur was born on Saturday, 29 May 1954 (age 69 years; as of 2023) in Ludhiana, Punjab. His zodiac sign is Gemini. Pankaj completed his schooling at the Kundan Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, Punjab. After his schooling, he started pursuing engineering at Arya College in Ludhiana; however, he didn’t complete the course and dropped it midway. In 1973, he joined the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi and completed his diploma in acting in 1976. After that, he did theatre for the next four years. Pankaj Kapur is settled in Mumbai.
Pankaj Kapur’s childhood photo
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Pankaj Kapur’s father was a principal of a college in Ludhiana and his mother was a homemaker.
Pankaj Kapur’s mother
Pankaj has an elder sister named Poonam Chopra and a younger brother named Anuj Kapur. Anuj Kapur is also a theatre artist.
Pankaj Kapur’s elder sister Poonam Chopra
Pankaj Kapur’s younger brother Anuj Kapur
Wife & Children
Pankaj Kapur met the Indian actress and classical dancer Neelima Azeem and dated for a little while before they got married in 1979. The couple was blessed with a son named Shahid Kapoor who is also a Bollywood actor. Pankaj and Neelima parted ways in 1984 when their son was only 3.5 years old.
Shahid Kapur with his mother and Pankaj Kapur’s first wife, Neelima Azeem
Pankaj Kapur started dating his co-actor Supriya Pathak in 1986, and after dating for 2 years, the couple got married in 1988.
Pankaj Kapur with his second wife, Supriya Pathak
In 1992, they were blessed with a daughter named Sanah Kapur who is also an Indian actress.
Pankaj Kapur with his daughter Sanah Kapur
The couple also has a son named Ruhaan Kapoor.
Pankaj Kapur with his son Ruhaan Kapoor (left)
Other Relatives
Pankaj Kapur is related to the Indian actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah as Ratna Pathak is the real sister of Supriya Pathak and Ratna is married to Naseeruddin Shah.
Pankaj Kapur (standing on left) with Supriya Pathak (sitting on left), Ratna Pathak (sitting on right), and Naseeruddin Shah (standing on right)
Caste
Pankaj Kapur belongs to the Punjabi Khatri caste. [1]Postoast
Career
Theatre Actor
In 2016, Pankaj Kapur launched his own production house named ‘Theatreon’ under the name of which he performed his first written novella ‘Dopehri.’ The same play was also performed by Pankaj Kapur at the Delhi Theatre Festival in 2023.
Pankaj Kapur performing the play of his book titled ‘Dopehri’ at the Delhi Theatre Festival (2023)
Bollywood Actor
In 1982, Pankaj Kapur was cast in the Hindi biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi titled ‘Gandhi’ in which he played the role of Gandhi’s second secretary, Pyarelal Nayyar.
Poster of the Hindi biographical film titled ‘Gandhi’ (1982)
In the following year, he starred in the Hindi film titled ‘Arohan’ in which he played the role of a village teacher.
Pankaj Kapur (wearing white) in a still from the Hindi film titled ‘Arohan’ (1983)
In 2013, Pankaj Kapur was cast in the Hindi satirical black comedy film titled ‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’ in which he played the role of Harphool Singh Mandola who was also known as Harry Mandola.
Pankaj Kapur (right) in a still from the Hindi film titled ‘Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola’ (2013)
In 2015, he was cast in the Hindi romantic comedy film titled ‘Shaandaar’ in which he played the role of Bipin Arora.
Pankaj Kapur (left) in a still from the Hindi film titled ‘Shaandaar’ (2015)
In 2018, Pankaj Kapur was cast in the Hindi film titled ‘Toba Tek Singh,’ which was based on Saadat Hassan Manto’s short story of the same name.
Pankaj Kapur in a still from the Hindi film titled ‘Toba Tek Singh’ (2018)
Television Actor
In 1985, Pankaj Kapur made his television debut with the Indian detective TV series titled ‘Karamchand’ in which he played the role of the protagonist ‘Karamchand.’ The series was telecasted on DD National.
Pankaj Kapur (second from left) in a still from his debut TV show titled ‘Karamchand’ (1985)
In 1988, he was cast in the period television film titled ‘Tamas’ which was based on the Hindi novel of the same name. Pankaj played the role of a Thekedaar in the film. In 1991, Pankaj was cast in the Indian television drama series titled ‘Neem Ka Ped’ in which he played the role of Budhai Ram.
Pankaj Kapur in a still from the TV series titled ‘Neem Ka Ped’ (1991)
In 1993, he was cast in the Indian television sitcom titled ‘Zabaan Sambhalke’ in which he played the role of Mohan Bharti. The sitcom was the Indian version of the British sitcom titled ‘Mind Your Language’ (1977).
Pankaj Kapur in a still from the TV sitcom titled ‘Zabaan Sambhalke’ (1993)
In 2000, Pankaj was cast in the Indian Hindi-language television sitcom titled ‘Office Office’ in which he played the role of Mussadi Lal. The series was telecasted on Sony SAB which was formerly known as SAB TV.
Pankaj Kapur (right) in a still from the TV show titled ‘Office Office’ (2000)
Director and Writer
In 1997, Pankaj Kapur made his directorial debut with the Hindi TV show titled ‘Mohandas B.A.L.L.B’ in which he also played the lead role of Mohandas.
Pankaj Kapur in a still from the TV show titled ‘Mohandas B.A.L.L.B’ (1997)
In 2011, Pankaj Kapur wrote and directed his first Hindi-language romantic drama film titled ‘Mausam’ in which the lead role was played by his son Shahid Kapoor.
Poster of the Hindi film titled ‘Mausam,’ written by Pankaj Kapur
Pankaj Kapur was the man behind writing the Hindi-language indie thriller film titled ‘Sau Jhooth Ek Sach.’
Regional Language Films
In 1989, Pankaj was cast in the Punjabi film titled ‘Marhi Da Deeva’ in which he played the role of Raunki.
Pankaj Kapur (left) in a still from the Punjabi film titled ‘Marhi Da Deeva’ (1989)
In 1992, Pankaj Kapur was cast in the Tamil romantic thriller film titled ‘Roja’ in which he played the role of Liaqat.
OTT Films
In 2019, Pankaj Kapur was cast in the Hindi film titled ‘Happi’ in which he played the lead role of Happi. The film was released on the OTT platform ZEE5.
Poster of the Hindi film titled ‘Happi’ (2019)
In 2023, Pankaj Kapur was also cast in the Hindi thriller film titled ‘Lost’ in which he played the role of ‘Nanu.’ The film was released on ZEE5.
Poster of the Hindi thriller film titled ‘Lost’ (2023)
Awards
National Film Awards
- 1989: ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the Hindi film titled ‘Raakh’
- 1991: ‘Special Jury Award’ for the Hindi film titled ‘Ek Doctor Ki Maut’ (1990)
- 2004: ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the Hindi film ‘Maqbool’
Other Film Awards
- 2005: Filmfare Award for ‘Best Actor (Critics)’ for the Hindi film titled ‘Maqbool’
- 2005: Zee Cine Award for ‘Best Actor (Critics)’ for the Hindi film titled ‘Maqbool’
- 2004: The Producers Guild Film Awards for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’ for the Hindi film titled ‘Maqbool’
- 2008: Screen Awards for ‘Best Actor in a Negative Role’ for the Hindi film ‘The Blue Umbrella’
Television Awards
- 2003, 2004, 2007: Indian Television Academy Awards for ‘Best Actor- Comedy’ for ‘Office Office’
- 2002, 2003: Indian Telly Awards for ‘Best Actor in a Comic Role’ for ‘Office Office’
Car Collection
Pankaj Kapur owns a Mercedes Benz.
Pankaj Kapur (sitting at the right) in his car
Net Worth
Pankaj Kapur’s net worth is estimated to be around Rs 37 crores as of 2023. [2]Postoast
Favourites
- Director: Ebrahim Alkazi, Vishal Bhardwaj
- Actor: Om Puri, Dolly Ahluwalia
Facts/Trivia
- Pankaj Kapur dubbed the voice of Mahatma Gandhi for the English actor Ben Kingsley who was playing the lead role in the biographical film titled ‘Gandhi’ in 1982.
- On the occasion of his 60th birthday, Shahid Kapoor gifted his father Pankaj Kapur a Mercedes car.
- In 2020, Pankaj Kapur was honoured with a doctorate degree by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Pankaj Kapur (left) after receiving the doctorate degree from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
- When he was 3 to 4 years old, his mother used to prepare skits as games for him at home and that’s how he got interested in acting. Later, Pankaj started participating in drama competitions in his school.
- Pankaj’s father and grandfather both were into teaching professions and Pankaj was the first one in his family who joined the entertainment industry. His father was always supportive of his decision to act and even suggested Pankaj to get admission to the National School of Drama.
- Before getting admission to the National School of Drama (NSD), Pankaj cleared the auditions for the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII); however, he failed the screen test and that’s how he got into the NSD in 1973.
- Before joining the NSD, Pankaj appeared for the National Defence Academy examinations twice but couldn’t clear it.
- Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak met each other for the first time in 1986, during the shoot of the Hindi film ‘Agla Mausam’ which was never released due to some technical reasons.
- In 2019, Pankaj Kapur wrote his first fictional book titled ‘Dopehri.’ This novel was written by him in just four days in 1992 but released 25 years later. Initially, the novel was printed in 1994, in Sakshatkar, a literary magazine that used to be published in Bhopal.
Pankaj Kapur’s debut novella titled ‘Dopehri’
- Pankaj Kapur considers actors like Dilip Kumar, M. Nassar, Amitabh Bachchan, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and Marlon Brando his role models.
- He started doing television because filmmakers were offering him roles like the heroine’s brother, the hero’s friend, or a villain, which he didn’t like at all.
- Pankaj Kapur enjoys listening to songs and also loves painting during his leisure time.
- Pankaj was rusticated from the National School of Drama after the completion of his diploma as he started working on the biographical film titled ‘Gandhi’ (1982). He was selected to play the role of Mahatma Gandhi’s second secretary for which he got permission from the NSD itself but the school later asked Pankaj to resign from the film which he refused which is why he was asked to leave the NSD.
- Pankaj loves spending time with his granddaughter and often shares pictures of her on social media.
Pankaj Kapur with his granddaughter Misha Kapoor
