page_title: Shashi Kapoor
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Shashi Kapoor / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: Shashi Kapoor at Prithvi Summertime 2010 launch
context_page_description: Shashi Kapoor was an Indian actor and film producer who is best known for his work in Indian cinema. Recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards, Kapoor predominantly worked in Indian Bollywood films. He also featured in a number of English-language international films, particularly films produced by Merchant Ivory. For his contributions to film, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan in 2011, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2014.
  Born into the Kapoor family, Kapoor was the third and youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor. He began his career as a child actor in his brother Raj Kapoor's directorial Aag, and had his first adult role in Yash Chopra's political drama Dharmputra. Kapoor was married to English actress Jennifer Kendal from 1958 till her death in 1984, and had three children– Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor. He died at the age of 79 due to liver cirrhosis.
context_section_description: Kapoor attended Don Bosco High School in Matunga, Mumbai. He met English actress Jennifer Kendal in Calcutta in 1956 while both were working for their respective theatre groups. Shashi was both assistant stage manager as well as an actor for his father's theatre group, Prithvi Theatre. Geoffrey Kendal's Shakespearean group was also present at the same time in Calcutta and Jennifer was Geoffrey's daughter. After their subsequent meeting, the couple fell in love and after facing initial opposition from the Kendals and support from sister-in-law Geeta Bali, they got married in July 1958. They acted in a number of films together, most notably in Merchant Ivory productions. They had three children: Kunal Kapoor, Karan Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor. Jennifer and Shashi established Prithvi Theatre on 5 November 1978 in Mumbai. Jennifer died of cancer in 1984 which shattered him. After losing her to cancer, Shashi Kapoor fell into a deep depression that he never recovered from. The English actress Felicity Kendal is his sister-in-law.
  Kapoor's children, for a short while, became Hindi film actors but their European looks and accented Hindi prevented them from having successful careers. His eldest son Kunal is married to director Ramesh Sippy's daughter. Kunal moved on to ad film direction and established his production house Adfilm-Valas. Shashi's daughter Sanjana, is a theatre personality and married to wildlife conservationist Valmik Thapar. They have a son named Hamir. Shashi's younger son Karan became successful in modeling and later settled down in London.
  Kapoor was admitted to the Kokilaben Hospital, Versova, Mumbai, for what was speculated to be chest infection, and died on 4 December 2017. According to The Guardian, he was in hospital for treatment from long-standing liver and heart complications, and was always helping other patients. Officially, his cause of death was attributed to liver cirrhosis. His body was cremated. Kapoor and actress Sridevi, who died in 2018, were the only two Indians honored posthumously in memoriam at 90th Academy Awards.
caption: Shashi Kapoor with daughter Sanjana in 2010
exif: {}