Actor Shashi Kapoor dies at 79

Veteran Indian actor and producer Shashi Kapoor has passed away. The 79-year-old breathed his last on Monday in Mumbai, his nephew and actor Randhir Kapoor told IANS.Star of Bollywood hits like Deewar, Shaan and Namak Halal, he was the younger brother of Raj and Shammi Kapoor. His career spanned Indian and international cinema. He was also renowned for his theatre work.

Married to actress English Jennifer Kendal, Shashi is survived by his sons Karan and Kunal and daughter Sanjana. Appe-ared in a large number of Hindi films as well as in a few English-language films. He also been a film director and assistant director in the Hindi film industry.

Kapoor, who started his career as a child actor in his father Prithviraj Kapoor's plays, was well-known for his roles in films like 'Deewaar' (1975), 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' (1978), 'Junoon' (1978), 'Shaan' (1980), and 'Namak Halaal' (1982).

Shashi Kapoor was a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema. Kapoor was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) during the British Raj. He was the 3rd and the youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, the younger brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, the widower of Jennifer Kendal (sister of actress Felicity Kendal), and the father of Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and Sanjana Kapoor.

In 2011, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for his contributions to Art-Cinema. In 2015, he was awarded the 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke Award, making him the third member of his family to receive the highest award in Indian Cinema after Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor. He passed away on 4th December 2017 after prolonged liver cirrhosis at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai.        

-AA News Desk