This forgotten member of the Kapoor family worked as an extra and neve did a lead role in Bollywood. Even Raj Kapoor never cast him
The Kapoor family is easily the most recognised and influential family in the history of Indian cinema. But that does not mean that all their members have been successful and famous. Some of them have proverbially slipped through the cracks over the years. One even worked as an extra and never got a lead role despite working for 50 years. This is the story of Ravindra Kapoor, the most unsuccessful member of the illustrious family
1. Who was Ravindra Kapoor?
Ravindra Kapoor was born in Punjab. His brother Kamal Kapoor was an actor of note in Bollywood. Ravindra and Kamal were first cousins of Prithviraj Kapoor, and uncles to Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, and Shashi Kapoor
2. Ravindra Kapoor’s film career
Ravindra – who also spelled his name as Ravinder – began his film career in the early 50s, following in the footsteps of his brother Kamal. For the majority of 50s and 60s, he appeared as an extra, sometimes playing characters with no names in films like Paisa, Saat Saliyan, Kunwari, among others
3. Ravindra Kapoor in Punjabi cinema
It was in the Punjabi language that Ravindra Kapoor found some amount of success, appearing in major roles in films like Shokan Mele Di and Pind De Kuri, which were successful
4. Ravindra Kapoor’s disappointments in Bollywood
But despite becoming a hero in Punjabi films, Ravindra Kapoor remained a support act in Hindi cinema, relegated to playing supporting roles to other bigger actors, such as Jitendra, Dharmendra, and others
5. Ravindra Kapoor’s later career
Ravindra Kapoor’s most prominent outing was in Caravan, the 1971 hit, in which he played Jitendra’s best friend. The actor continued to work after this, appearing in major films such as Agent Vinod, The Burning Train, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
6. Ravindra Kapoor’s equation with Raj Kapoor
Ravindra Kapoor was one of the only Kapoor family members never to work in an RK Films’ production. Raj Kapoor, his second cousin, never cast him any of his films