Another GenNext Kapur family finds feet in Bollywood

His mop of hair makes 26-year-old Aditya Roy Kapur, VJ turned actor, conspicuous. Yet, when he gets mobbed at a charity event, one wonders if life and script have merged and the young Roy is indeed in a time machine, (like his role) shouting - Action Replay. Nearly seven decades after his grandpa, 26-year-old Raghupat Roy Kapur, (RRK) a gold medalist master-cutter from the Thornton Institute in London, left his home in Lahore for Bombay to change his life's script, Aditya, along with his two elder brothers, Kunaal and Siddharth all find themselves playing out different roles, as if in one film- called Bollywood.

This is not a Manmohan Desai film and though they may sound like Amar, Akbar and Anthony, they were not separated at birth or in their youth. Yet, their story unfolds uncannily like a commercial blockbuster. Like all such potboilers, it begins with a flashback - a decade before the Partition, when a young lad dreamt of being a filmmaker. From Lahore, then in India, now in Pakistan, to Bombay may not seem like a long journey today. But in those days, for young RRK, one of nine siblings, leaving the family business was a big decision. Though, he may have outgrown the landmark departmental store, Midumal Durgadas, a.k.a Roy Bros (cheap john), which even had branches in CP, Delhi and Mall Road, Shimla, for the family, it was hard. But set sail he did, along with his family's blessings and his share of wealth, Rs 12-15 lakh, not a paltry sum in those days.

Naya Daur

In keeping with filmy fashion, he donned a pseudonym of G Rakesh and produced his first film, Shahenshah Akbar in 1943 starring KN Singh, by which time his wife and children had also joined him in Bombay. The year of Independence saw G Rakesh produce, Zanjeer in '47 and then try his hand at direction with reigning stars Motilal, Suraiya, Sitara and dancing queen Cuckoo in Lekh, in '49. Not to leave his more famous namesake (Kapoor) Raj Kapoor behind, he directed him with Nimmi in Banwar in 1950 which is where his tryst with celluloid ran dry. A note in his Famous Studio diary of 1953 lists one of his appointments at Mehboob Studio.

Action Replay

Cut to 2010. Skip one generation. Take two. "When I found my grandpa's dairy-dated 1953, from Famous Studios and saw some of the entries he had made, it was kind of strange that several decades later, we were all doing the same things, keeping appointments at the same places, meeting different people but from the same industry as him!" says Sid, (as he is fondly called), who has many a meeting with a star or a director at say Bandra's landmark Mehboob Studios or even Mahalaxmi's Famous Studio. His grandson is, of course, at the helm of one of India's leading studios, as CEO, UTV Motion Pictures.

Sid may have done a double take when he saw that he was visiting the same studios, as his grandpa did decades ago but the total filmy part of the Kapur story is yet to begin. While grandpa RKK sought his way to Bombay, their father, who chose to serve the Indian army met his to-be-bride on a posting in Kashmir (perfect locale for romance) and so Salome Aaron became Salome Roy Kapur who went onto win the Miss India in '72 (Eve's Weekly) and even flirted with a film - Tuhi Meri Zindagi - with none other than Deb Mukherjee (the young director Ayan Mukherjee's father!)

Marriage and children moved Salome from an active model (ITC Wills, Godrej, Cadburys, most textile companies, Tata, Century Mills, Calico, TBZ, Taj Mahal Tea) to choreography and here, too, destiny drove her to Bollywood again. She was part of one of the biggest films of the 70s - Bobby - choreographing Rishi Kapoor and Aruna Irani in 'Mein shayar toh nahin...', the famous actor's gliding down the stairs scene, a pretty legendary one, and a favourite for Salome's three sons as well.

Salome's skill came from her parents Sam and Ruby Aaron, both qualified dance teachers, who had introduced the Sama to India, and taught Bhagwan for Albela. "In fact, many stars were sent to them to brush up there movement skills," says Kunaal, who adds that it is none other than Sid who has inherited their nana-nani and mom's grace and is the best dancer of the three!

Present Perfect

While Salome continues with directing kids in plays in GD Somani school, where her three sons studied, Sid, Kunaal and Aditya have all found their feet in Bollywood. Though Sid admits that films were his focus, campus interviews in '97 at Jamnalal Bajaj, did not see many film companies or even broadcasters seeking fresh talent from management schools. The jobs to view were from companies like Levers and P&G. While a Sony had just begun doing the campus rounds, the salaries on offer were just around Rs 1.5 lakh as compared to a P&G who offered Rs 2.36 lakh. "Plus the FMCGs were offering perks like a chummery etc," says Sid, which is where he headed for a couple of years before moving to Star and his first big experience - the first KBC.

This admittedly was a huge learning curve from working with AB ("I was one of the many who prayed for him when he was in hospital"), to being part of a show which, as the CEO says, became part of the national imagination. "Theatres complained of low occupancies and roads were empty when KBC was aired. It was huge," adds Sid. It was a feeling he was to experience again after Rang De Basanti, one of the 13 movies his name rolls in the credits of as producer, something he credits to Ronnie Screwvala's generosity. From the elder brother to younger second Kunaal Roy Kapur, the thinker director whose grounding began with Raell Padamsee in theatre, added with a longish stint as assistant to Boman Irani. Then to his debut as film director (The President is Coming) to actor (in Aamir Khan's upcoming Delhi Belly), this one is an all-rounder. If commerce is Sid's drive, creativity is Kunaal's. The content must work for him. Flashback for him is "The dance school where we spent a lot of time as kids, watching wonderfully interesting people in and out of those doors."

Here's Looking at you Kid

Aditya's tryst began in London with Vipul Shah and Salman Khan, both of whom got very fond of him. As did Akshay in Action Replay and, of course, Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Guzaarish. Stardom has struck, and he is recognised. "I expected a bit of change, so it's cool. With two films releasing in two weeks, so many promos on air I was bound to get recognised," says Aditya who has not yet signed another film and plans include only as of the next hour. For someone who does not watch films regularly, his swears his favourite is Satya which amazed him for ist realism. When asked it's a bit of an anomaly with him, pat comes the reply, "What did you expect me to say? Pyaar ke Side Effect?" Fun dictates Aditya's life and he seems to be enjoying his life and the way his script is playing out for now. At 26, time is on his side and there is no hurry to fast forward.

Ask about grandpa and nanaji and the three brothers laugh at the thought of the 'filmy' turn to their lives. "Maybe subliminally, there may have been a thought that my grandpa was a filmmaker, but basically, we all just love the movies and found our way here," says Sid, who recalls poring over every trade magazine in his youth and does not blink when he says he has watched his favourite Sholay 30 times. The only lingering thought of grandpa that plays in the three grandchidlren's mind is a hand-written script left behind by RKK, his magnum opus on Mohenjodaro which the three just may want to see play on screen one day... till then...