Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor Biography

• Full Name: Anil Surinder Kapoor
  Date of Birth: 24 December 1956
  Place of Birth: Chembur, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India
  Profession: Actor, Producer
  Industry: Hindi cinema, international films, Indian television

Anil Kapoor was born on 24 December 1956 in Chembur, Mumbai, to Nirmal Kapoor and the film producer Surinder Kapoor. He is the second of four children and grew up inside the film business: his elder brother Boney Kapoor is a producer and his younger brother Sanjay Kapoor is an actor. He was educated at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School, Chembur, and at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. In a career spanning more than 40 years he has appeared in over 100 films and won two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards.

Family

He married Sunita Bhavnani, a costume designer, in 1984. They have three children:

• Sonam Kapoor (born 1985) – actress
• Rhea Kapoor (born 1987) – film producer
• Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor (born 1990) – actor

The wider Kapoor family is heavily involved in cinema: the actors Arjun Kapoor, Mohit Marwah and Ranveer Singh are his nephews, and Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor are his nieces. The late Sridevi and the producer Mona Shourie Kapoor, both married to his brother Boney, were his sisters-in-law.

Film Career

Kapoor made his Hindi film debut in a small role in the romance Hamare Tumhare (1979), then starred in the Telugu film Vamsa Vruksham (1980) and the Kannada film Pallavi Anupallavi (1983). His first three successes — Mashaal (1984), Woh 7 Din (1984) and Meri Jung (1985) — made him a star.

Through the 1980s and 1990s he delivered a long run of hits, including:

• Karma (1986) and Mr. India (1987) – the latter a cult classic in which he played the invisible hero.
• Tezaab (1988) – a huge commercial success that won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
• Ram Lakhan (1989) – an action drama that became one of the decade’s defining films.
• Parinda (1989) – a crime drama that showed his intense side.
• Lamhe (1991), Beta (1992) opposite Madhuri Dixit, 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Virasat (1997).
• Biwi No.1 (1999) and Taal (1999) – the latter won him Filmfare, IIFA, Screen and Zee Cine awards for Best Supporting Actor.

He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for Pukar (2000). After a difficult stretch in the early 2000s he returned with the multi-starrers No Entry (2005) and Welcome (2007), then moved into major supporting roles in Race (2008), Race 2 (2013), Shootout at Wadala (2013), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Mubarakan (2017), Total Dhamaal (2019), Malang (2020), Jugjugg Jeeyo (2022), Animal (2023) and Fighter (2024).

Top Movies

Some of Anil Kapoor’s most memorable films include:

• Mashaal
• Mr. India
• Tezaab
• Ram Lakhan
• Parinda
• Lamhe
• Beta
• 1942: A Love Story
• Virasat
• Taal
• Pukar
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Dil Dhadakne Do

Producing

Kapoor produces films under his banner Anil Kapoor Films & Communication Network. His credits include Badhaai Ho Badhaai (2002), My Wife’s Murder (2005), Gandhi, My Father (2007), Aisha (2010), Khoobsurat (2014), Veere Di Wedding (2018), Fanney Khan (2018), Thar (2022), Thank You for Coming (2023), Crew (2024) and Subedaar (2026). Gandhi, My Father won the National Film Award for the Special Jury Award and the Zee Cine Award for Best Film (Critics).

International Work

Kapoor’s first international film role was in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (2008), whose cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. He went on to star as Kamistan’s President Omar Hassan in season eight of the American series 24 (2010) and played a role in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). In 2013 he became the first Indian actor invited to the “In Conversation” segment at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Television

• 24 (2010) – season eight of the American series, as President Omar Hassan.
• 24 (2013–2016) – the Indian remake, in which he played Jai Singh Rathore and also served as producer.
• The Night Manager (2023) – the Indian remake, as Shailendra Rungta.
• Bigg Boss OTT 3 (2024) – host.

Anil Kapoor – Recent Releases

• Alpha (2026) – as Colonel Vikrant Kaul.
• Subedaar (2026) – title role as Subedaar Arjun Maurya; he also produced.
• War 2 (2025) – as Colonel Vikrant Kaul.
• Fighter (2024) – as Rakesh “Rocky” Jai Singh.
• Savi (2024) – as Joydeep Paul.

Upcoming Projects

• King – Siddharth Anand’s action thriller with Shah Rukh Khan; filming.
• Dragon – a Telugu film in which he plays NCB chief Raghuveer Rathod; filming, announced for 2027.
• Family Business – a Netflix series in which he plays Jeh Davar.

Honours and Recognition

• Nata Kalaratna, Government of Andhra Pradesh (1997).
• Awadh Samman, Government of Uttar Pradesh (2002).
• Appointed a global brand ambassador of South Africa (2006).
• Honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and the Cairo International Film Festival (both 2009).
• Selected as a jury member for Tony Blair’s foundation (2010).
• Conferred the title Lalitha Kala Samrat by the Government of Andhra Pradesh (2011).
• Teacher’s Global Indian Achiever Award (2012).
• Excellence in World Cinema Award, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (2015).
• Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award, Government of Maharashtra (2016).
• Appeared four times in Box Office India’s “Top Actors” list (1988–1990 and 1992), and in Outlook India’s “75 Best Bollywood Actors” list (2022).

Anil Kapoor Awards List