Kapoor family's forgotten hero gave more hits than Raj Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor; but was never called a superstar
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The Kapoor family is often called 'the first family of Indian cinema'. There have been clans and families in various Indian film industries from the Chopras and the Akkinenis to the Mukherjees and the Konidelas. But the Kapoors have lasted longer and given more stars. And while most Kapoor family stars are well remembered, the first of the lot is largely forgotten. This is the story of Kapoor family's forgotten hero, who was once one of the highest-paid actors in India, but could never transcend to superstardom.
The story of Trilok Kapoor
While Prithviraj Kapoor is rightly considered the patriarch of the Kapoor family, he was not the first to break through as a leading man in Hindi (Hindustani in those days) cinema. His younger brother Trilok Kapoor holds that honour. Born in 1912, Trilok was six years younger than his brother. He started his career in 1933 as a hero in the film Char Darvesh and had his first hit a few months later in the form of Seeta. By this time, Prithviraj had become an established actor, too, but he was largely playing villains and second leads.
When Trilok Kapoor was one of India's top stars
From 1933-47, Trilok Kapoor became one of the leading actors in Hindi cinema and was among the highest-paid actors. He worked opposite the top heroines of his time, including Noor Jehan, Nalini Jaywant, Sushila Rani Patel, Meena Shorey, and Sulochana. He rivalled other stars like Ashok Kumar and Karan Dewan. Yet, he was never considered the top billing in his films. While his contemporaries like Ashok Kumar and juniors like Dilip Kumar easily became darlings of the masses, Trilok Kapoor lacked that connection.
Second inning as a hit factory
In the 1950s, as Trilok entered his 40s, lead roles began to dry up for him. The actor then shifted to mythological films. He played Lord Rama in Shri Ram Bhakta Hanuman (1948) and Lord Shiva in Ramayan (1954). Both films were successful, paving the way for Trilok Kapoor to reprise these characters and also play Lord Krishna in several films. Trilok made a successful screen pair in this decade with Nirupa Roy as Lord Shiva and Parvati. From his debut in 1933 to the early 1960s, Trilok Kapoor was the lead actor in over 30 hit films. This number far exceeds the hit count of other Kapoor stars like Shammi Kapoor (28), Raj Kapoor (17), and Ranbir Kapoor (11). However, since most of these films were small-budget and low-scale, Trilok was never called a superstar throughout his career.
Later years and death
After the 1970s, the veteran actor began to play supporting roles in big films, appearing in Saudagar, Do Premee, and Ganga Jamunaa Saraswathi. He finally even worked with nephew Raj Kapoor in an RK Films movie—Ram Teri Ganga Maili—in 1985. The actor died in 1988 at the age of 76, by which time he had been relegated to doing uncredited cameos in small films. His last appearance was in a low-budget 1990 release, Wafaa.
