- Rakesh Roshan, Devata, India, 1978. At the age of 10, he used to travel by bus from Chembur to Peddar Road to take sitar lessons for a film called Tu Payal Main Geet – where he played Shashi Kapoor’s rôle as a child. Years later impr4essed by his stage workd, Shashi suggested the young Anil to producer NN Sippy. They met and didn’t fall in love! Meeting for Ek Baar Kaho,1980. Bollywood queen Shabana Azmi thought Anil a rich brat; a producer’s son, after all! “Kapoor attached to his name, makes him expect everything on a platter.” She was wrong. “On-set, he was the opposite of the upstart I’d expected. He was hungry to learn and… absorbed everything. He had trained under my acting guru, Roshan Taneja, and acting was his life’s blood. He earned my respect and we became friends.” She introduced him to Javed Akhtar, who recommended him to Ramesh Sippy, etc., etc, until he found superstardom in Meri Jung, India, 1985.
- Raj Babbar, Hum Paanch, India. 1980. The director – a gent only known as Bapu – wanted Anil to play Arjun. But he knew that Mithun Chakraborty had the best part and had no wish to be a supporting player. He helped around the set, serving the stars with cars and coffee and even waking and shaving Chakraborty every morning while awaiting his big break. Soon enough, the son of producer Surinder Kapoor, brother of Sanjay and Boney, began his career of 132 credits by 2021, including Hollywood’s 24 series and Slumdog Millionaire.
- Raj Kiran, Arth, India, 1982. Kapoor told he film’s star, Bollywood queen Shabana Azmi, how he was turned down by director Mahesh Bhatt. She interceded on the actor’s behalf and Bhatt said Kapoor should have been more aggresive about wanting the rôle and gave it to Hindi actor Raj Kiran –not the South India actor-producer of the same name.
- Javed Jaffrey, Meri Jung , India, 1985. A superstar is born… Hardly surprising as he swas part of the Kapoor Klan. The mighty Shabana Azmi suggested him for the Shatranj villain opposite the mightier Amitabh Bachchan. Director Subhash Ghai took over the project – with the new title – and promoted Anil from villain to hero when Bachchan split to try politics. Jaffrey won “the negative rôle.” It was Kapoor’s 18th film. (His character was called Arun Verma, which he kept as a lucky charm in
Mr India, 1987, and Gharwali Baharwali, 1998). He celebrated his new status by proposing to fashion designer Sunita Bhvnani. They wed that year and were still together in 2020.
- Sanjay Dutt, Khal Nayak, India, 1993. Kapoor (his brothers Sanjay and Boney act and produce in Bollywood) passed on an infamous criminal called Ballu. For all his 104 films in 30 years, Kapoor is best known, world-wide, as the condescending and treacherous host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in Slumdog Millionaire, the big winner of the 2008 Oscars.
- Dileep Rao, Inception, 2009. “I didn’t get the role, but I was on time…” The Bollywood star was delighted that director Christoher Nolan scheduled a meet about the Yusuf role. Then, his assistant’s GPS failed and they were lost in LA. “I had only 10 minutes… Suddenly, I saw an Indian taxi driver… and I said in Hindi: ‘I am Amil Kapoor, the actor from India. Please take me to this place.” He lost the role but gained Nolan’s autograph on his Dark Knight DVDs.
- Jackie Shroff, Jazbaa, India, 2015. Kapoor walked away because the rôle of Home Minister Mahesh Maklai was too small.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 7