Trilok Kapoor

Biography

A cleft-chinned, steely eyed and virile golden-era film star, Trilok Kapoor shifted from Peshawar to Bombay along with his brother Prithviraj Kapoor in the late 1920s. He became an overnight star after his debut movie Char Darvesh (1933) in 1933. The 1930s saw him at the peak of his acting ability and his popular appeal, as he often portrayed down-to-earth characters with a carefree attitude. He was known as the epitome of masculinity with his larger than life bravado and knowing smile. He starred as a romantic hero in movies like Wamaq Arza, Secretary, Pagal, Anath Ashram, and Vishwas. He also starred in the original Baazigar (1938). He was christened the 'Box-Office Prince' after a string of commercially successful historical films. In 1947, he firmly cemented his status as a golden-era legend by starring as the titular Mirza in Mirza Sahiban (1947) which became the last blockbuster of undivided India. His last memorable role as a romantic lead was Prince Badar in Pyar Ki Baten (1951), opposite Nargis. He starred as Lord Shiva in the 1955 all-time blockbuster Har Har Mahadev (1950) after which he transitioned into predominantly mythological films, usually paired with Nirupa Roy. He is remembered for his portrayal of Lord Rama Nanabhai Bhatt's Ramayana and some of the era's biggest hits like Shiv Shakti, Waman Avtar, Shiv Kanya, Jai Mahadev, Ganesh Janma, Ganesh Mahima. He remained busy through the 1970s largely in character roles.