Happy Birthday Pankaj Kapur: 5 Iconic Roles of the Veteran Actor

One of the most respected veterans of Indian theatre, cinema and television, actor Pankaj Kapur turns 67 today. Kapur has appeared in about 50 films, including many parallel cinema titles, television projects and has even directed a film named Mausam (2011), starring his son Shahid Kapoor. On the occasion of his birthday, we take a look at five career-defining performances of this three-time National Film Awards winner.

Raakh (1989)

In this Aditya Bhattacharya film, Kapur plays Inspector PK, a cop who, for personal reasons, decides to help a man(Aamir Khan) take revenge against a criminal (Madhukar Toradmal) for raping a woman (Supriya Pathak) he loves. Kapur won the Best Supporting Actor trophy for Raakh at the 1989 National Film Awards ceremony.

Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990)

Kapur essays the role of Dr Dipankar Roy, a character based on real-life physician Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyay. He pioneered in-vitro fertilization in India and successfully produced a child through the process, but was shunned and harassed by the then Indian government and his scientific achievement were suppressed. He took his own life. The film dramatises these events. Kapur received a Special Jury Award at the 1990 National Film Awards for the role.

Office Office (2000)

Office Office was a highly successful sitcom that satirised corruption in Indian government offices. Kapur’s character Mussadi Lal Tripathi represented the common man suffering due to systemic corruption. The show was revived for a second season and a film.

Maqbool (2004)

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth saw Kapur essay the role of Jahangir “Abbaji” Khan, an underworld don, based on King Duncan in the play. Maqbool achieved international critical acclaim and won Kapur his third National Film Award.

The Blue Umbrella (2005)

Kapur re-teamed with Vishal Bhardwaj for this film, based on the Ruskin Bond’s novel with the same title. He plays Nandakishore Khatri, the owner of the sole shop at a small village in northern India. Khatri becomes jealous of a little girl’s (Shreya Sharma) Japanese umbrella and plots to acquire it by hook or crook.

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