Achal Surinder " Boney" Kapoor (born 11 November 1953) is an Indian film producer primarily associated with Hindi cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema.
Early life and education
Kapoor was born as Achal Surinder Kapoor
to Bollywood film producer
Surinder Kapoor on 11 November 1953, in
Meerut,
Uttar Pradesh, his father having to move out of their ancestral home in
Peshawar (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Pakistan) due to the 1947 partition.
Born into a
Punjabi Hindus family, he had an
Arya Samaj upbringing.
His younger brothers
Anil Kapoor and
Sanjay Kapoor are both actors and producers.
Kapoor was educated at the Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School and St Xavier's College, Mumbai.
Production career
Early career
Kapoor started his career working under legends like
Shakti Samanta, whose
The Great Gambler (1979) helped him learn editing and where he also had a small and uncredited acting role as a body double for
Amitabh Bachchan.
Despite this early foray into the film industry, Kapoor initially had no interest in movies, and was looking to seek his professional career in a
yarn-trading company.
Mr. India (1987)
The most famous film produced by him remains the
Shekhar Kapur directed sci-fi film
Mr India starring his brother
Anil Kapoor and his future wife
Sridevi. It was the second biggest hit of 1987 and remains a cult classic in India. The film was known for several of its lines and songs, including Sridevi's "Miss Hawa Hawaii" performance and
Amrish Puri's quote "Mogambo khush hua" ('Mogambo is pleased', although the literal translation is 'Mogambo became happy', it's a very awkward construct and hence the humour), which is one of the most famous quotes of Bollywood and has become synonymous with Puri.
Laxmikant–Pyarelal's music performed well too, especially the song "Hawa Hawaii" which is very popular till today. Mr India has often been featured in lists of top Bollywood films. Indiatimes ranks the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[ Kollywood: Ms. Indias and Ms. Worlds – I, IndiaGlitz. 20 May 2010] in Kannada as Jai Karnataka, starring Ambareesh. On the centenary of Indian cinema, Mr. India was declared one of the 100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time.
Other productions in the 1980s and the 1990s
His other early productions include
Hum Paanch which played a key role in establishing actors like Mithun Chakraborty and
Amrish Puri in Bollywood. Kapoor also launched many big stars of the Hindi film industry. His production
Woh Saat Din launched brother
Anil Kapoor,
Prem launched younger brother
Sanjay Kapoor and Tabu, and
Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe launched actress
Esha Deol. He produced one of the most expensive films in the history of Hindi cinema:
Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja in 1993. In 1997, he produced the box office hit
Judaai starring Sridevi and Anil together yet again with
Urmila Matondkar.
Kapoor was managing brother Anil's career well until 1999 and in 2000 he produced Pukar starring Anil, Madhuri Dixit, Namrata Shirodkar, Danny Denzongpa and Om Puri. The film was critically acclaimed and a moderate success at the box office.
Company (2002)
In 2002, he produced
Company directed by Ram Gopal Varma starring
Ajay Devgan,
Mohanlal,
Manisha Koirala,
Vivek Oberoi, and
Antara Mali. It is a fictional exposé of the
Mumbai underworld, loosely based on the
Indian mafia organisation
D-Company, known to be run by
Dawood Ibrahim. The film received positive reviews from critics as well as audience and won six out of the eleven awards it was nominated for at the
Filmfare Awards. The film received critical acclaim at the 2004 Austin Film Festival and New York Asian Film Festival.
It is the second film in the Gangster series and a sequel to the film Satya. It was followed by a sequel, D. Film critic Rajeev Masand has labelled it (along with its prequel Satya) one of the "most influential movies of the past ten years."
Later 2000s hits
His 2004 film
Run starring Abhishek Bachchan was a box office failure but has since achieved a cult status for its comedy scenes, especially the "Kauwa Biryani" scene starring
Vijay Raaz.
Following this, he produced the comedy film
No Entry that became Bollywood's biggest hit of 2005. It gained a lot of popularity grossing .
In 2009, Kapoor produced Wanted starring Salman Khan. The film broke many records at the box office upon release, due to Khan's comeback. Wanted was the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2009.[ ] It shattered records in Pakistan, grossing over in its first weekend, which was a record for any Indian film.[ ]
South Indian productions
He acquired the
Tamil language and
Telugu language remake rights of 2016
Hindi film
Pink. He produced the Tamil version of the film in 2019 as
Nerkonda Paarvai, which became a critical and commercial success. Later in 2021, he produced the Telugu version of the film along with
Dil Raju of Sri Venkateswara Creations as
Vakeel Saab starring
Pawan Kalyan, Anjali,
Nivetha Thomas and Ananya Nagalla in lead roles. The film is the highest opener in India post the COVID-19 pandemic, netting over on its first day.
Both the films are his debut into
Tamil cinema and
Telugu cinema respectively.
Other work
Acting
In 2023, he made his acting film debut in
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, playing the supporting role of
Ranbir Kapoor's father.
Cricket
Boney Kapoor also has an interest in cricket. He is the
owner of the Bengal Tigers in the Celebrity Cricket League.
Personal life
Kapoor was married to Mona Shourie from 1983 to 1996 and the couple has two children,
Arjun Kapoor (born 1985) and Anshula (born in 1990).
Arjun made his acting debut in the 2012 movie
Ishaqzaade while Anshula graduated from
Barnard College.
Kapoor married Indian actress Sridevi on 2 June 1996. The couple had two daughters, Janhvi Kapoor (born 6 March 1997) and Khushi Kapoor (born 5 November 2000).
Filmography
|
| 1980 | Hum Paanch | Hindi | Remake of Paduvaaralli Pandavaru |
| 1983 | Woh Saat Din | Remake of Andha 7 Naatkal |
| 1987 | Mr. India | |
| 1992 | Raat / Raatri | Hindi
Telugu | |
| Drohi / Antham | Hindi
Telugu | |
| 1993 | Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja | Hindi | |
| 1995 | Prem | |
| 1996 | Loafer | Remake of Velai Kidaichuduchu |
| 1997 | Judaai | Remake of Subhalagnam |
| 1999 | Sirf Tum | Remake of Kadhal Kottai |
| 2000 | Pukar | |
| Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai | Remake of Pelli Chesukundam |
| 2002 | Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe | Remake of Pelli |
| Company | |
| Shakti | Remake of Anthapuram |
| 2003 | Khushi | Remake of Kushi |
| 2004 | Run | Remake of Run |
| Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na | |
| 2005 | Bewafaa | |
| No Entry | Remake of Charlie Chaplin |
| 2009 | Wanted | Remake of Pokiri |
| 2010 | Milenge Milenge | |
| 2015 | Tevar | Remake of Okkadu |
| 2017 | Mom | |
| 2019 | Nerkonda Paarvai | Tamil | Remake of Pink |
| 2020 | It's My Life | Hindi | Remake of Bommarillu |
| 2021 | Vakeel Saab | Telugu | Remake of Pink |
| Jeet Ki Zid | Hindi | |
| 2022 | Valimai | Tamil | |
| Nenjuku Needhi | Remake of Article 15 |
| Veetla Vishesham | Remake of Badhaai Ho |
| Mili | Hindi | Remake of Helen |
| 2023 | Thunivu | Tamil | |
| 2024 | Maidaan | Hindi | |
Acting
|
| 2020 | AK vs AK | Himself | |
| 2023 | Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar | Ramesh Arora | |
Awards and nominations
|
| 1988 | Star & Style Awards | Best Film | Mr. India | | |
| 2006 | 51st Filmfare Awards | Best Film | No Entry | | |
| 7th IIFA Awards | Best Film | | |
| 2010 | 11th IIFA Awards | Wanted | | |
| Stardust Awards | Best Film – Thriller or Action | | |
External links
