Shammi Kapoor, 1931-2011
By now you all know the sad news that Shammi Kapoor passed away last weekend.
As (still) a relative newcomer to Hindi movies and an American, I don't have a lot to add to the many eloquent tributes that have been written and published over the last week. I will only say this: the essence of Shammi Kapoor's star persona was joy, love, and vivacity. His movies brimmed over with energy. And so, my own remembrance of Shammi Kapoor is a celebration, not a mourning.
I've been celebrating by listening to and watching some of my favorite Shammi Kapoor songs, including "Meri jaan balle balle" from Kashmir ki kali, "Main gaoon tum so jaao" from Brahmachari, and "Aaja aaja, main hoon pyar tera" from Teesri Manzil.
I'm celebrating with his movies as well. I began re-watching An Evening in Paris last night (I wanted to rewatch Teesri Manzil but it turns out that even my rather absurd DVD collection doesn't include it). I have plans to watch Prince in the near future and maybe catch up on some other of Shammi's movies as well.
I haven't seen much of Shammi Kapoor so far, but here are my reviews of a few of his starring roles:
- Brahmachari (1968)
- An Evening in Paris (1967)
- Junglee (1961)
- Kashmir ki kali (1964)
- Teesri manzil (1966)
Godspeed, Shammi ji, and thank you for all the smiles.
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