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Kapoor or Kapur and sometimes but rarely Capoor (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰ, Hindi: कपूर) is the name of a clan of Sikhs and Hindus belonging to the Khatri caste. They are part of the "Dhai Ghar", meaning two and a half houses. Kapurs, Malhotra (also called Mehras or Mehrotras), Khanna and Seth (also called Kakkar) marry their children with each other. Kapoor can not marry a Kapoor but can only marry Malhotra, Khanna or Seth. This leaves three "Ghars" to marry out of which they are not supposed to marry any of their mother's side relatives with mother's paternal last name (it could be Khanna, Malhotra or Seth). Which makes it "Dhai Ghar Marriage that is why the word "Dhai Ghar". The clan hails originally from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. They are now spread across the world and the surname "Kapoor" or "Kapur" is a common one in India. Prominent families bearing this name include:
- The Maharajas of Burdwan in Bengal, detailed below.
- The Kapoor family of Bollywood, five generations of theatre and cinema personalities;
- Rai Bahadur Jankidas Kapur, who founded Atlas Cycles Ltd. in 1950 at Sonepat in present-day Haryana;
In addition, many notable contributors to modern Indian society belong to the Kapoor clan (see below).
The Maharajas of Burdwan
The erstwhile feudal lords of Burdwan in Bengal belonged to the Kapoor clan, and held the title of Maharaja. The dynasty was founded in 1657 by Sangam Rai Kapoor, originally of Kotli near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. The family continued as rulers of Burdwan until feudal estates were abolished by the government of India in 1955/56. During the three centuries that they held the estate of Burdwan, the Kapoor family extended their patronage to various scholars and artists, including:
- Paramhansa Yogananda, philosopher
- Sadhak Kamalakanta, Bengali poet and singer
- Gopeswar Banerjee, noted musician of Vishnupur
- Dasharathi Roy, poet and composer of Panchali
- Padmalochan, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
Several famous buildings and tanks in Burdwan were built by the Maharajas of Burdwan, including the Sarbamangala temple, the Baikunthanath Siva temple, the Shyam sagar tank, the Ranisagar tank, the Bijoy Toran and the Rajbadi (palace). In 1882, the Burdwan Raj College was started in Burdwan, which was supported entirely by the estates of the Kapoor dynasty.
Rabindranath Tagore in his "The Hungry Stones And Other Stories" writes: "the Chhota Lord had been heard to say that in all Bengal, the only really respectable families were those of the Maharaja of Burdwan and the Babus of Nayanjore."
Kapoor family of Bollywood
Main article: Kapoor Family (film)Prithviraj Kapoor (1906-1972), a noted pioneer of Indian theater and of the Hindi film industry, belonged to the Kapoor clan. He was born at Samundri near the town of Lyallpur in undivided Punjab. He moved in Bombay in 1928 and ended up founding a dynasty of movie stars and film-makers. In 1944, he started the Prithvi Theatre, a travelling theatre troupe.
In his personal life, he remained a traditional Khatri, with the women of his household remaining away from the glitter and decadence of the movie industry. That changed when his grandson Randhir Kapoor married a movie star Babita in 1971.
Prithviraj Kapoor's family mansion in Peshawar still stands, now in the possession of some Bangladeshis.
Prithviraj was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema posthumously. His son, Shashi, has revived Prithvi Theatre in his honour.
Other Prominent Kapoors
Prominent people bearing the name "Kapoor" include:
Arts and Films
- Raj Kapoor, Bollywood actor, producer and director
- Anish Kapoor, sculptor
- Sanjeev Kapoor, gourmet chef
- Ravi Kapoor, British actor
- Steven Kapur, also known as "Apache Indian," a pop singer
- Neha Kapur, Beauty queen
- Shekhar Kapur, film-maker
- Jeetendra, whose real name is "Ravi Kapoor"
- Ekta Kapoor Producer for television and movies (Bollywood)
- Tusshar Kapoor, Bollywood Actor
- Pankaj Kapur, Bollywood Actor, Film-maker
- Shahid Kapoor, Bollywood Actor
- Ishaan Kapoor
- Surinder Kapoor
- Anil Kapoor, Bollywood Actor, Film Producer
- Sanjay Kapoor, Bollywood Actor
- Boney Kapoor Film Director & Producer
- Shakti Kapoor
- Ranjin Singh, whose real name is "Dave Kapoor", Translator of the Great Khali and writer for professional wrestling
- Shivani Kapoor
- Sanjana Kapoor
- Karisma Kapoor, Bollywood Actress
- Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood Actress
- Sonam Kapoor, Bollywood Actress
Sports
- Aashish Kapoor, cricketer
References
- Genealogy of Maharajas of Burdwan
- Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on Burdwan
- History of Burdwan
- Next weekend you can be at ... Burdwan
- Vijay Manzil, the estate of the maharaja of Burdwan
- Peshawarites still remember the Kapoor family
- Prithviraj, My father by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor
- Prithviraj Kapoor