Besides being an excellent actor, Annu Kapoor has been a singer, director, radio jockey and television presenter. In his career spanning over 40 years in the Hindi film industry he has worked as an actor, producer, director and singer. He has appeared in over a hundred films. He won the hearts of the audience for his roles in films like Shaukeen, Dharam Sankat Mein, Dream Girl, Jolly LLB and Vicky Donor among others. Born on February 20, 1956, in Bhopal, Annu Kapoor will turn 66 years this Sunday.
Annu has seen a lot of ups and downs in his life. He wanted to be an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, but something else was written in fate. He came to Mumbai after his studies to try his luck in Bollywood. In 2020, in a social media post he narrated his struggle of 38 years in Hindi film industry. In an Instagram post on June 19, 2020, he said that he arrived in the City of Dreams with Rs 419 and 25 paise in his pocket on June 29, 1982.
Talking about his struggle in an interview with a leading newspaper, Annu said he ran a tea stall and fried food stall, among other things, to get himself going.
“So difficulties weren’t new in my life. By the time I started working in the film industry, I knew what struggle means. No workspace has the guts to ignore talent and when they do it’s their loss. That’s why people who do hard work can survive everything,” he had told Hindustan Times.
According to reports, Annu Kapoor’s father used to run a theatre and his mother was a teacher. She used to earn only Rs 40 a month. Seeing the deteriorating financial conditions of his family, he left his studies and took admission to the National School of Drama. In a play, he played the character of a 70-year-old man, which changed his destiny. Filmmaker Shyam Benegal saw his performance and he signed Annu for the Mandi film in 1983. His role in Mandi was not big, but his work was appreciated by all.
