Prithviraj Kapoor is unarguably Indian Cinema’s Bhishma Pitamah. He was one of the most dazzling jewels studded in the crown of Indian cinema. He gave credibility to drama with his Prithvi Theatre. Most importantly, he raised the standards of Indian cinema to dizzy heights and gave the film profession a place of dignity and nobility, which otherwise was belittled by society.
Readers would be surprised to know that Prithviraj Kapoor was the first Indian actor to be nominated for Rajya Sabha, an exceptional honor given by Indian government to a selected 12 members nominated by the President of India from amongst persons who have special knowledge or practical experience in respect of such matters as literature, science, art, and social service. The trend was started in 1953 and Prithviraj Kapoor was among the First Batch of 12 nominated members represented a galaxy of talented persons of proven merit. Generally, members are selected for a 6-year term but Prithviraj Kapoor was exceptional and got an additional extension for 2 years for his good work. He served as Rajya Sabha Member from 1952- 1960.
Lovingly called ‘Papaji‘, what makes Prithviraj Kapoor the brightest jewels of Indian cinema is that he started his career as an ‘Extra’ in the silent era but on his sole talent reached the zenith of stardom. His dedication to the cinema was so passionate that he would fuse into the skin of his character and make the role memorable. As Alexander the Great in the title role in Sohrab Modi‘s Sikandar (1941) Prithviraj Kapoor infused so much energy that till even the Hollywood film critics marveled his performance.
Similarly as Mughul emperor Akbar in K. Asif’s film Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Prithviraj Kapoor looked so ‘real’ that no actor could ever look as commanding as Prithviraj Kapoor. To get into the skin of the role Prithviraj Kapoor had put-on 10 kg weigh and sacrificed his career as a hero!!!
In 1944 he pumped all his wealth in setting up Prithvi Theatre which was India’s First modern, professional urban theatre. He did many famous plays like Deewaar, Pathan (1947), Gaddar (1948) and Paisa (1954). Prithvi Theatre introduced many talents such as Ramanand Sagar, Shankar-Jaikishen and Raj Kapoor, his elder son, who later became the Show-Man of Indian cinema with his R.K. Films.
The government of India saluted Prithviraj Kapoor’s contribution to Indian cinema with Padma Bhushan Award in 1969 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award (Posthumous) in 1972. In addition, India Post issued two special commemorative postage stamps in his honor 1) In 1996 to salute the Golden Jubilee year of the founding of Prithvi Theatre and 2) In 2013, on the occasion of 100 years of the Indian cinema.
