Indian film legend Shammi Kapoor has died aged 79, passed away from renal failure

Shammi Kapoor, one of the leading Hindi film actors of the 50′s and 60′s, has died at the age of 79. He passed away at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, a week after being admitted with chronic renal failure.


Born Shamsher Raj Kapoor, he was the second of three sons born to successful film actor Prithviraj Kapoor. He made his Bollywood film debut in 1953, starring in Jeevan Jyoti. This was followed with hits including Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) and Dil Deke Dekho (1959), both of which helped create an image of a playboy.


Through the 1960′s, Kapoor was one of the most successful Bollywood actors of his generation. By the 1970′s, however, his weight gain was causing problems. He directed his first film, Manoranjan, in 1974 and thereafter worked mostly as a character actor, his last appearance being 2006 film Sandwich. He was planning to return to acting in the next year with his great nephew Ranbir Kapoor, and ambition that will now never be realised.