Adorable tapori of "Ram Lakhan", intense rebel of "Tezaab", mature undying love of Lamhe's Kunwarji, Anil Kapoor's repertoire boasts a wide gambit of performances. Anil has created an enviably versatile image with the choice of his roles. For this reason, even at the age of forty he can give the young stars a run for their money. Few years back Anil has won laurels for his sensitive performance in a supporting role in "Taal" and stirred the audience with his potrayal of the emotional and all too human side of a soldier in "Pukar". As he stated in his Filmfare awards acceptance speech,"It is not the length of the role that counts but the content in it" and Anil has rightly proved it.
Anil Kapoor began his career from the bottom of the ladder with small roles in films like "Humare Tumhare" (1979) and "Ek Baar Phir"(1981). He went on to lead roles in Kannada and Telugu films including M.S.Sathyu's "Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaye" and Mani Ratnam's debut film "Pallavi-Annupallavi". Anil Kapoor's unusual debut into Hindi films in "Woh Saat Din"
as the small town musician, Prem Pratap Patialawala, and his experiences in Bombay milieu won the hearts of the audience.
Anil Kapoor's intense performances in "Meri Jung" and "Karma" were well received. But he gave a new dimension to the action hero image popular at the time with "Mr.India"(1987). He exhibited a soulful playfulness and in an attire resemblence to Raj Kapoor of the fifties. The intensity of tarhipaar Munna in "Tezaab"(1988) took the audience by storm. Anil's career peaked in the eighties when he and Subhash Ghai teamed up again in"Ram Lakhan"(1989). And he received critical acclaim for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's commercial debut"Parinda".But even at the height of his career Anil showed the courage to attempt a role of a menatally handicapped person in "Eeshwar" (1989) and came up with a creditable performance.
Where peers fear to tread Anil Kapoor seems to dive in, to emerge successful or drown in failure. Anil Kapoor has always shown a willingness to explore new roles to exercise his talent. In Yash Chopra's "Lamhe"(1991) he plays a double role.He falls in love with an older woman in his youth and as a mature adult grapples with ethical and emotional turmoil, in love with her daughter. In "1942- A Love Story" Anil Kapoor experimented with a period drama showcasing the idealism of the independence struggle. In Beta(1994) he paired successfully with Madhuri Dixit again.Seen lately in No Entry, with a relatively young starcast, but fitting in the scene like a glove, Anil is one evergreen actor. His forthcoming releases include Mazhab: the Religion and Darna Zaroori Hai.
