| Realname | Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor |
| 03.11.1906 * | |
| Place of Birth | Peshawar |
| 29.05.1972 † |
Prithviraj Kapoor is one of the most important actors of Hindi cinema and the head of the famous Kapoor clan. These days his great grand children are among the top stars of Bollywood. Prithviraj came to Mumbai from the Punjab in the silent era. His most important silent movie was Cinema Girl in 1930. When in 1931 the first Indian talkie Alam Ara was released, Prithviraj was in it. Prithviraj Kapoor became famous in the late 1930s with the films of Chandulal Shah and Sohrab Modi. In Sohrab Modi's exuberant costume drama Sikandar of 1941 Prithviraj played the role of Sikandar (i. e. Alexander the Great).
Prithviraj was the manager and main actor of the Prithvi theater for 16 years, in which he appeared on the stage every second day. One of his play was remade as a film titled Paisa. Paisa was Prithviraj's only film direction. In the late 1940s Prithviraj's son Raj Kapoor established himself as actor, director and producer. In Raj Kapoor's Awara, in which father and son Kapoor acted as father and son.
In 1960 he played the role of Jalaluddin in the big Indian epic Mughal-E-Azam directed by K. Asif This role made him a screen legend. The film was partly shot in color, but two years ago a fully recolored version was released. Unfortunately in the 1950s Prithviraj's voice had suffered and was not of the same strength as it had been in Sikandar. How much the roles of Sikandar and Jalaluddin had characterized his appearance can be seen from the roles that followed: In Jahan Ara ha played Shah Jahan and in Sikandar-E-Azam - a remake of the Sikandar story - he played the role of Porus, which director Sohrab Modi had played himself in 1941.
The Punjabi movie Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai and his grandson Randhir Kapoor's direction Kal Aaj Aur Kal mark the end aof a great career. In 1972 Prithviraj Kapoor passed away suffering from cancer. He remains one of the most important actors, who have tremendously influenced both Pre-Independence and early Post-Indepence cinema in India.