Anil Kapoor reveals father was an assistant on Mughal-e-Azam; none of his films were successful: ‘Wanted to prove I can be a hero’ | Bollywood News
4 min readMumbaiFeb 12, 2026 07:28 PM IST
For over four decades, Anil Kapoor has remained one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring stars. The journey, however, was far from easy. Despite being the son of film producer Surinder Kapoor, Anil’s early years were marked by struggle and perseverance. In fact, he took up all kinds of menial jobs at the start of his career, a reality shaped in part by his father’s own challenging trajectory in the industry. Speaking at the 12th edition of Expresso by SCREEN, Anil reflected on his father’s beginnings in cinema during a conversation with Saurabh Dwivedi, Editor, Indian Express Hindi.
“My father was initially an assistant to K Asif in Mughal-e-Azam. And because he was such an honest man, so humble, a very kind person, K Asif saab appreciated his honesty moved him into production. So when they had gone to film the war scenes in Rajasthan, which went on for six months, he managed the finances and other production-related aspects.” According to the actor, it was this very honesty that later opened more doors for Surinder Kapoor in the industry.
“He later became a manager to Shammi Kapoor; he used to look after his work. After that, Geeta Bali ji, Shammi ji’s wife, encouraged him to become a producer.” Anil revealed that witnessing his father’s struggles as a producer had a profound impact on him. The difficulty of mounting films and securing leading stars left a lasting impression.
Anil Kapoor at the 12th edition of Expresso by SCREEN, hosted by Saurabh Dwivedi.
‘None of My Father’s Films Were Really Successful’: Anil Kapoor
“As a producer, it was very tough for him to get stars, leading men. Every film was a struggle. I have seen him go through very tough times, trying to manage the date situations of leading stars. And this made me think, ‘Why don’t I become a hero myself?’ So that my family doesn’t have to go outside to make films.” He further shared that his ambition was deeply personal and emotionally driven.
“I always need an emotional hook to delve myself into work. And here it was that I wanted to prove to my father that I can be a hero. I had seen him go through tough times, and production is a thankless job. It is a monumental task to get a film made. And unfortunately, none of his films were really successful. So that was my hook to become successful.”
Beyond his early motivations, Anil also spoke about creative influences that shaped his craft. Discussing one of his films, Eeshwar, he cited Dustin Hoffman’s performance in Rain Man as a major inspiration. “I was in love with that film and Dustin Hoffman’s performance. That was a great role, and I always wanted to play a similar character someday. He was par excellence; it was unreal. He won the Oscar for that film. So that was my inspiration.”
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The event was presented by AU Small Finance Bank, in association with The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
The 12th edition of Expresso by SCREEN will be streamed live on the Indian Express YouTube channel on February 14 at 8 pm.
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