Shashi Week: Shashi +

Another great thing about Shashi Kapoor is what a good co-star he makes. Maybe it's his early background of so much theater work, maybe it's being the baby in a family of egos, maybe it's because he didn't have any energy to waste on on-camera attitude. I've yet to see him hog the screen when it wasn't called for by the script, and he seems to have an easy rapport with everyone in the frame.

All week I've been thinking about doing a jodi post, but I haven't been able to single out anyone who makes an especially notable pair with Shashi. Every time I start to write something about how Hema Malini dishes back every mischievous eye twinkle, I realize Sharmila does too.

And she's brave enough to let him drive!
Neetu Singh can be an earthy foil for his cheesey 70s moments, but Asha Parekh was sassing him in the 60s.

He and Rakhee melt the screen and make me believe their romances, but so do he and his sister-in-law Felicity Kendal.




I like him with everyone, and I like everyone with him. There are certain actors you associate strongly with others - Kajol and Shahrukh, Madhuri and Anil, Nargis and Raj - but I haven't gotten that from Shashi (yet? - readers who have seen more films, is it going to happen?). I've never even read any interviews in which he states who his favorite costars were. I like to think it's because he's versatile enough to be solid, appropriate, and believable with almost anyone.

[Insert needle skidding off the record.]

SCRATCH THAT. Who says the jodi has to be romantic? Shashi does have historic, famous, undeniable chemistry with one particular someone: enter Shashitabh! So beloved it's promoted in the trailer!



So immortal it's commemorated in song!


So strong, so cemented, so powerful it survives shabby outfits, vaudevillian physical threats, romantic and familial rivalries, embittered childhoods, fratricide, helicopters, class and religious differences, blindness, engineering debacles, fire, drunkenness, gigantic sunglasses, bald megalomanic villains, and foam crocodiles!*







The superstar supercharged love of the century!

Shashitabh zindabad!

* Some day I'll analyze Shashitabh more thoughtfully, but today is not that day. I'm too hopped up on Shashiccinos.

Comments

chutneysoul said…
OH MY GOD!!! I'm in Shahsitabh heaven right now!!! Just can't get enough of all those screen caps!!! You just made my week!!! :D
Anonymous said…
Viva Shashitabh!

I hope one of these days Shashi sees the devotion on your and the other sites for his birthday this year :)
wow, i love your banner, you're always very creative with it. Following Shashi's week i think it would be great for us to have a picture of what he looks like now
Anonymous said…
"I like him with everyone" - me too! And I say this from an extensive 80+ film-watching experience. OK, I'll admit it - I like him with everyone else but AB (I know, heretical thought!). I like the Shashitabh movies well enough but AB does tend to hog the limelight with all the best dramatic scenes, most of the dishoom and usually the better part!
Tara said…
I actually have read that hes said that Nanda was his favorite actress to work with...and while I wasn't always a big fan of hers the more I watch them together the more I like her...I credit this a lot to Shashi :)
bollywooddeewana - I don't seen to stumble across many of those, though the latest I saw (I think at an event at Prithvi Theater), he looked awfully frail.

bollyviewer - I agree that AB does tend to hog, though I'm undecided about whether it's on purpose.

Tara - Really! That's interesting! She is growing on me too - I think I've seen them in three movies together now, and fortunately they are getting less regressive and offensive to me :)
filmyink said…
U missed his pairing with Rajshree ;
Both of them look good too
Have to find DIL NE PUKARA sum how...
How ever did u get ur hands on New Delhi Times ?????
filmyink said…
True even i felt AB tends to hog the lime light but I would like too think during late 70's as u guys have said over and over again that
shashi was just too busy with his projects may be he didnt thnk about that aspect. yeh as a true FAN i d love to have Shashi more............
Sigh....at least he was generous enough or he didnt mind
For all that people say about him; he is human after all...way to go Shashi Muuuaaaaah...too much of pyar i guess;)
themuse - I think I've only seen him with Rajshree in Pyaar Kiye Jaa, which is one of my favorites of his films. I actually don't own a copy of New Delhi Times but really should be tracking it down!

Love your Shashi muuuaaaah! :) NEVER too much of Shashipyaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

I haven't seen a Shashi film in TWO MONTHS. For shame!

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