Pankaj Kapur Birthday Special: 10 Essential Performances of the National Award Winning Actor That You Need to Watch at Least Once!

Not many know this, but Pankaj Kapur was the voice for Ben Kingsley for the portrayal of Gandhiji in the late Richard Attenborough's classic Gandhi. What's more surprising is that Pankaj Kapur had a supporting role in the movie as Pyarelal Nayyar. Here's how one of the best actors in the country made a fine start of his illustrious cinematic career. For the millennials, Pankaj Kapur may be more known as the father of Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor. But even Shahid would have to admit that he is yet to scratch even the surface of his pop's histrionic abilities. Shakespeare Day: From Sanjeev Kumar’s Angoor to Shahid Kapoor’s Haider, 7 Bollywood Adaptations of Bard’s Greatest Works That You Should Not Miss!

Pankaj Kapur, an alumnus of the National School of Drama, has done surprisingly few films despite being in the industry for more than four decades. This despite the fact that he is not averse to do any kind of role, from being a lead actor to a supporting character to a villain. Pankaj Kapur has worked in classics like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Maqbool; he has also worked in trashy movies like Ram Jaane and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. And yet, compared to his contemporaries like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur has done limited movies. Which is a pity, since the National Award winning actor excels in any role he is in, no matter how bad the movie turns out to be.

He has also turned a movie director with Mausam in 2011, starring Shahid and Sonam Kapoor in the lead. The critical and commercial drubbing of the film didn't make him return to the director's chair again.

On the occasion of his 65th birthday, we list 10 of our favourite, essential performances of Pankaj Kapur that deserves to be watched over and over again!

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

In this brilliant social satire, Pankaj Kapur is a treat to watch as the arrogant, scheming builder Tarneja. His actions may come across as comical, but Pankaj manages to mix in enough menace to make sure that we know Tarneja is not someone to mess with!

Raakh

Aamir Khan's followup to his breakout film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (though he had signed Raakh first), is a gritty slow-burn of a thriller with some terrific performances. While Aamir is excellent as the vengeful young man, Pankaj Kapur steals every scene he is in as the cop who kind of backs the protagonist on his bloody spree.

Ek Doctor Ki Maut

In this Tapas Sinha classic, Pankaj Kapur plays a righteous doctor who discovers a leprosy-curing medicine. His happiness is short-lived when he realises that his co-workers aren't too enthused with the attention he is getting and tries to suppress him. A wonderful performance from the actor, who is also hailed by the National Awards committee with a Special Jury award.

Karamchand

Fans of early Doordarshan would have loved Pankaj Kapur's turn as the quirky detective who loves to chomp on carrots.

Roja

Mani Ratnam's Roja is one of the rare films in India that dares to let Kashmiri militants offer their voice, even if it doesn't ask you to sympathise with them. As the militant leader who kidnaps the protagonist, Pankaj Kapur is sufficiently cold and menacing, and yet human enough to make sure that his motives are believable.

Zabaan Sambhal Ke

The ripoff of the English sitcom Mind Your Language, Pankaj Kapur is at his hilarious best as the hassled tutor dealing with a difficult batch of students, as he teaches them Hindi.

Office Office

Another sitcom, this time with more satirical elements, has Pankaj Kapur don different characters in every episode. And yet, he manages to make the viewer empathise with the plight of each of his characters - that of being a harangued consumer.

Maqbool

Vishal Bharadwaj's take on Macbeth is not only his finest effort, but also has Pankaj Kapur in his most powerful role. As the ageing don, Kapur exudes enough fear in his limited screentime, and even earning a National Award for Best Supporting Actor in the process.

Dus

The terrorism thriller is all about hood looking leads, cool action scenes and chartbuster music. And it is Pankaj Kapur who steals the show towards the end. In a role that has a dual persona, Pankaj Kapur is excellent both as the fraidy Himmat Mehendi and the ruthless terrorist mastermind, Jamwal.

Dharm

It is a disappointment that Dharm didn't get much attention as it should have got. Instead, the film, that makes us question the bigoted values that are imposed on the religion, was embroiled in a needless controversy over awards. That, however, cannot take away how terrific Pankaj Kapur is as the Hindu priest who undergoes a moral transformation when his humanity is put to test.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2019 09:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).