'JugJugg Jeeyo' to 'Mr. India': Anil Kapoor's best father portrayals
On Friday, Anil Kapoor shocked the world with the portrayal of Balbir Singh, the patriarch of the Singh household in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal. Ranbir Kapoor plays his son and Rashmika Mandanna essays his daughter-in-law. This story about a "father-son bond carved in blood" is not the first time that showcases Kapoor playing a father. Revisit his best paternal portrayals onscreen.
'Mr. India'
Shekhar Kapur's seminal film Mr. India had Kapoor play the role of a father-like figure to not just one, but 10 kids whom he loved and raised like his own. Director-choreographer Ahmed Khan and actor Aftab Shivdasani were some of the child artists in the film. While Kapoor played Arun, Sridevi essayed the role of journalist Seema, and Satish Kaushik played the beloved Calendar.
'JugJugg Jeeyo'
There is a lot to love about Varun Dhawan's camaraderie with Kapoor in Raj Mehta's JugJugg Jeeyo, where he is far from a perfect man, but eventually comes around when he realizes his mistakes and disloyalty toward his family. His character Bheem should, but doesn't know any better, and it's his conversations with his son Kukoo (Dhawan) that help him tide over his flaws.
'Mubarakan'
Anees Bazmee's rewatchable comedy Mubarakan is another film where Kapoor didn't play anyone's biological father but was the paternal uncle of Karan and Charan, both essayed by his real-life nephew Arjun Kapoor. Kapoor played a jovial man who could go to any lengths to look out for his nephews, even when it meant helping them hatch a plan to elope with their respective girlfriends.
'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga'
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga's Balbir Chaudhary was a product of his circumstances and a man who was entrapped within the patriarchal and heteronormative structures of the society he was raised in. However, by the time the film ended, he finally came around and understood the homosexual inclinations of his daughter Sweety Chaudhary (Sonam Kapoor Ahuja). Watch the film on Netflix.
