When you say “Annu Kapoor”, the first thought that comes to anybody’s mind is Antakshari — a Hindi language contest where individuals or teams have to sing songs starting with the last letter of a song (ant — last, akshar — letter) sung by a competitor — an extremely popular show in the 1990s on Zee TV. Among other impressive characters he’s played in Hindi films since 1983 (Mandi, Utsav, Chameli Ki Shaadi and Tezaab), Kapoor is also known for Dr Baldev Chadhha in the 2012 quirky romantic drama Vicky Donor.
“I am not just an actor but also a producer and a National Award winning director of a feature film,” he is quick to remind, laughing. Kapoor received the honour in 1994 for the film Abhay [the fearless], which had made for the Children’s Film Society, India.
Today he’s in Dubai conducting the last auditions for a live Antakshri, the finale of which will be held on Saturday, April 30, at The Indian High School Dubai auditorium. Kapoor says he’s looking forward to entertain the Hindi-Urdu speaking community on Saturday.
“Dubai is a very vibrant place where people are very receptive to music and arts. I’ve had long standing friendships with people in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since I came in 1994. I’m looking forward to make them play and sing beautiful old songs,” he said.
Kapoor’s stint with Antakshari had families glued to the television every weekend from 1996 to 2006. Other channels attempted spin-offs of the original Gajendra Chauhan directed-produced concept but were not as successful — credit for which goes to Kapoor’s hosting skills.
“My journey with the original spell of Antakshari on Zee TV was fantastic because it was a one-of-a-kind show which was much loved all over the Indian subcontinent. At the same time, even though it was unique, it was a concept we were all familiar with right from our childhood — and not just us but our forefathers also,” Kapoor commented on the immense popularity of the show. “In fact, the first reference to antakshri goes back to around 4,000 years!”
Kapoor would know. He has an entire team of researchers who gather facts and tales for his various television shows on film and music history, such as The Golden Era with Annu Kapoor, and his current radio show Suhana Safar.
“[Suhana Safar] is a national programme, not just [aired] in one metro city. Research for my shows is done by my production company Annu Kapoor Films under my supervision. We have several writers who research and write scripts. Often, I guide them on how to proceed,” said Kapoor.
But ask him what his favourite stories have been and he says: “I’ve narrated around 4,500 stories so it would be difficult to pick any one! Having said that, I always remember one — it is about the relationship between Rabindranath Tagore and Meena Kumari. Remind me to tell you this story at the show”.
Having been part of the three main entertainment art forms — films, television and theatre — for over 30 years, Kapoor agrees he has seen it change “drastically”.
“Change [in society] — the good, bad or ugly — is greatly reflected in all art forms. Also, change is inevitable. But a conscious effort should be made to make this change progressive, positive, innovative, creative and [brings] welfare to the human society,” said the man who considers himself first and foremost “a dedicated and humble son of Mother India”.
So who is Annu Kapoor when he’s not actor, director or presenter?
“I’m a farmer — a legally registered shetkari [farmer] in Maharashtra. And I’m immensely proud of it”.
Don’t miss it
Viewer tickets for Antakshri on April 30 are priced at Dh15 and Dh20. Call 050-6329084, 050-6342363 or 050-4574826 or log on to the Facebook page of Leo Events Management.