When Shammi Kapoor Wrote Back...

It is Shashi Kapoor's birthday today, March 18, and it reminds me of a time when I had just discovered the official Kapoor family website. If you love Hindi cinema, you gotta like at least one Kapoor depending on when you grew up! In the 70's, Raj, Shashi, and even Randhir were still delivering hits, and Rishi Kapoor was the rising star. The Sunday TV showed reruns of many Prithviraj Kapoor movies in the 80's, so there were three generations of Kapoors that occupy a place of nostalgia for me. Of course if I had to pick one favorite, it has to be Shashi Kapoor for me, and especially in the movies where he was paired with Amitabh Bachchan: Deewar, Trishul, Kabhi Kabhie and so on, and one that I found especially delightful as a kid -- Do Aur Do Paanch. 

In any case, I learned that Shammi Kapoor had personally developed the Kapoor family website and was actively maintaining it. I decided to email him from the link on his site to tell him how much I liked the site. Here's what I wrote -- this was back in 2005:

Dear Shammi-ji,
I visited your website for the first time today, and fell absolutely in love with it! I am just another Indian guy who loves the Kapoor family and revels in so much of the celluloid nostalgia that the Kapoors are an integral part of – thank god for your great family and for what you have done for the Indian cinema.
I am someone who grew up in the 70’s and in that sense, you were a little before my time Shammi-ji, but I can tell you that even today my children who are 5 and 6 enjoy so many of your songs on the DVD collection that I have at home. My generation grew up more on Rishi Kapoor, but Shashi Kapoor is the one who my family can’t have enough of even today – primarily his films with Amitabh Bachchan, but just about anything Shashi Kapoor at all!
Thanks to you and your family for everything again. I am not sure how much you travel today, but if you or Shashi-ji ever visit the US in the near future, I would be happy to host you at our home, and would feel privileged for the opportunity of meeting with you and talking with you in person. 

On behalf of my family, here’s wishing you and your family the best that life has to offer, always and forever!

It's a little bit corny, I admit. And tactless. Because there I am writing to Shammi that I like Rishi and Shashi better! But anyway, that's what I wrote and sent.

Imagine my surprise and delight the next day, when I actually received a response from Shammi Kapoor! And I do believe that it was Shammi Kapoor himself replying and not some secretary or PR person because it was well publicized that he was passionate about the Internet those days. Also this was June 29, 2005 and Shammi wasn't  active in movies anymore so I find it hard to believe that he needed an assistant to respond to his emails etc. Besides, if you read the mail below and have seen some of the Shammi Kapoor Unplugged segments, his style and manner of communicating seems to match. Anyway, his reply was simple and brief:

Dear Talabgaar,
Thank you for writing to me. I am glad you liked my web site. I am an hobbyist on the computer and as I did all this myself, I feel mighty proud about it. I shall soon update the site as and when my family folks send me the required data. 
My very best wishes to you and the family. 
Love 
Shammi Kapoor 

So there it is. A little piece of memorabilia from Shammi Kapoor. Remembered on Shashi Kapoor's birthday!