Frames per second: Shashi Kapoor, the producer and the poet

While everyone remembers the matinee hero, many have forgotten the producer

Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor’s death on Monday prompted a flurry of obituaries and remembrances, both from his fans as well as his contemporaries and colleagues. Amitabh Bachchan, who acted with Kapoor in 14 film including Manmohan Desai’s Suhaag (1979) where they played twins, wrote: “With men like him around, I stood no chance.” Perhaps an exaggeration; but Shashi — son of Prithiviraj and brother of Raj and Shammi — was a beneficiary of the kind of nepotism and insider advantage in which Bollywood revels. With his matinee idol looks and acting chops, he probably did not need it but one