Shashi Kapoor: A chip off the old block

He played an irresistibly gorgeous <i>nawab</i>, and he lived as an impossibly charming gentleman. The writer remembers Shashi Kapoor, a true son of a famous father

Shashi Kapoor: 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017

If there was one figure who overwhelmingly dominated the lives of the Kapoor brothers – Raj, Shammi and Shashi – it was their father, Prithviraj, universally known to family, friends and co-workers as “Papaji”. Hero worship doesn’t come close to describing it. He was their role model, moral compass, friend, philosopher and guide, all rolled into one.

When not about films, conversations with Shashi Kapoor (the last of his generation of Indian cinema’s greatest performance dynasty who died, aged 79, on December 4) sooner or later turned to Papaji. “Papaji