Boney Kapoor, born Achal Kapoor, is an Indian film producer associated primarily with Hindi cinema. Active since the early 1980s, he is the founder of the production company Narsimha Enterprises and later Bayview Projects LLP. He is known for backing a mix of mainstream commercial films and unconventional projects, and has more recently expanded into Tamil cinema and remakes of regional hits.
| Born | 11 November 1955 |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Achal Kapoor |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mona Shourie Kapoor (1983–2012); Sridevi (1996–2018) |
| Children | Arjun Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor |
| Parents | Surinder Kapoor (father) |
| Siblings | Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Reena Marwah |
| Production companies | Narsimha Enterprises, Bayview Projects LLP |
Background
Boney Kapoor was born into the Kapoor film family. His father, Surinder Kapoor, was a film producer who migrated from Peshawar after Partition and worked extensively in Hindi cinema. His younger brothers Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor are actors. The family is related, through Surinder Kapoor's lineage, to the broader Kapoor clan associated with Indian cinema.
Career
Early productions
Boney Kapoor entered film production in 1980 with the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Hum Paanch (released 1980), directed by Bapu. He followed it with Woh 7 Din (1983), directed by Bapu and starring Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Padmini Kolhapure, which is widely regarded as the launchpad of Anil Kapoor's career as a leading man in Hindi cinema.
1980s and 1990s
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Kapoor produced a string of commercially significant films, several directed by Shekhar Kapur and Rakesh Roshan and others associated with mainstream Hindi cinema. Key productions include:
- Mr. India (1987), directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi, with the antagonist Mogambo played by Amrish Puri.
- Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993), directed by Satish Kaushik.
- Prem (1995), which marked the debut of Sanjay Kapoor and Tabu in lead roles.
- Loafer (1996).
- Judaai (1997), directed by Raj Kanwar, with Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Urmila Matondkar.
2000s
In the 2000s, Kapoor produced films across genres, including Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000), Pukar (2000) directed by Rajkumar Santoshi which won a National Film Award for National Integration, Sirf Tum (1999), Shakti: The Power (2002), No Entry (2005) directed by Anees Bazmee, and Wanted (2009), the Salman Khan starrer directed by Prabhu Deva that is credited with reviving Khan's box-office career.
2010s and 2020s
Later productions include Tevar (2015), starring his son Arjun Kapoor, and Mom (2017), one of Sridevi's final films. After Sridevi's death in February 2018, Kapoor produced Mili (2022) and the Hindi remake space heavily, including Pink's Tamil remake Nerkonda Paarvai (2019) starring Ajith Kumar, and Valimai (2022) and Thunivu (2023), both with Ajith Kumar, marking his significant entry into Tamil cinema. He also produced Maidaan (2024), a sports biopic on football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, starring Ajay Devgn.
Personal life
Boney Kapoor married Mona Shourie in 1983; the couple had two children, Arjun Kapoor and Anshula Kapoor. Arjun Kapoor is an actor in Hindi cinema. In 1996, Kapoor married actress Sridevi, with whom he had two daughters, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor, both of whom have entered Hindi film acting. Mona Kapoor died in 2012; Sridevi died on 24 February 2018 in Dubai.
Significance
Boney Kapoor's filmography spans over four decades and includes films that have been culturally influential in Hindi cinema, most notably Mr. India, which remains a touchstone of 1980s popular cinema. As a producer, he is associated with launching or reviving the careers of several actors and with bridging mainstream Hindi production with Tamil cinema through high-profile remakes.