Veteran actor Shakti Kapoor, Bollywood's popular comedian-villain, is celebrating his 71st birthday today, September 3. Born in 1952, the actor has featured in over 600 films in his illustrious career. Shakti Kapoor established himself in Hindi cinema in the early 1980s, with his popular antagonist's roles in 'Qurbani' and 'Rocky'. In the next decade, he shifted from being negative villain in the films to positive comedy roles. On the occasion of his birth anniversary, we have listed down some of his lesser known facts, which we bet you didn't know
His real name is not Shakti Kapoor but Sunil Sikandarlal Kapoor. He took the decision to change his name after he was told that his original name is not impactful for villain roles.
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He comes from a lower middle-class family. His father used to run a tailor shop in Delhi's Connaught Place area.
Shakti Kapoor completed his graduation from Delhi University and went to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune to pursue his masters.
He played antagonist role in Sanjay Dutt's debut flick 'Rocky'.
In 2011, Shakti Kapoor participated in the 5th edition of popular reality show 'Bigg Boss'.
Apart from Hindi film, the actor has also worked in Bhojpuri, Odia, Bengali and Assamese films.
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His son Siddhanth began his career as an assistant director with films like Bhagam Bhag, Chup Chup Ke, and Dhol, among others.
He met his wife Shivangi on the sets of Kismet (1980), starring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead.
