He was a student of Modern School, New Delhi, Doon school and St Stephen's College. By 22, in accordance with his parents' wishes, he had taken up chartered accountancy as a career.

However, considering his uncles Vijay and Dev Anand were stars, Shekhar couldn't resist the lure of Bollywood. After moving to the UK, where he worked as an accountant, he returned to try his hand at acting.

He eventually struck gold as a director, with the film Masoom in 1983. Four years later, Mr India established his reputation. By 1994, Shekhar had made his mark internationally with Bandit Queen. Then, in 1998, Elizabeth was a massive hit, and received seven Oscar nominations.

In 2000, Kapur was awarded the Padma Shri. He went on to form a production company with Ram Gopal Varma and Mani Ratnam, which led to the film Dil Se.

He was also executive producer of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams, which was very successful on Broadway and in London's West End. Shekhar's latest venture was Virgin Comics, founded in 2006.

What next? We're not sure. But, going by his colourful past, we're sure it will be interesting.

Also Read: The Master of Suspense

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