Raj Kapoor; Indian Movie Star

Raj Kapoor, 64, Indian film actor, producer and director. Kapoor played a vital part in the Indian film industry, the biggest in the world. An actor’s son, Kapoor began his career sweeping the floors of film sets and went on to become a star wherever Indian films were shown, including the Soviet Union and China. Kapoor introduced social issues into India’s romantic films in which the handsome hero and the beautiful heroine lived happily ever after. “Raj Kapoor has left an indelible mark not only on our film industry but also across the entire spectrum of our nation’s life by his ability to sensibly combine entertainment with a suitable depiction of the socioeconomic facets of many of today’s human problems,� Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said in a statement. Thursday in New Delhi of a heart attack, a month after collapsing at the country’s most important film awards ceremony.