Shammi Kapoor felicitated at Osian's Cinefan Festival

Mumbai (ANI): Veteran actor of Bollywood, Shammi Kapoor was felicitated at the 10th Osian's Cinefan Festival in Mumbai for his contribution to the Indian cinema. The two-day festival of selected Asian and Arab cinema saw several Bollywood actors and film fraternity in attendance. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan said on the occasion that Kapoor's contribution to Indian cinema is great and he has set an example for many generations to come.

"The most handsome, the most charming, one of the most killing looks, still down the ages, women and girls...their knees get weak when they see them. He is the ultimate hero, an ultimate pioneer," said Aamir. Shammi Kapoor said that it is an honour to be recognized by people after so many years. The star of the 1960s, who heralded a youthful era to Hindi movies, said he was impressed by the collection of rare photographs shown at the exhibition.

"The photographs showcased at the exhibition are very rare. Even I don't have them. I don't know where they have got them from, it is really very humbling," said Kapoor. The festival that kick started on Friday had showcased 14 movies, selected from 160 entries. A collection of seven short films was also shown. The 77-year-old actor has seen the journey of the Indian cinema from the days of the black and white era to the coloured cinema.

One still remembers Kapoor's 1964's musical Kashmir Ki Kali that inspired a thousand honeymoons with its shots of Shammi Kapoor trying to impress a girl with his trademark jerky dancing as they drift across a lake in separate gondolas, a chorus line floating in the background. Shammi was born as Shamsher Raj Kapoor in Mumbai to noted film and theatre actor Prithviraj Kapoor. He started out with serious roles like Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957. Later he attained the image of a playboy with the super hit film, Junglee in 1961.