Indian film producer
Siddharth Roy Kapur |
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 Roy Kapur in 2012 |
| Born | (1974-08-02) 2 August 1974 (age 49)
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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Siddharth Roy Kapur (born 2 August 1974) is an Indian film producer and the founder of Roy Kapur Films.[1][2] He is the former managing director of The Walt Disney Company India[3] and the former president of the Producers Guild of India in a tenure lasting six terms (2016–22).[4][5]
He is featured for seven consecutive years (2017–2023) on Variety’s annual list of the Top 500 Most Influential People in Global Entertainment,[6] has been part of The Economic Times Top 40 Indian Business Leaders Under 40[7][8] and The Hollywood Reporter Next Generation Asia Inaugural Class of Young Leaders.[9] In 2023, Siddharth was invited to be a member of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).[10] He is also a managing trustee of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI)[11] and co-chairman of the CII Media and Entertainment Committee.[12]
Early life and education
Siddharth Roy Kapur was born in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) on 2 August 1974 to Kumud Roy Kapur and Salome Roy Kapur (née Aaron) who is a former Miss India and a dance choreographer known for her forte in Western Dance forms including – Ballroom, Latin American, Tap; and Indian dance forms including – Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Kathakali. She is the daughter of Sam and Ruby Aaron, attributed to have introduced the Samba dance form in India. Roy Kapur is the eldest of three brothers; his younger brothers are actors Kunaal Roy Kapur and Aditya Roy Kapur.[13]
Roy Kapur received his bachelor's degree in commerce from Sydenham College, then obtained a master's degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS).[14]
Career
Roy Kapur began his career with Procter & Gamble in Mumbai in brand management.[14]
Star TV
After P&G, he moved to Star TV in the strategic planning division.[14] Following a brief stint in Hong Kong as part of the News Corp Executive Development Program, he moved back to Mumbai to work on the launch marketing of the first season of the landmark TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati on StarPlus.[14] In recognition for the groundbreaking marketing efforts behind the success of the show, he was nominated for the Team News Corp Global Excellence Awards.[14] He then moved to Star TV's Middle East operations, based in Dubai, where he was Regional Marketing Manager for the network. In 2002, Roy Kapur joined the Star headquarters in Hong Kong, as Director (Marketing) and later was promoted to vice-president, leading the Central Marketing & Creative Services team across all Asian markets for the Star TV network.[14]
UTV Motion Pictures
Roy Kapur joined UTV Motion Pictures in Mumbai in 2005, as Senior Vice-President, Marketing & Communications.[15] Notable films during his tenure include the BAFTA-nominated blockbuster Rang De Basanti and the sleeper hit Khosla Ka Ghosla, both of which released in 2006.[15]
In January 2008, Roy Kapur took over as CEO of UTV Motion Pictures and after the integration of UTV with The Walt Disney Company India in 2012, he became the managing director of Studios.[15] Successful films such as Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, Jodhaa Akbar, Fashion, Aamir, A Wednesday!, Dev.D, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Kaminey, Wake Up Sid, Raajneeti, Udaan, Peepli Live, Welcome to Sajjanpur, No One Killed Jessica, Delhi Belly, Paan Singh Tomar, Shahid, Rowdy Rathore, Barfi!, ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, Kai Po Che!, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, The Lunchbox and Chennai Express were released in that period.[15]
The Walt Disney Company
In January 2014, Roy Kapur was promoted to managing director of Disney India,[15] Under his leadership from 2014 to 2016, Disney produced India's highest-grossing film of all time, Dangal (2016)[16] and India's then highest-grossing English film of all time The Jungle Book (2016), as well as a host of other successful movies like PK, Kick, 2 States, ABCD 2, Haider, Heropanti, Highway, Khoobsurat and Filmistaan.[17]
Roy Kapur produced the first-ever broadway-scale theatrical in India, the Beauty and the Beast, which released in 2015.[18]
Roy Kapur Films
In 2017, Roy Kapur moved on from Disney to set up his own production house, Roy Kapur Films (RKF). RKF's first feature film production, The Sky Is Pink, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, had its Gala Premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.[19] In 2020, the Netflix original film Yeh Ballet, produced by RKF, released to great acclaim.[20][21][22][23]
RKF's first streaming series, the crime thriller Aranyak, streamed in 2021 and broke into the Global Top 10 list of non-English Series on Netflix in its first week of launch.[24][25] 2022's Rocket Boys, a SonyLIV original series about the establishment of India's space and atomic programmes, also attained huge success.[26] The second season of Rocket Boys was released in 2023.
The Gujarati film Last Film Show (Chhello Show) was selected as India's official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2023 Academy Awards,[27] making it to the official shortlist for the category, becoming the fourth Indian film to reach this stage.[28][29] It also won the National Award 2023 for Best Gujarati Film.[30]
RKF's most recent releases, "Tumse Na Ho Payega," [31] a comedy-drama film, and the war drama Pippa,[32][33] are currently available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, respectively.
Upcoming projects from Roy Kapur Films include the comedy film Woh Ladki Hai Kahan?[34][35] as well as the official series adaptation of William Dalrymple's 2019 best-seller The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company.[36][37] and the action-thriller DEVA starring Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde, scheduled for release on Dusherra 2024.[38]
Personal life
His first wife, Aarti Bajaj was his childhood friend. After divorcing her, he married television producer Kavita, whom he divorced in 2011. Kapur married actress Vidya Balan on 14 December 2012.[39][40][41]
