Shashi Kapoor wrapped in tricolour, cremated with state honours

MUMBAI: Veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor, who passed away here on Monday at the age of 79, was wrapped in the tricolour and given a three-gun salute by the police for his last rites at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium on Tuesday.

The veteran matinee star, who breathed his last at 5.20 p.m. at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday after a period of hospitalisation, was cremated at a state funeral.

Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Salim Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Supriya Pathak, Shakti Kapoor and Suresh Oberoi among others were present at the cremation.

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Amitabh Bachchan took to his blog to mourn the loss of Bollywood. He mentioned, “I had visited him on occasion in Hospital during some of the times he had been hospitalised earlier .. but I never went to see him again .. I would never have .. I never ever wanted to see this beautiful friend and ‘samdhi’ in the state I saw him in hospital ..
…. and I did not today, when they informed me that he had gone.”

Son of Prithviraj Kapoor and younger brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor debuted in Bollywood with the 1961 film “Dharmputra” after working as a child artist.

He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan — the third highest civilian honour — by the Government of India in 2011. In 2015, he was bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.