My First Break

Jumping Jack Jeetendra, alias Ravi Kapoor, didn't exactly walk straight out in those trademark white shoes and start running around trees...

Jumping Jack Jeetendra, alias Ravi Kapoor, didn’t exactly walk straight out in those trademark white shoes and start running around trees with Bollywood heroines. As was the case with several of his contemporaries, Jeetu bhai had to sit around cooling his heels waiting for the big break to materialise. "I didn’t have to struggle much but there was a lot of insecurity," he says.

Studying for a career was never his cup of tea and he didn’t have the financial backing to start anything on his own. "The film line was the only industry that didn’t require any investment," he says, as he sinks into his cushioned sofa. And thus started the routine of making endless studio rounds. Finally his patience was rewarded when he landed a role in V Shantaram’s Sehra. But it would of course be difficult to spot him in the film — he was hired as a junior artist for a crowd scene. And Mumtaz, who was to become his co-star in several films, years later, was also a junior artist in this film. "I used to tease and trouble hera lot," he reminisces.

Soon she was fed up and decided to get back at him. He was late for lunch one day and Mumtaz brought his antics to Shantaram’s notice. Ravi (he wasn’t Jeetendra yet) was fired and asked to leave. "But I needed the job. I woke up early the next morning, stood outside Shantaramji’s room and burst into tears when he opened the door. I joined hands as I pleaded for work," Jeetendra says. Ravi Kapoor was destined to be Jeetendra — the producer-director was touched and decided to forgive him. From then on the two clicked together. "Maine chamchagiri chodi nahin," he confesses. And he was called for a screen test for his first big break in Shantaram’s Geet Gaya Pathharon Ne with Rajashree Shantaram. As he practised his dialogues at K C College, he was helped by childhood friend Jatin Khanna — who was to later storm the screen as Rajesh Khanna, because he felt Jatin and Jeetendra sounded too similar for their comfort. And so the stage was set for Jeetendra to start sculpting,not just the stones in Geet Gaya… but also his career as one of Bollywood’s successful heroes.

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