Then & Now: Ageless Anil Kapoor's 'Jhakaas' journey of becoming 'Laadla' of Bollywood

It's often said that age catches up with everyone at the end. But there's one person in Bollywood who has chucked this notion well out of his books. You guessed it right! It's Anil 'ageless' Kapoor.

He's been present in the industry as far as I can remember and has regaled us with several noteworthy performances (Mr India, Taal, and the more recent Dil Dhadakne Do). He's also one of the few celebrities to have tread international waters, starring in the fourth installation of the Mission Impossible movie franchise and the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire.

In this article, we take a look at how the OG Lakhan of B'wood has been ruling our hearts over the years:

From Raj Kapoor's Garage to Beloved Lakhan

Born in Chembur to producer Surinder Kapoor, Anil Kapoor has had a basic childhood. He has worked effortlessly to achieve his dreams. Anil made his acting debut with a small role in 'Hamare Tumhare' in 1979. Soon, he was starred in a Telugu movie Vamsa Vruksham directed by Bapu.

Not many know but due to financial crunch, there was a time when Anil Kapoor used to work at Raj Kapoor's Garage. Yes, you read it right. Anil Kapoor is a self-made man and has even struggled in his initial days. He got his first break as a lead in the movie 'Woh 7 Din'. Being an amazing singer, he even sang 'Pyar Kiya Nahi Jaata' from 'Woh 7 Din' (1983).

The journey of Anil Kapoor from Mr. India to becoming the "Laadla" of Bollywood is quite inspiring. He has managed to enthrall the audience for more than 30 years and has bagged many awards. For his brilliant performance and brooding chemistry with Madhuri Dixit in Tezaab, he bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor love story

Anil has romanced leading ladies of Bollywood such as Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Aishwarya and many more. He was even rumoured to be dating his co-star Madhuri at a point but his bond with wife Sunita Kapoor was enough to rubbish the headlines.

Anil-Sunita's love story is no less than a movie script. Talking about his filmy love story, Anil once disclosed in an interview with Priety Zinta that, "I met her on the telephone, and fell in love with her voice. I feel shy and awkward when I speak about her, but I love speaking about her. She is wonderful she is beautiful; she is the best thing that has happened to me."

Since in his initial days of an acting career, Anil was not doing quite well, so Sunita, like a loving girlfriend used to pay for his cab fares. Actor Gulshan Grover also disclosed, "In those days, Anil was rather broke, and most of the times when the two went on dates either alone or with me along, Sunita usually picked up the tab."

Sunita's parents were not happy with their relationship. Even when both the families agreed, people from industry advised Anil Kapoor not to get married as it might affect his newborn stardom at Mashal (1984). Anil Kapoor even confessed that "In those days the industry believed that the audience liked an actor only until he was unmarried. My well-wishers thus advised me not to get married else my career would be ruined."

The couple finally got married on May 19, 1984, and have been celebrating their happily ever after, ever since. Their kids Sonam Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, and Harshvardhan Kapoor also have stars genes just like their father.

Anil Kapoor's sprouting career graph

His role in the movie Ram Lakhan was highly appreciated by the audience and people became a fan of his 'Jhakaas' avatar. Anil Kapoor didn't ever imagine that Jhakass will turn into a piece of his character. Wherever he goes he sees his fans scoring upon the "Jhakass" melody.

Anil Kapoor's career has ruled Bollywood over 30 years as an actor, he turned into producer with his critically acclaimed movie namely 'Gandhi, My Father'. He won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Pukar (2000) for which he won a National Film Award for Best Actor as well as No Entry (2005), Welcome (2007), Race (2008) and Race 2 (2013). He also received another Filmfare award for 'Best Supporting Actor' role for Dil Dhadakne Do, a movie released in 2015.

He even made an international statement by his excellent performance in Danny Boyle's Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Anil Kapoor, bonafide 'ageless' superstar

Anil has made world groove as Lakhan and laugh as Manju Bhai in Welcome. The veteran actor, when asked about his secret behind looking so young at his age, revealed that he holds happiness inside and outside. He is also known for his unique sense of style and fashion.

Working out and sweating in the gym is one of the most integral parts of his life. Even at the age of 63, his looks can give any rising star a run for his money.