'Mr. India' gave Anil, Shekhar a friend for life

"Mr. India" lead actor Anil Kapoor says the Hindi movie gave him a friend for life in filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, whose 72nd birthday fell on Wednesday.

Anil tweeted: "I've had the opportunity to work with Shekhar Kapur just once, but once was enough to know that this man is a master storyteller.

"'Mr. India' gave the world a taste of his genius and it gave me a friend for life. Happy Birthday my friend," Anil added of Shekhar, who commented: "Yes Anil... A friend for life."

Shekhar added: "There was such joy in the making of 'Mr India'. Such belief. I guess after all these years, the joy still shows through on screen.

"It's so wonderful we were all blessed to give kids something to enjoy and love for generations that will survive us."

Released in 1987, "Mr India" tells the story of a man, Arun, who strives to raise a group of orphaned children. After losing one of them, he uses his inventor father's invisibility watch to fight crime and corruption.

Shekhar, also known for movies like "Masoom" and "Bandit Queen", made his mark internationally by helming "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age".