Now Shammi Kapoor's son dons director's mantle

Mumbai, Feb 15 (IANS) A scion of the illustrious RK banner has returned to the roots. After 20 years of being a management honcho, Shammi Kapoor's son Mickey or Aditya Raj Kapoor is directing a Hindi film.

'I am casting for the movie right now. Actually, this is my fourth film. I have made three English language movies and finally, I am making a Bollywood movie,' said Aditya, the 50-year-old son of the former Bollywood superstar.

Mickey had opted out of movies after working as an assistant to Raj Kapoor at the age of 19 because the competition from home was 'too much' and the burden of expectation was 'too big'.

'There were several people in my family who were into films - Raj Kapoor, my dad, Shashi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. I did not want to be the sixth RK member on the screen,' he said.

Mickey also wanted to know 'more about the world at large and about business' and switched over to management. 'But now, not too many Kapoors are active. And besides, I've ventured into direction now, rather than acting. Directing a movie is about creating opinions through visuals and I am comfortable with it,' he said.

The first movie that Mickey directed was 'Schamal', followed by 'Sambar Salsa' and now 'Don't Stop Dreaming', featuring Rishi Kapoor and Suneil Shetty.

Times Music will release the music of 'Don't Stop Dreaming' shortly in India. The music has been released in England.

Shammi Kapoor himself had directed two films, 'Manoranjan' and 'Bundalbaaz', two unsuccessful box office ventures, in the 1970s. 'He did it for a lark. He didn't need to,' defends the doting son.

What took Mickey so long to find his Bollywood moorings? 'I was into management for twenty years. Before that, I worked as an assistant to Raj Kapoor. At 19, I chose to pursue business rather than movies. Three years ago, I decided it was enough and I took off my shirt and tie, bought myself a good pair of jeans and decided to make films,' he said.

Mickey aka Aditya says he wrote three scripts and all of them were accepted. 'Luckily, my family has been with me both the times- when I chose to leave movies and now that I have returned,' the Kapoor scion said.

Ask him what kind of a Hindi film he'll make, and Mickey says: 'It's not a big film. It's an intimate character study. And by intimate, I don't mean it will have sex in it. It'll be an intense single-hero film.'

Mickey has also set up a television channel in Dubai. 'That was my turnaround. I'm really blessed to belong to one of the most illustrious families and I want to make the most of it,' the Kapoor scion said.

Having Shammi Kapoor for a father has been a blessing for Mickey. 'It's always up to the individual how he treats the lineage and the kind of opportunities he gets. I'm in no hurry. I'll spend the next five years doing Hindi movies. Then I'll make some more English movies,' Mickey said.