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The iconic filmmaker suffered an acute asthma attack during an award function on May 2, 1988, and died one month later.

The film was eventually shelved. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Anil Kapoor recently took a stroll down memory lane and shared a special life anecdote with his fans revealing that he once self-auditioned to impress the late iconic filmmaker Raj Kapoor. The actor dropped a monochrome picture from his twenties on Instagram and recalled the time when he did a photoshoot to get a role in Raj Kapoor’s film Param Veer Chakra, which eventually got shelved.
The snapshot features Anil with a mustache, dirt on his face and wearing a cap, resembling the look of an army officer. Sharing the picture on his stories, the Fighter actor wrote, “Throwback to 1977- one of the many photos captured by the late JP Singhal when I self-auditioned to impress the legendary Raj Kapoor for Param Veer Chakra. Sadly, this film, meant to be directed by the great Raj Kapoor, was never made. But moments like these are etched in my memory forever.”
Reportedly, during the beginning of the 80s era, Raj Kapoor was supposed to direct the film titled Param Veer Chakra, featuring his sons Rishi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor. He was looking for a third actor to cast in the film and Anil wanted to be a part of it. However, things didn’t work out and the project was later shelved.
Raj Kapoor is considered among the best actors and directors in Indian film history. He helmed several big films including Barsaat, Awaara, Shree 420, Sangam, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and others. His last directorial project was Ram Teri Ganga Maili, which featured his son Rajiv Kapoor and actress Mandakini in lead roles. The legendary filmmaker suffered an acute asthma attack during an award function on May 2, 1988, and died one month later.
Talking about Anil Kapoor, he was last seen in the action thriller film Savi which also featured Divya Khosla Kumar and Harshvardhan Rane in pivotal roles. Helmed by Abhinay Deo, the film failed at the box office. It is now streaming on Netflix. Anil Kapoor will be next seen in the action thriller film War 2 alongside Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani. Helmed by Ayan Mukerji and backed by Yash Raj Films, it will hit the theatres in August 2025.