Debonair and swashbuckling Shammi Kapoor and the vibrant and beautiful Geeta Bali were the typical ‘Made For Each Other’ couple. They first came together during the outdoor shooting in the bewitching and picturesque Ranikhet in Uttarakhand state in India. Incidentally the movie for which they were shooting was a passionate love story aptly titled RANGEEN RAATEN (1956).
During the shooting the two came close. However though Shammi Kapoor, was son of the legendary actor Prithivraj Kapoor but he was still an ordinary struggling actor while Geeta Bali was celebrity. Hence Shammi had a hitch in proposing Geeta Bali.
However one day famous comedian Johnny Walker, who also working in the film grasped Shammi Kapoor’s love for Geeta Bali and his inability to express his love for Geeta. So he pepped Shammi to go ahead. Thus Shammi dared and proposed Geeta. But Geeta Bali did not reciprocate Shammi’s feelings immediately because she had the responsibility of her family as she was the sole bread winner of the family. But when Shammi assured her that after marriage she could continue to feed her family, Geeta gave her assent.
When husband and wife were ready for marriage their families created a rebel in the typical Bollywood style. But the couple did not bow to the family pressure and secretly got married in a temple, on 24th August 1955, barely four months after their first meeting. The wedding was conducted in a hush-hush with just Hari Walia (producer-director RANGEEN RAATEN) and Johnny Walker blessing the couple.
After the wedding Shammi Kapoor first took his grandfather’s blessings and later conveyed his parents about their marriage on phone. After initial fury; both the families gave in and the marriage was again conducted in a spectacular tradition of Kapoor Khandaan!
The marriage was quite successful because soon after marriage Shammi Kapoor became a huge star. The duo was also blessed by son Aditya Kapoor and daughter Kanchan.
However in 1965, just after ten years of the happily marriage, Geeta Bali became victim of the dreaded Smallpox disease and left this world at a young as of 35 years!
Shammi Kapoor went in melancholy and quit Bollywood for long time.
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