Bollywood superstar’s family stayed in Raj Kapoor’s driver’s quarters, he started his career serving actors snacks on sets. Today, his networth is over Rs 300 crore….

Today, Anil Kapoor’s family is counted among one of the wealthiest among Bollywood. His elder brother, Boney Kapoor had produced many blockbusters and Anil had headlined many iconic films such as Mr India, Tezaab, 1942: A Love Story etc. However, their beginnings in Bollywood were humble, even though they were related to Prithviraj Kapoor, the patriarch of the Kapoor family, who are considered Bollywood royalty.

Anil and Boney’s father, producer Surinder Kapoor was born in Peshawar and moved to Mumbai after Partition. He was introduced to legendary filmmaker K Asif by his cousin Prithviraj Kapoor and he bagged a job of an assistant director for the magnum opus Mughal E Azam. However, his family was no stranger to financial hurdles.

Surinder Kapoor and his wife spent their early married years without a house of their own. According to an Indian Express report they initially stayed in an outhouse on the property of Raj Kapoor. The accommodation was a modest room located above the garage, a space that was generally allotted to the chauffeur's family.


As their family expanded, the Kapoors relocated to Tilak Nagar, where they lived in a small one-room dwelling in a chawl. Recalling those humble beginnings, producer Boney Kapoor said that all four Kapoor brothers were born while the family lived in a single room. He explained that each floor of the building consisted of one compact room with a kitchen, while the residents shared three common toilets, highlighting the modest conditions in which they were raised.

Despite the financial hardships, Surinder Kapoor gradually established himself in the Hindi film industry as a producer. Boney Kapoor has credited actress Geeta Bali with playing a crucial role in his father's career, saying she helped him connect with financiers who backed his debut production, Jab Se Tumhe Dekha (1963), giving him the opportunity to launch his filmmaking journey.

Speaking to News18, Boney Kapoor also reflected on the difficult phase that followed. He said the family was hit by multiple setbacks after Surinder Kapoor's ambitious film project failed commercially. At the same time, his father was battling heart-related health issues and had accumulated debts amounting to around ₹22 lakh, placing the household under severe financial pressure.

Boney recalled that after the death of their grandmother, he and his younger brother Anil Kapoor decided to divide responsibilities to support the family. According to Boney, Anil chose to pursue acting, while he stepped into film production to help manage the family's affairs and reduce the burden on their father, whose fragile health made it important to shield him from additional stress.

In the early days of his career, Anil Kapoor accepted every assignment available on film sets to earn a livelihood and gain experience. Looking back, he said he never viewed those responsibilities as menial work because he genuinely enjoyed them. His duties ranged from waking up actors and transporting them between airports, hotels, and shooting locations to ensuring they were comfortable, arranging refreshments, and taking care of their needs during filming schedules. These experiences, he said, became the foundation of his journey in the film industry.

Eventually, the family’s fortunes changed when Boney’s debut film Hum Paanch emerged as a success. Anil finally managed to debut as a leading man in the 1983 romantic drama Woh Saat Din. According to a Financial Express report, his net worth is a whopping Rs 330 crore.