Some memories stay with us long after the people in them have gone — not because they are grand, but because they hold a feeling that time cannot erase.
For filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, his mother’s birthday brought back one such memory, prompting him to share an old photograph that still glows with her laughter, her warmth, and the world she built around her.
Marking the day with a quiet tribute, Shekhar wrote, “It’s my Mom’s birthday today and wanted to post a picture of her… looking really happy.” There was no carefully staged portrait, no formal studio frame — just a candid moment where his mother’s happiness is almost alive again, radiating through black-and-white grain.
The image he chose is more than a family picture; it is a piece of his childhood preserved. Standing beside his mother is someone who meant the world to her — legendary actor Dev Anand, whom Kapur lovingly calls her “favourite brother.”
As he explained, “Here’s my mom happy to be with her favourite brother… Dev Anand.” Next to them, Dev Anand’s wife Mona Anand, Shekhar’s elder sister Neelu, and a younger version of Shekhar himself complete the frame — a slightly shy boy surrounded by a warmth he would learn to recognise only much later.
There is an ease, a natural joy in the photograph that makes it timeless. You can almost imagine the conversation, the soft humour, the affection that tied these people together. For Kapur, it’s not just nostalgia; it’s a return to a world that shaped him long before he became a storyteller.
With just a simple closing line — “Happy Birthday… Mama” — Shekhar Kapur lets the picture carry the weight of everything he feels. It becomes a tribute not only to his mother but also to the relationships she cherished, especially her bond with Dev Anand — a connection the world rarely knew, but one that clearly meant everything to her.
The timing of this emotional remembrance feels significant. As Shekhar Kapur prepares for his upcoming vision Masoom: The Next Generation, he finds himself looking back at the people who shaped his beginnings — the gentle influencers behind his creativity, compassion and sense of storytelling.
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