Shammi Kapoor was an absolute\n original, who redefined the profile of the Hindi film hero in the late ’50s\n and cast him in a unique,highly individualistic mould. He was a farcry from\n the self-righteous ‘hero’ of the time. He broke the existing rules, made his\n own.After a spell of initial shock the audiences went berserk over his\n machismo, the roguish demeanour and the flamboyance with whichhe sang and\n danced. And he became the first hero to break into the formidable cordon of\n the Big Three of the time: Raj Kapoor, DilipKumar and Dev Anand, who had\n dominated the scene unchallenged for more than a decade. Shammi’s uncanny\n sense of musicrevolutionised the song-and-dance routine which led to the\n evolution of a new genre of ‘musical romance’. Unfortunately, the criticsof\n the time failed to comprehend his highly individualistic style and swagger.\n And the way he violated the image of the conventionalhero of the time made\n them pass him over as a ‘freak’. Nevertheless, history hasn’t denied him his\n niche. As film scholar Dr. Punita Bhatt succinctly avers, “Shammi Kapoor\n represented the blending of unique elements rooted in time, place and his own\n talent. More important and less appreciated, is the fact that Shammi Kapoor’s\n contribution, like Dilip Kumar’s, has seeped into the mainstream of popular\n cinema in India, becoming a part of the larger tradition every actor is heir\n to. Jeetendra in the first phase of his career, Rajesh Khanna in early films\n like The Train and Aradhana and Rishi Kapoor on many occasions, are only a\n few of those in whom Shammi Kapoor’s influence was pronounced. In dozens of\n others it is less visible but there, nevertheless.”