With a twist and shake, he broke novel ground in Hindi cinema. Shammi Kapoor's movies were completely unlike what preceded or followed them. Stepping away from the ponderous themes of patriotism, politics and pathos, Shammi unleashed onto cinema screens the sheer joy of India as a vibrant teenager – excited, optimistic, up for fun. No one did it better

Shammi shared space with a range of contemporary heroes. In headily political times, with the Nehruvian state expanding as forces of tradition – landlords, princes, patriarchs, priests – tried holding their own, each hero personified a particular kind of ideology, a leaning that translated into broadly corresponding film characters. Shammi's elder brother,

Raj Kapoor, was typically the angst-ridden wanderer, an awara with a hard-luck story and blue-eyed charm, ill treated, then redeemed by the Nehruvian state.

Dev Anand brought a happier face to the Nehruvian persona, playing fleet-footed characters knee-deep in mystery, modernity and mischief.

Eschewing modernity,, Rajendra Kumar

was an old-fashioned 'tragedy king' drawn from bards' tales and folklore, whose films framed three hours of perfect sorrow, expressed in shrieking shehnais, teary eyes and tragic accidents twisting lives out of shape

. Mohd Rafi with Shammi Kapoor

Dilip Kumar was a silken-voiced thespian around whose heavy talent epics had to be spun, extending from the splendour of Mughal India to the griminess of rural India, cowering before dacoits and moneylenders alike, finding respite in just a little jig by the waterfall.

Mohd Rafi with Shammi Kapoor, Shankar, Datta Ram, Hasrat Jaipuri and others

Against this, Shammi's movies were an entirely new breeze blowing in from the four corners of the world. They carried to India the sexiness of Hollywood, the pulsations of pop, the verve of Italian fashion, the poutiness of French love-making. Dhotis, kurtas, guns and speeches went out of the window. Shammi shook the rafters with his gags and stormed the dance floor, sax in his mouth, babe by his side, shimmying and shaking before sophisticates in a nightclub seated at tables Awards won By Shammi Kapoor:

* 1962 - Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor–Professor

* 1968 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Brahmachar

* 1982 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Vidhata

* 1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

* 1998 - Kalakar Awards – Special Award for “contribution in Indian Cinema”

* 1999 - Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement

* 2001 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award

* 2001 - Anandalok Awards Lifetime Achievement Award

* 2002 – Invaluable Contribution To Indian Cinema at the IIFA.

* 2005 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards

* 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cinema at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).

* 2009 – Phalke Legend Actor Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy

* Recipient of the prestigious Living Legend Award by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.

* Rashtriya Gaurav Award

Shammi Kapoor Movie List:

* Jeevan Jyoti (1953)

* Rail Ka Dibba (1953)

* Thokar (1953)

* Laila Majnu (1953) Nutan

* Ladki (1953)

* Gul Sanobar (1953)

* Khoj (1953)

* Shama Parwana (1954)

* Mehbooba (1954)

* Ehsan (1954)

* Chor Bazar (1954)

* Tangewali (1955)

* Naqab (1955)

* Miss Coca Cola (1955)

* Daku (1955)

* Sipahsalar (1956)

* Rangeen Raatein (1956) Mala Sinha

* Memsahib (1956)

* Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956)

* Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957 film) Ameeta

* Maharani (1957)

* Coffee House (1957)

* Mirza Sahiban (1957)

* Mujrim (1958)

* Dil Deke Dekho (1958) Asha Parekh

* Ujala (1959) Mala Sinha

* Raat ke Raahi (1959)

* Mohar (1959)

* Basant (1960)

* College Girl (1960)

* Singapore (1960)

* Boyglimmering with cocktails.

But despite its blazing cabarets, skin-tight kameezes and bathtubs of foam, this was no world of moral decadence. Shammi's films were a triumph of innocence; a universe where grown-ups pulled tricks on each other, picnicked incessantly, sang of love on wobbling boats and faced parents quivering with rage in scarlet dressing gowns. Everyone cried for a mandatory minute before a car chase took over and all was righted. Despite the rock and roll, there was little question of shaking the established order – Shammi's films only lightly, smilingly, suggested how much fun it would be if everyone chilled out a little.

In this frame, serious politics took a decided backseat. Despite embracing international culture in the form of Elvis, sunglasses, trousers and travel, Shammi kept his films free of overt politics, whether that of modernity or tradition. He personified the quirkiest combination of the 'swinging sixties' in India – the joyful energy of youth without its intense debates or demonstrations. Its liveliness was instead bounded to the inside of a disco, the openness of a convertible car, the tantalising dilemma over whether to kiss or not on top of the Eiffel Tower. No more.