The secret behind Anil Kapoor's fine ageing, from 'Baal Kalakar' to The Night Manager

Anil Kapoor is a man gifted with dense, black hair on his head… and perhaps cursed with dense, black hair everywhere else. But over the years, the 66-year-old actor, who was last seen in the Hindi remake of The Night Manager, has received quite a makeover as he stands out from other Bollywood veterans of his age. 

Not only is the man nailing formals with a perfectly-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard as the dashing antagonist of The Night Manager, but he’s also rocking bright new-gen colours at recent press sightings. Stealing sneakers from his son and clothes from his Ram Lakhan co-star Jackie Shroff (who is also 66), the man is on his way to becoming a fashion icon.

The “Hairy” Era

A part of the absurdly over-the-top wave of 80s and 90s-era Bollywood fashion, Kapoor had his fair share of photoshoots with absurdly printed roundneck shirts, high-waisted jeans, and of course, even photographs that find him baring it all (all being covered by his hairy plumage). 

One particular photo finds him bare-chested with a bowtie on his neck for some reason! It’s just meme gold for the Gen-Z. No wonder many jokingly trolled him as someone who’s redefining the concept of “baal kalakar” (hair/y star)!

In 2020, the man was even spotted in a shirtless walk down the beach where he flaunted his waxed upper torso! But it seems like Kapoor has not been too conscious about his excessive body hair, even poking fun at it during a conversation with Arbaaz Khaan where he said, “jise lejana hai le jao (whoever wants it, take it)”.

Dark formals and bright casuals

But with age, Kapoor is ageing way better and receiving definitely better styling advice. Instead of going down the extravagant Ranveer Singh route, Kapoor can often be spotted at promotional events or the red carpet with sharp suits and even bandhgalas mostly falling in shades of black and blue. As for his airport looks, Kapoor resorts to plain monochrome hoodies and roundneck sweatshirts. 

Basic tees with straight-cut jeans seems to be his go-to look. And yet, Kapoor can ditch minimalism for a day and play around with abstract designs and colours. A few examples can be the pistachio-coloured jacket that he wore at the airport once. Pairing the jacket with a plain black tee and gold-rimmed John Lennon shades, the actor’s jacket was adorned with Aztec prints.

Similarly, in a recent conversation with film critic Sucharita Tyagi, the Mr India star could be seen wearing a casual light-green shirt with floral line drawings flowing all over it, making it look like he tailored it out of a modernist painting.

When at home, he can be spotted in many such free-flowing shirts such as a light-blue one that he had donned in a photo with his actor son Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor. 

Stealing fashion 

The image with Harsh Varrdhan was clicked at the Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero star’s room that boasted his massive sneaker collection. But Anil Kapoor himself knows a thing or two about good sneaker choices, even resorting to stealing some from his son’s stash! The bubblegum-pink Nike sneakers that he was seen wearing during the opening scene of AK vs AK as well as the behind-the-scenes shots for Malang were reportedly stolen from Harsh Varrdhan’s collection itself. 

Even though Kapoor has usually resorted to neutral-coloured sneakers, the pink Nike Off-White x Nike Zoom Fly sneakers were actually worth Rs 40,000. Posing next to his Malang cast members in a navy blue polo shirt and trouser combo, the man’s sneakers popped out in their full glory. Moral of the story: If you are in your 60s, you should steal your son’s shoes every now and then. 

It’s not just that, Kapoor in the interview with Sucharita Tyagi also revealed that he often steals clothes from fellow veteran Jackie Shroff and even his physiotherapist. Well, given his fashion looks, Kapoor’s stealing is justified!

His secrets to staying young

All the three big Khans of Bollywood are 57 and even their fans have started noticing their signs of ageing. Blame it on the drugs or the jail, Sanjay Dutt (who is three years younger than Kapoor) looks like Kapoor’s elder brother. In this context, Kapoor looks great for his age. Not only is he fashionable, he is also quite healthy. 

In 2019, the actor revealed to the media that he preferred eating South Indian food more than any other cuisine to stay healthy. While his Instagram does reveal his foodie side sometimes, he continues sticking to typical home-cooked meals such as a plain bhindi sabzi or rajma chawal. 

In a recent interview, Kapoor also talked about the secret behind his glowing skin and shiny hair (not chest hair). It turns out that his daughter Sonam Kapoor, wife Sunita Kapoor, and manager Jalal Mortezai have a role behind it. 

So, even though they didn’t force him to amp up his skincare game, Kapoor reveals that it’s just looking at them taking care of their skin that prompted him to look after himself. And what was the result? His “daddyfication”!