( CNN ) -- Actor and producer Anil Kapoor has long been a Bollywood luminary , but after his award-winning performance in global hit `` Slumdog Millionaire , '' he is set to become an international star . Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor . Kapoor says that `` Slumdog , '' a love story about a boy from a Mumbai slum who wins a fortune on quiz show `` Who Wants To Be A Millionaire ? , '' resembles his own life story . `` I also started from scratch , went from rags to riches , '' he told CNN . Anil is part of the Kapoor family that is a veritable Bollywood dynasty . His father Surinder and elder brother Boney are film producers , his daughter Sonam , sister-in-law Sridevi and his younger brother Sanjay are actors , while son-in-law Sandeep Marwah is a movie magnate and Anil 's son Harshvardhan is currently learning to direct movies in Los Angeles . But things were n't always so glamorous . Anil Kapoor was born on Christmas Eve 1959 and grew up in a tenement in the Mumbai suburb of Chembur , with eight people living together in a single room . His father Surinder had yet to make his name in the film industry , but young Anil clearly had movies in his blood . `` In my childhood I was surrounded by films , actors , film makers , directors and film talk . I would bunk school to watch movies , '' he said . He was cast in his first movie aged just seven . Although the film was never released , the experience was enough to convince Kapoor that his future lay in the movies . After finishing school he went to St Xavier 's College , where he acted in plays and won the Best Actor trophy at an inter-collegiate competition , before being expelled for non-attendance . Kapoor responded by enrolling in acting classes and taking singing and dance lessons . He made his Bollywood debut in 1979 's `` Hamare Tumhare , '' before moving on to Telugu-language movie `` Vamsa Vriksham '' in 1980 , and landing his first Bollywood starring role in 1983 's `` Woh 7 Din . '' Watch Anil Kapoor take CNN on a tour of Mumbai . » . Kapoor first met future wife Sunita Bhambhani in 1979 , when she was a successful model and he was still a struggling actor . He decided that he would propose marriage as soon as he got his big break and 1984 's `` Mashaal '' was the opportunity he 'd been waiting for . Kapoor 's performance won him Best Supporting Actor at India 's prestigious FilmFare awards and he married Sunita in May of that year . Kapoor cemented his status a Bollywood idol after starring in the hugely successful `` Mr India , '' which promptly became his nickname among a growing legion of fans . He has gone on to become one of the biggest names in Indian cinema , picking up a total of five FilmFare awards and a National Film Institute Best Actor award for his role in 2000 's `` Pukar . '' Following in his father 's footsteps , Kapoor made his debut as a producer in 2002 , with the comedy `` Badhaai Ho Badhaai , '' and he went on to produce `` Gandhi , My Father , '' which portrayed the fractious relationship between Mohandas Gandhi and his eldest son Harilal . For years now , in his home town of Mumbai Kapoor has been mobbed by fans wherever he goes , instantly recognizable by his trademark mustache , which he has proudly sported in all but three of his hundred-plus movies . But like most Bollywood stars , he received little acclaim outside India . That changed abruptly and unexpectedly with the release of low-budget British movie `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' The film has become an international sensation , winning four Golden Globe awards and receiving an astonishing 10 Oscar nominations . See Anil Kapoor 's `` Slumdog Millionaire '' success in photos . » . Kapoor 's role as the creepy quiz show host earned him a share in the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Cast . In typically modest fashion , Kapoor dedicated the award to the film 's child actors . `` They deserve this award '' he said during his acceptance speech . `` It 's the children who 've done it , not us . '' Kapoor remains proud of his roots , visiting his childhood neighborhood every year , and he is grounded enough to be aware of the social problems in Mumbai . He is a goodwill ambassador for Plan India , an organization that helps street children , and he donated his entire `` Slumdog '' fee to the cause . As he prepares to travel to Britain for the Bafta awards and to Los Angeles for the Oscars , Mr India remains characteristically self-effacing . `` I feel so humble and grateful . I never expected the film to be so huge and successful , '' he said . Whether he 's accepting awards in Hollywood or making movies for Bollywood , Kapoor seems sure to keep his feet on the ground .
Bollywood star Anil Kapoor plays the quiz show host in ` ` Slumdog . '' He grew up in a tenement in a Mumbai suburb , sharing a room with 7 others . As an actor he is a Bollywood legend , and he is also a successful businessman . ` ` I feel so humble and grateful '' says Kapoor of Slumdog 's global success .