Jennifer Kendal was born in Southport, England, but spent much of her youth in India. Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal shared a love for theatre. They met each other in Kolkata in 1956 in Prithvi Theatre where Jennifer was a part of Shakespearean travelling troupe. Following her footsteps, Shashi too joined the troupe to spend more time with her and the duo got married in 1958. The golden couple had three children.