RISHI KAPOOR 1952-2020

Mulk Mourns As Kapoors Lose A Son

April has been a cruel month. Now the first family of Bollywood has lost its biggest star. Son of a legendary showman, Rishi Kapoor never allowed the illustrious record of his elders to weigh him down. He was a versatile artiste with a nearly 50-year career

Avijit.Ghosh@timesgroup.com

1.5.2020

In a long, glittering career, Rishi Kapoor acted in romantic thrillers (Khel Khel Mein) and love yarns of different shades (Kabhi Kabhie, Laila Majnu, Sargam, Prem Rog, Tawaif, Saagar, Henna). He danced better (Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, Karz) than most contemporaries. A lesser actor would have got lost in masala multi-starrers (Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb) but Rishi’s easy charm and comic timing helped him sail through. And yes, his movies were synonymous with chartbusting tracks, generally composed by RD Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

With passing time, he abandoned the mannerisms that came in the way of his growth as an actor. In the coda of his career, when character actor parts were more etched out, Rishi Kapoor found a second wind. A garrulous Bollywood producer (Luck By Chance), a gay dean (Student of the Year), a loathsome trafficker (Agneepath), a spirited grandfather (Kapoor & Sons) and an aging Muslim laywer battling for honour (Mulk) -- he invested each part with a sense of the real.

“My second phase as a character artiste is particularly gratifying because I could disprove certain misconceptions that people have about senior actors,” Rishi wrote in Khullam Khulla, the autobiography he co-authored with Meena Iyer.

Few Bollywood autobiographies – barring those by Dev Anand and Naseeruddin Shah -- are so honest. Rishi spoke about fearing his father before coming to admire him, his bouts with alcohol, depression and chauvinism. He wrote how he had objected to Rajesh Khanna -- whom he initially disliked -- being considered for Raj Kapoor’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and admitted to a drunken fight with fellow actor Sanjay Khan. He admitted how he had gone to Javed Akhtar’s home to bait him after Imaan-Dharam scripted by Salim-Javed had flopped and expressed regret at not being able to help RD Burman when the down-and-out maestro asked for work late in his career.

Kapoor was born on Sept 4, 1952 in Bombay’s no. 1 film family. “I have a vault filled with priceless memories, and a unique vantage point since birth. I have seen four generations of Kapoors at work -- from my grandfather, my father, uncles and brothers, to Karisma, Kareena and Ranbir (his son),” he said in his autobiography.

He was a natural. In his debut role as a boy besotted by his school teacher in his father’s Mera Naam Joker, Rishi projected the right degree of infatuation with heartbreak. Bobby was made primarily by Raj Kapoor to tide over the losses suffered after Joker flopped. The love story oozing with teen glamour became a monster hit. Songs such as Hum tum ek kamre mein band hon – now revived in these times of social distancing -- were frowned upon by aging India but lapped up by the young and the loveless. Kapoor and his co-star Dimple Kapadia became the vanilla of the season.

The film shaped his image as a romantic star. He was yoked to the template of youthful entertainers, where he lipsynced to peppy songs in pullovers. He was often paired with debutantes (Shoma Anand in Barood, Kajal Kiran in Hum Kisi Se..., Ranjeeta in Laila Majnu).

Always in step with the times, Rishi Kapoor was a regular on Twitter. He tweeted honestly and, sometimes controversially, to his 3.5 million followers. The actor’s last tweet, posted on April 2 was straight from the heart. He wrote, “An appeal to all brothers and sisters from all social status and faiths. Please don’t resort to violence, stone throwing or lynching. Doctors, nurses, medics, policemen etc… are endangering their lives to save you. We have to win this Coronavirus war together. Please. Jai Hind!”