LEGENDARY RISHI KAPOOR LEAVES BEHIND AN ECLECTIC LEGACY
Afive-decade-long career in Bollywood is no mean feat. And yet, Rishi Kapoor constantly reinvented himself to adapt to the changing landscape of the Hindi film industry. Known for being the archetypal ‘chocolate boy’ of the 70s, he nearly patented the romantic hero image well into the early 90s. If there were any deviations from the norm —like a Karz or a Khoj — the actor would soon find himself returning to what many thought would be his comfort zone. This perception was easily thwarted in the latter half of his career. In the 2000s, as the sensibilities began to change and Hindi cinema went on from offering an ‘escape’ to mirroring the real world, actors like Rishi Kapoor finally found platforms to showcase their talents. Also refreshing was his refusal to sugarcoat his views on life and society that were often spelt out loud on his Twitter profile. While Kapoor’s demise has certainly left a void in Hindi cinema, he leaves behind a robust legacy of films that will continue to entertain generations.
Enid Parker
The sad news of Rishi Kapoor’s passing away yesterday morning came as a shock to the City Times team, who were privileged enough to have had a one-on-one with the veteran star of classic films like Karz, Bobby, Amar Akbar Anthony.
The actor had dropped into the
Khaleej Times office with his son, Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, on September 18, 2013 to promote their joint film Besharam, which also starred Rishi’s wife Neetu Kapoor.
Ranbir, a star in his own right already with films like Barfi! and
Rockstar, appeared in awe of his famous father and hardly spoke, letting Rishi do most of the talking. The respect and deference that Ranbir had for Rishi was obvious, with the latter even pausing mid-interview to adjust Ranbir’s clothes, and telling him rather sternly to use a box of tissues!
It was impossible not to be blown away by Rishi’s imposing personality and his famous charm, and we listened politely as he spoke about his latest project, the first with his son.
“It was always going to happen,” Rishi said, when asked what it was like to work together with his son on a film.
“The surprise was that both my wife and I are coming in a film with him at the same time. I think every audience will like this ‘masala’ film. It’s full of ‘masti,’ but in real life Ranbir is a good boy. I never remember him acting up, even as a child. His mother may remember differently, though.”