The Bollywood industry is heartbroken because of the sudden demise of Rishi Kapoor. The late actor nailed down any role given to him with absolute perfection. From being a chocolate boy of the 70s to being a villain in some of the latest movies, Rishi Kapoor ticked off all the boxes an actor dreams of accomplishing.
The 53-year old late actor lost his long hard battle with leukemia yesterday morning, leaving the whole B-town shaken. The entertainment industry surely lost a gem and his absence will forever be felt.
Meanwhile, Rishi Kapoor’s dear friend Amitabh Bachchan too is devastated by the sad news. The legendary actor was the first to announce the news of Rishi Kapoor’s demise via his Twitter handle. Amitabh Bachchan was not able to attend the funeral and last rites of Rishi Kapoor due to maybe the coronavirus scare. But his son, Abhishek Bachchan stood by the Kapoor family showcasing the bond Bachchan’s share with them.
However, Amitabh Bachchan penned down an emotional Memoriam on his blog for Rishi Kapoor reminiscing the old memories he shared with him.
He wrote, “I had seen him at his home Deonar Cottage, Chembur , a young energetic, bubbly , mischief in his eyes Chintu , on those rare moments when I was privileged to have been invited to an evening at Raj ji’s house ..
I would see him more often after , at RK Studios, when he trained as an actor for his film to be made, BOBBY .. a diligent enthusiastic youngster, ready to pounce onto every learning that came his way, in that famous large and legendary make up room, of Raj ji at the end of the first floor corridor of make up rooms ..
He had a walk that was confident and determined .. a stride and style that was similar to that of his grandfather, the legendary Prithvi Raj ji .. a walk I had noticed in one of his earlier films .. that walk .. I never found it in any other ..
We worked in several films together ..
When he spoke his lines, you believed every word of it .. there was never an alternative .. its genuineness was beyond question ..
And there has never been any other, that could lip sync a song as perfectly as he would .. never ..
His playful attitude on set was infectious .. even in the most grave sequences he would discover that comedic spark and we would all just crack up .. !!
Not just on set .. if you were with him at any formal event , he would find that little distractive light hearted gem to expand on and lighten the situation ..
When there was a time lapse as the shot got readied during a shoot, he would bring out his playing cards , or at times pull out his rather complicated Bagatelle board and invite others to play .. a competition .. not just for fun .. a serious competition ..
During his time of diagnosis and his treatment he never ever lamented his condition .. it was always .. ‘see you soon , just a routine visit to the Hospital .. I’ll be back shortly ‘
Joie de vivre .. the exuberant enjoyment of life , was a gene he inherited from his father .. the Legend, the Ultimate Showman the Iconic Raj Kapoor ..
I never visited him in Hospital .. I never wanted to see distress on his smiling cherubic face ..
But I am certain .. when he went , he must have gone with a gentle smile …”
We can only guess that how much Amitabh Bachchan has been affected by the sudden demise of his dear friend and the Memoriam is just a glimpse of that heavy heart.
For the unversed, Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan shared the silver screen in films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Ajooba, Coolie just to name a few. Their pairing was always lauded and hailed by the audience. Their recent collaboration was for 102 Not Out in which they shared the screen space after almost 27 years.