Rishi Kapoor | |
|---|---|
 Kapoor in 2016 | |
| Born | Rishi Raj Kapoor (1952-09-04)4 September 1952 |
| Died | 30 April 2020(2020-04-30) (aged 67) |
| Other names | Chintu Kapoor |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1970–2020[2] |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingRanbir |
| Father | Raj Kapoor |
| Family | Kapoor family |
Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020)[3] was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked inHindi films.[4] In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema.[5] Kapoor was the recipient of several accolades, including aNational Film Award and fourFilmfare Awards.
Born into theKapoor family,[6] he made his debut, as an adolescent, in his fatherRaj Kapoor's filmMera Naam Joker, for which he won theNational Film Award for Best Child Artist.[7] As an adult, his first lead role was oppositeDimple Kapadia in the teen romanceBobby, which won him theFilmfare Award for Best Actor. Between 1973 and 2000, Kapoor starred as the romantic lead in 92 films.[8] He starred in several successful films from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, such asKabhi Kabhie,Laila Majnu,Amar Akbar Anthony,Hum Kisise Kum Nahin,Sargam,Naseeb,Kaatilon Ke Kaatil,Prem Rog,Coolie,Nagina,Chandni,Henna,Deewana,Bol Radha Bol andDamini.[9] He also received acclaim for his performances inKhel Khel Mein,Rafoo Chakkar,Barood,Naya Daur,Jhoota Kahin Ka,Karz,Yeh Vaada Raha,Bade Dilwala,Saagar,Tawaif,Ek Chadar Maili Si andHathyar.[10][11]
Since the 2000s, Kapoor playedcharacter roles to critical acclaim in films such asHum Tum,Fanaa,Namastey London,Love Aaj Kal,Agneepath,Housefull 2,Aurangzeb,Shuddh Desi Romance,102 Not Out andMulk.[12][13][14][15][16] For his performance inDo Dooni Chaar, he won theFilmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics), and for his role in the ensemble family dramaKapoor & Sons, he won theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[17] He was honoured with theFilmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.[17] His final film appearance was inSharmaji Namkeen, which was released posthumously.[18]
Kapoor met his wife, actressNeetu Singh, while working in films. They have 2 children, including the actorRanbir Kapoor. He died ofleukemia on 30 April 2020, aged 67.[19][20]
Kapoor was born on 4 September 1952 at his family's home, Raj Kapoor Bungalow, inMatunga,South Bombay, in the then-Bombay State of India, into aPunjabi family of theKapoor clan, fromPeshawar and originally fromSamundri, to parentsRaj Kapoor and Krishna Malhotra.[21][22][23][24] He attendedColonel Brown Cambridge School inDehradun,Campion School inBombay andMayo College inAjmer.[25]
Part of theKapoor family, he was the second son of legendary actor-directorRaj Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor (née Malhotra).[26] Likewise, his family encompasses a successful line of actors, including brothers,Randhir andRajiv Kapoor; paternal grandfatherPrithviraj Kapoor; paternal granduncleTrilok Kapoor, maternal unclesPrem,Rajendra, andNarendra Nath, as well asPrem Chopra; paternal unclesShashi Kapoor andShammi Kapoor.[27][verification needed] Rishi Kapoor's two sisters are late Ritu Nanda, who was aninsurance agent, and Rima Jain.[28] The actressesKarisma Kapoor andKareena Kapoor, the actors Armaan Jain and Aadar Jain, and Nitasha Nanda and the businessmanNikhil Nanda are his nieces and nephews.
Around the age of three, Kapoor's first on-screen appearance was a cameo in his fatherRaj Kapoor's filmShree 420 (1955),[13] where he would appear in the musical sequence of "Pyaar Hua, Iqraar Hua Hai".[27] Likewise, Raj Kapoor would direct the film that provided Rishi his debut role, the 1970 filmMera Naam Joker, in which the actor would portray the young version of the lead character (played by Raj Kapoor).[29][13] His performance in the film earned him theNational Film Award for Best Child Artist.
Rishi Kapoor's first leading role in adulthood came oppositeDimple Kapadia, in the 1973 teen romanceBobby, also directed by his father.[13]Bobby went on to become one of the decade'sbiggest hits in India,[30] and earned him theFilmfare Award for Best Actor.[27] Regarding the film, he would say in a 2012 interview: "There was a misconception that the film was made to launch me as an actor. The film was actually made to pay the debts ofMera Naam Joker. Dad wanted to make a teenage love story and he did not have money to castRajesh Khanna in the film."[17] FollowingBobby (1973), he starred in several light-hearted comedies within that decade, including, among others:Khel Khel Mein (1975) andRafoo Chakkar (1975) withNeetu Singh;Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) withAmitabh Bachchan andVinod Khanna; andHum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) withZeenat Aman.[13]
Kapoor worked with actress Neetu Singh for the first time inZahreela Insaan (1974). The two would go on to share screen space in multiple projects, includingKabhi Kabhie (1976) andDoosra Aadmi (1976), and would eventually marry in 1980.[31] In 1980, Kapoor starred along withTina Munim inSubhash Ghai's musical reincarnation thrillerKarz (1980), which went on to become acult classic with a highly popular soundtrack. In a role considered one of his career-best works, Kapoor played an idealistic Devdhar in the 1982 musical romantic dramaPrem Rog, a film based on the concept of widow remarriage, co-starringPadmini Kolhapure, which earned him his second nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actor.[32] Another highlight of his career was the musical romantic dramaSaagar (1985), directed by noted directorRamesh Sippy, which saw Kapoor reunite withDimple Kapadia, 12 years after they made their debuts inBobby.[33] He appeared as the second lead in several multi-starrer films in the 1980s such asNaseeb (1981),Kaatilon Ke Kaatil (1981),Coolie (1983),Dosti Dushmani (1986),Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1988) andGharana (1989). In the 1986 dramaEk Chadar Maili Si, adapted fromRajendra Singh Bedi's novel of the same name, Kapoor would play a man forced by customs to marry his widowed sister-in-law, played byHema Malini.[27][34] He ended the decade on a high withYash Chopra's blockbuster romantic musicalChandni (1989) starring asSridevi's love interest, Rohit, a helpless romantic-turned-cripple, which earned him another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[16]
In 1991, Kapoor starred along with Pakistani actressZeba Bakhtiyar inHenna, a tale of love across national borders, which was envisioned by his father,Raj Kapoor, and directed by his elder brotherRandhir Kapoor.[35]Henna wasIndia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Kapoor also had a leading role in the 1993 filmDamini, co-starringMeenakshi Seshadri andSunny Deol, that went on to be considered a classic socially-oriented film.[36] Between 1973 and 2000, Kapoor's other film roles (mainly as the romantic lead)[20] include:[29][27]Raaja (1975),Laila Majnu (1976),Sargam (1979), which earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor,Bade Dil Wala (1983),Tawaif (1985), which earned him another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor,[13]Bol Radha Bol (1992),Deewana (1992) andKarobaar (2000). Kapoor debuted as a director inAa Ab Laut Chalen (1999) which starredRajesh Khanna,Akshaye Khanna andAishwarya Rai. This remained his sole directorial venture.[13]
Kapoor successfully transitioned tocharacter acting in the mid-2000s, going on to appear in several supporting roles, such as inHum Tum (2004),Fanaa (2006),Namastey London (2007) andLove Aaj Kal (2009).[27][20] In 2007, he appeared inAditya Raj Kapoor's British English-language filmsDon't Stop Dreaming andSambar Salsa.[37]
In the 2010s, he played diverse roles such as the villain inAgneepath (2012),Aurangzeb (2013) andKaanchi (2014);[38] a gay dean in the coming-of-age romanceStudent of the Year (2012); and real-life mobsterDawood Ibrahim in the action thrillerD–Day (2013).[27] He appeared with his brother Randhir for the first time in the multi-starrer comedyHousefull 2 (2012).[39] He won theFilmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics) for his role inDo Dooni Chaar (2010), playing a middle-aged father trying to buy his own car, starring alongside his wife Neetu Singh. He also bagged theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the ensemble family dramaKapoor & Sons (2016).[27] He also appeared in the action comedyBesharam (2013) along with his wife Neetu and sonRanbir Kapoor.[40]
After two decades, he reunited on-screen with frequent co-starAmitabh Bachchan in102 Not Out (2018), in which the two play an old-aged father-son duo. In 2018, he appeared in theNetflix dramaRajma Chawal[13] and received high critical acclaim for his portrayal of a Muslim inMulk.[27] In 2019, Kapoor had two releases:Jhootha Kahin Ka, a comedy-drama film directed bySmeep Kang; andThe Body, co-starringEmraan Hashmi, amystery-thriller written and directed byJeethu Joseph.[41] Released on 13 December 2019,The Body would be Kapoor's last film to be released during his lifetime.[20]
At the time of his death on 30 April 2020, Hitesh Bhatia'sSharmaji Namkeen co-starringJuhi Chawla, was under production and a four-day schedule was pending at the time of Kapoor's death.[42] Producer Honey Trehan on 8 May 2020 confirmed that the film will be released in theatres.[43] In January 2021, it was reported thatParesh Rawal is going to complete Kapoor's unfinished portions of the film,[44] and it was released onAmazon Prime Video on 31 March 2022.[45]
Kapoor married actressNeetu Singh, fromNew Delhi, also ofPunjabiKhatri descent, in 1980.[13] The couple had two children — son, actorRanbir Kapoor, and a daughter, Riddhima Kapoor.[31] Kapoor's autobiographyKhullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, was released on 15 January 2017. Kapoor wrote the book along with Meena Iyer, and the title was published underHarperCollins.[46][47]
Kapoor was known to make controversial socio-political comments. In March 2016, he criticized theNehru–Gandhi family over naming of roads, buildings and national assets in the name of Gandhi and Nehru.[48] In September 2017, he again took on the Gandhi family by slammingRahul Gandhi over dynastic politics.[49] In March 2020, he expressed anger and criticized the Indian Judiciary with the"Tareekh Pe Tareekh" dialogue of his filmDamini over the delay in execution of the four perpetrators who were convicted in theNirbhaya case due to loopholes in the laws.[50]
Kapoor was diagnosed withleukemia in 2018 and went toNew York City for treatment.[19] After successful treatment for a year, he returned to India on 26 September 2019.[51]
However, he was admitted toSir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital on 29 April 2020 due to breathing difficulties.[52] He died on 30 April 2020 at 8:45 AM IST from recurrence of leukemia.[53][54] Kapoor's last rites were performed at Chandanwadi Crematorium and his ashes were immersed inBanganga.[55]
Kapoor is one of the most recognizable actors ofHindi Cinema, he was a versatile actor who could effortlessly portray a wide range of characters. Kapoor's public persona and early career would come to be defined by his romantic films such as his super hit debutBobby,Rafoo Chakkar,Sargam,Karz,Prem Rog, andChandni. He was placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list. One of the highest paid actors of late 1970s and in the 1980s, Kapoor appeared inBox office India's "Top Grossing Worldwide" and "Top Nett Grossing India" which wereAgneepath,Housefull 2,Kapoor & Sons andLove Aaj Kal. He was also inducted into theBollywood Walk of Fame atBandra Bandstand, where his hand print was preserved.[56]
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