Rishi Kapoor belonged to the illustrious Kapoor lineage. His grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, is counted as one of the
pillars of Indian cinema. The stature of his father, Raj Kapoor, is no less exalted. His uncles, actors Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor too are considered icons in the film industry.
Like most Kapoor men, Rishi’s screen life started quite early. He appeared as a toddler along with his siblings in the song Pyar hua iqrar hua in Shree 420 (1955). Rishi made his debut as a child artiste in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker (1970), playing his father’s younger self. The film was feted by the critics but was a commercial disaster. The story goes that Raj Kapoor needed a quick hit to tide over the financial loss incurred by Joker. He made the teenage romance, Bobby (1973), starring son Rishi and newbie Dimple Kapadia. Bobby turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the RK banner, not only clearing away debts but turning in a handsome profit as well. The teen sensations, Dimple and Rishi, were flooded with offers but she gave up all that for marriage with superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rishi won the Filmfare Best Actor trophy for his act in Bobby. He came to be counted as a saleable star. Filmmakers wanted to cash in on his chocolate boy image and wrote roles for him. Hits like Khel Khel Mein (1975), Rafoo Chakkar (1975), based on Hollywood’s Some Like It Hot (1959) and Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) bolstered his image. The star was linked to his heroines like Shoma Anand, Ranjeeta and Neetu Singh off-screen too, which added to his lover boy charisma. He drew close to Neetu during Khel Khel Mein. She became his friend and confidante. The couple tied the knot in 1980. They were blessed with daughter Riddhima and son Ranbir. They had an enduring marriage of 40 years.
Rishi tried to break his chocolate boy image with films like Subhash Ghai’s Karz (1980), a reincarnation drama and Ek Chaddar Maili Si (1986), directed by Sukhwant Dhadda, an arthouse film, based on Rajinder Singh Bedi's classic novella of the same name. The book won a Sahitya Akademi Award. Rishi plays a man, forced by custom, to marry his widowed sister-in-law, played by Hema Malini. Despite playing such a complex character, his lover-boy image refused to leave him.
Rishi continued to romance young girls till Karobaar (2000). He tried his hand at direction with Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999) but the film starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai failed to make a profit. Rishi finally said yes to character roles and showed his mettle in films like Hum Tum (2004), Fanaa (2006), Dilli 6 (2009), Do Dooni Chaar (2010), where he appeared with wife Neetu Kapoor after more than 25 years. He appeared in a rare negative role in Agneepath (2012) and was admired for it. He broke another taboo by appearing as a gay character in Student Of The Year (2012). The actor revelled in author-backed roles which were denied to him earlier. He played an infamous gangster in D-Day (2013) and appeared as Amitabh Bachchan’s 76-year old son in 102 Not Out (2018). Both Amitabh and he did a film together after more than 20 years and it was an emotional reunion for them. His performance in Mulk (2018), where he played a Muslim lawyer, won him accolades too.
It may be mentioned that he won the Filmfare Critics’ Best Actor Award for his performance as a middle-aged father yearning to buy his own car for Do Dooni Chaar (2011). He also won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor trophy for his role in Kapoor & Sons (2016). He was bestowed with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and went to New York City for treatment. After successful treatment for over a year, he returned to India in September 2019. He had been unwell many a time since then. He was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on April 29. He passed away peacefully on the morning of April 30. He will be missed for generations.
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