Rishi Kapoor passes away: A look at his collaborations with directors, from Yash Chopra to Manmohan Desai

Veteran actor  Rishi Kapoor  has passed away at the age of 67 on Thursday. The actor was hospitalised on Wednesday morning after he complained about breathing issues.

He was admitted to Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai. Rishi was battling leukemia, and had undergone treatment for the same for almost a year in New York City. He returned to Mumbai in September 2019.

The actor’s illustrious career was marked with many-a hit collaborations with some of the most celebrated Hindi film directors — be it his father Raj Kapoor or Manmohan Desai.

His untimely death brings back memories of the versatility and effortlessness the stalwart infused into all his performances. Here we look at some of Kapoor’s most notable collaborations with directors.

Raj Kapoor

Along with siblings Randhir and Ritu, Rishi Kapoor featured in the song ‘Pyar Hua Ikraar Hua’ in Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420. But he made his debut as a child actor in Raj Kapoor’s masterpiece Mera Naam Joker, where he played the younger version of  Raju, a circus clown. Kapoor’s performance won him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.

He even made his Bollywood debut as a full-time actor with his father’s romantic drama Bobby (1973), which made him into an overnight sensation. Almost a decade later, Kapoor reunited with Raj essay the leading man in Prem Rog (1982), which is enlisted on Cosmopolitan as one of the top ten “Most Romantic Films Ever.”

Yash Chopra

Rishi was perhaps was one of the few A-listers who has done more ensemble films than solo hero ones. Kabhie Kabhie (1976) was among the first ensemble films he appeared in, also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhie, Shashi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman, and Neetu Singh. Incidentally, Rishi  rejected  the film initially when Yash Chopra first offered it to him. It was only after Shashi Kapoor and Chopra’s insistence that the actor agreed to sign the dotted lines.

Rishi and Chopra went on to work together in two other films — Vijay and Chandni. Vijay was yet another ensemble film, featuring Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini, Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Seshadri, Raj Babbar, Moushmi Chatterjee, and Anupam Kher, and was the last action film Chopra directed. It was also the last action film produced under Yash Raj Films banner for 16 years until Dhoom released in 2004.

But it was Chopra’s 1989 blockbuster Chandni that provided his career a much-needed prod. Rishi himself admitted to this in an interview .  He said, “Chandni was a game-changer. It came at a time when everything was zero for us (Rishi Kapoor and Yash Chopra). The whole industry did a write off that Yash Chopra’s film will be a flop.”

While the duo never returned to collaborate for a full feature movie, Rishi did make a special appearance in Chopra’s final film Jab Tak Hai Jaan. 

Ramesh Talwar

Rishi did two films with director Ramesh Talwar — Doosara Aadmi  (1977), which was produced by Yash Chopra, and Duniya (1984). Doosra Aadmi, while now touted to be a classic, failed to register profits at the ticketing counters at the time of its release. On the 42nd anniversary of the release, Rishi Kapoor shared the poster of the film, writing, " The subject of this film’s love story was much ahead of its time. The perspectives of the characters shocked people then. Today, so rampant in our society."

He also posted a throwback picture from the premiere of the movie on Twitter last year.

Premiere of Doosara Aadmi. pic.twitter.com/kzyhqZtg5S

— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 14, 2019

Duniya was Kapoor’s only film with veteran actor Dilip Kumar, and he played Kumar’s son in the movie. Produced by Yash Chopra, this was also the last film that Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar did together.

Manmohan Desai

Also read on Firstpost: Before 102 Not Out, Rishi Kapoor on working with Amitabh Bachchan in their five previous films Rishi Kapoor and Manmohan Desai collaborated on three movies  — Naseeb, Amar Akbar Antony, and Coolie. In both Naseeb (1981) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Rishi played Amitabh Bachchan’s younger brother, but Amar Akbar Anthony saw Rishi in a much meatier role, as Akbar Illahabadi. In Coolie, Rishi again played a supporting part to Bachchan.

Nikkhil Advani

In the later stages of his career, Rishi moved away from playing the quintessential romantic hero to display his range as an actor. He played a significant role in Nikkhil Advani’s Patiala House (2011). He played the patriarch of the Kahlon family in London. Amrish Puri may have cemented his position as the eternally-angry-but-with-a-heart-of-gold father figure, but it was Kapoor’s smothering father figure that remained etched in people’s minds. Rishi later worked with Advani on D-Day (2013) as well, where he played Iqbal Seth, a character based on infamous gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Kunal Kohli

In both Kunal Kohli directorials Hum Tum (2004) and Fanaa (2006) Rishi Kapoor played the role of the caring father. His easy charm and affable disposition made him an instantly likable and relatable father figure.

Other notable collaborations:

David Dhawan — Bol Radha Bol, Eena Meena Deeka, Yaraana, Yeh Hai Jalwa

Nasir Hussain — Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai