Rishi Kapoor, a powerhouse performer, revered actor passes away at 67

Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor has passed away at the age of 67. This comes a day after actor Irrfan Khan breathed his last. Kapoor, who was fighting cancer for the last couple of years, was taken to Mumbai’s HN Reliance Hospital by his family on Wednesday after he complained of having difficulty in breathing. He passed away this morning.

The official statement from Rishi Kapoor's family said, “Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45am IST in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last. He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents.” The statement also urged the fans and well-wishers to respect the lockdown and the restrictions around movement and gathering in public.

As soon as the news broke out social media started pouring in with messages in the memory of Kapoor. Some of the biggest names in the industry condoling the death of the veteran actor included Amitabh Bachchan, AkshayKumar, Rajinikanth, Shekhar Kapur, Priyanka Chopra, Hema Malini, Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, John Abraham, Ajay Devgn, Farhan Akhtar, Kriti Sanon, and Tusshar Kapoor, among others. Kapoor, who wasdiagnosed with bone marrow cancer back in 2018, had gone to New York City for treatment. On completion of the treatment he had returned to India on 26 September 2019.

Rishi Kapoor was one of the few actors in the country who found success both as a lead as well as a supporting actor during his long acting career which officially started as a child actor in his legendary father Raj Kapoor’s 1970magnum opus Mera Naam Joker. But technically his first ever role came as a two-year old in Raj Kapoor's 1955 classic Shree 420 wherein he appeared in the song "PyaarHua, Iqraar Hua".

Kapoor’s role of a school studentinfatuated with his teacher, played by Simi Garewal, has remained a major talking point of his career. 3 years later he went to star in the blockbuster Bobby opposite Dimple Kapadia. A couple of years later he went on to star in Rafoo Chakkar which was loosely inspired by the Hollywood classic Some Like It Hot. Kapoor famously dressed as a girl in the movie. In 1976 he starred in LailaMajnu which was based on the legendary story of the lovers Layla and Majnun with Kapoor essaying the part of Majnun. The songs of the movie were big hits.

Despite tasting success with the aforementioned films it was not an easy journey for Rishi Kapoor as he had to face severe competition from contemporaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and others. It was a time when more and more actors were shifting to action oriented roles but Kapoor stuck to his romantic image against all odds. In between the films where he appeared as a solo hero he also starred in some multi-starrers such as Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb, and Coolie.

Essaying the part of Monty in Subhash Ghai’s musical thriller Karz, Rishi Kapoor succeeded in settingthe tone for the ‘80s wherein he went on to star in superhitfilms like Prem Rog, Nagina, and Chandni. His major films from the ‘90s include Heena, Bol Radha Bol, Deewana, Damini, Gurudev, and Prem Granth. In the year 1999 he directed his first and only film Aa Ab Laut Chalen, starring Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna in the lead roles.

His second innings as an actor started post 2000s which witnessed him predominantly in supporting roles that suited his age as opposed to the romantic hero that he played for most part of his acting career. Some of the most important films from this period include Hum Tum, Fanaa, Namastey London, Love Aaj Kal, Luck by Chance, Delhi-6, and Patiala House.

Another major turning point in his career came with Karan Malhotra’s 2012 film Agneepathwherein Kapoor appeared in a rare negative role. For his part of the underworld don Rauf Lala, Kapoor bagged the IIFA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role. He subsequently starred in films like Student of the Year, Housefull 2, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, D-Day, and Shuddh DesiRomance.

Shakun Batra’s 2016 films Kapoor & Sons proved to be a major milestone in Rishi Kapoor’s career. He played a 90 year old man infatuated by the Ram Teri Ganga Mailiactress Mandakini. Kapoor went on to bag the FilmfareAward for Best Supporting Actor for the part.

He subsequently delivered back to back memorable performances in Umesh Shukla’s 102 Not Out and Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk. He also received praise for his work in Leena Yadav’s Rajma Chawal which released on Netflix. Jeethu Joseph’s The Body remains his last released film. Kapoor had been shooting for SharmajiNamkeen with actress Juhi Chawla. According to Chawla, the film is yet to complete its schedule.

Rishi Kapoor was a powerhouse performer who excelled in romance, comedy as well as drama. He tasted commercial and critical success in both lead as well as supporting roles. His spontaneity as an actor has few equals. Kapoor’s tragic death has left a huge void. It’s really an irreparable loss for the film industry.