LO MEIN AA GAYA

At 18 Rishi Kapoor had the privilege of winning the National Award for his convincing act of a teenager who has a crush on his pretty teacher in Mera Naam Joker, inarguably the best part of the film.  This movie whetted his apetite for pursuing acting full time.  But alas, the vice of overeating had turned him into a chubby teenager.  Raj Kapoor wanted a young slim actor for the lead role in next movie Bobby.  Rishi gave up his beloved steaks and came down to half his size before he was deemed eligible for the movie. Under the skillful direction of Raj Kapoor, this movie about puppy love between teens from different backgrounds was HUGE winner.  Almost for the first time young people were playing their age.  The hindi cinema was hitherto filled with actors who looked like they were 30 somethings. The movie was mint fresh and so were the lead pair, Rishi and Dimple.  Again, it was a first for a Hindi movie that the heroine wore frocks throughout the film and did not once wear a saree or salwar-kameez.  The songs were a rage, Hum tum ek kamre me band ho, ruled the charts.  Again for a change, the passion between the lead pair was real and red-hot.

Alas, Bobby (Dimple) dumped a successful career and married Rajesh Khanna.


LOVER BOY

The void left by Dimple was quickly filled by Neetu Singh.  His next film Zahreela Insaan starred Rishi with Moushami and Neetu and the next Zinda Dil with Neetu.  Raja was with Sulakshana Pandit (shivers - ew ) These movies came nowhere near the success of Bobby.  The moviemakers knew what to do. Restore the Bobby image.  After all, it was the first time they had a chikna hero, it was time they exploited his young looks.

Narinder Bedi's thriller comedy Rafoo Chakkar had Paintal and Rishi in drag, forced to disguise as women to hide from killers.  A comedy of errors ensues when Rishi falls in love with Neetu.  The movie is still held up as one of the best comedy films ever.

Right on its heels came a college comedy-thriller by Ravi Tandon, Khel Khel Mein which was a huge hit.  It again co-starred Rishi with Neetu.  The movie had rollicking songs, funny situations galore before it turned into a murder-thriller which kept the viewers on the edge of their seats.

HS Rawail's Laila Majnu co-starred Rishi with Ranjeeta.  This movie brought the old love fable to life on screen and Rishi looked every inch the young and smitten Qais who turns into a Majnun for the sake of his beautiful Laila. Another winner of a movie.

YEH LADKA HAI ALLAH

Rishi could be counted upon to play the young lead, the solo hero and part of a multistarrer with equal ease.  He got into his character and played a rustic, down on his luck or a sophisticated heir with elan. In Yash Chopra's Kabhie Kabhie, the limelight was on Amitabh-Shahi Kapoor-Waheeda and Rakhee, but Rishi left his mark as the young man going to any lengths to woo his sweetheart Neetu.

Manmohan Desai's Amar Akbar Anthony was a blockbuster hit. It was a romantic comedy with some masala thrown in.  This logic defying flick careened on its crazy way.  But he characters of AAA were so well etched that no one bothered to question anything, they just sat back and enjoyed the show.  Rishi played Akbar the tailor who wants to win over Neetu, a doctor.  His downmarket clothes (a netted shirt and paan) and his dil-phenk style wowed the viewers.

Hum Kisi se kam nahi had Rishi literally carrying the film on his shoulders.  Zeenat had a miniscule role in it.  It had a newbie Kajal Kiran as the heroine and Tariq as second lead.  The new pair of Kaajal and Tariq was inspid and it was left to Rishi to use all his charm and charisma to turn this movie into a winner. It had a long playing dance competition sequence which was a big hit with the young crowd of those days.

BACHNA E HASINO

The pretty young starlets who wanted instant stardom had but one dream.  That was to co-star with Rishi Kapoor.  He has worked with a record number of debutantes.  It was in keeping with his young romantic image.  It is quite a different thing that some of the heroines were unable to convert the advantage into a lucrative career.

He has starred with Kajal Kiran, Shoma Anand, Ranjeeta,Naseem, Parveen, Zeenat, Rakhi, Ashwani Bhave, Divya Bharti, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Bhavna Bhatt, Tina Munim, Jaya Prada, Sridevi, Zeba Bakhtiar, Poonam Dhillon, Sonam, Padmini Kolhapuri, Juhi Chawla, to list some.

Quite a few of these ladies did very well for themselves, but some, like Shoma Anand, Kajol, Naseem fell by the wayside.  Some, like Tina, Divya Bharti and Sonam made a good name for themselves.

TALENTED ACTOR

No one could deny that Rishi was a talented actor, though he had not been challanged by a meaty role yet.  The teeny bopper/young man in love act came automatically to him.  Ramesh Talwar's Doosra Aadmi gave him a serious role.  It started out as a typical romance with Neetu. But he soon finds himself intrigued by Rakhi who is a reclusive artist and is recuperating from the death of her boyfriend. Their mutual attraction throws his marriage on the rocks.  It brought out great performances from Rishi Neetu and Rakhi.  The movie was a hit, but is often seen as an underrated classic.

Much later Rajinder Singh Bedi made Ek Chadar Maili Si on the sensitive topic of widow remarriage within the family to protect the interests of the widow and her children.  Again Rishi came up trumps with a superlative performance.

Even within the parameters of the commercial cinema, Rishi always did full justice to his character.  But alas, the actor in him was overshadowed by his pretty face and he was rarely allowed to exploit his full range.

LONG LASTING

Rishi's first movie (as an adult) came out in 1973.  He had an undisputed reign as the romantic hero for 25 years.  At one time it seemed he would never retire.  He was working with younger heroines like Divya Bharti and Juhi Chawla well into the 90's.  The heavy dinners and evening drinks were taking their toll.  No Kapoor has been able to resist the rotundity that sets in with middle age. Age and weight finally took their toll on him and he had to bow out of acting the lead. Now he does an occasional character role.  His act in Hum Tum as Saif's father was well ppreciated. One does hope that as a character actor, he finally gets to prove his mettle.


DIMPLE AND RISHI

Dimple Kapadia and Rishi share a special bond.  They made such a cute couple in Bobby that fans were devastated when Dimple married Rajesh Khanna and opted out of films.  When Dimple decided to return to films after her marriage broke up, Sippy came up with Saagar.  Again, like Bobby, a young romance between a christian girl from fisherman's basti and the rich heir.  There was fresh angle of Kamalahassan who befriends Rishi and is in love with Dimple too.  This movie proved that the  red hot chemistry between Dimple and Rishi was intact.

Years later Hriday Shetty decided to take the story to another level by trying to make a mature love story between two lonely middle aged people who fall in love, and have to face opposition from their children.  The subject was well intended, but sadly the treatment was not warm enough.  The usual Rishi-Dimple passion was not exploited and Pyar Mein Twist sank.

HEY - GAATE RAHO

A typical Rishi movie was replete with melodious songs and dances.  Rishi was nimble on his feet in keeping with the Disco generation of the 70s.

Rafoo Chakkar's song in drag =Chuk chuk chak chak Bombay se baroda tak.
Midnight dance with Neetu Singh Khel Khel Mein - Ek Main aur Ek tu
Qwwali from Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahi - Hai agar dushman zamana
Dance competition from the same film - Chand mera Dil
Qwwali from Amar Akbar Anthony - Parda hai Parda
Jaya Prada and Rishi in Sargam - Dafli wale dafli baja
Young dance with girls, Kabhie Kabhi - Tera phoolon jaisa rang
Smitten by the charms of Sridevi in Chandni - Chandni o meri chandni
Intrigued by the pretty Dimple in Saagar - Saagar Jaisi Aankhonwali
Attracted to Rakhi in Doosra Admi - chal kahin door nikal jayen
Pop Star in Karz- Om Shanti Om
Bar Dance with Kamalahassan in Saagar - Hey Gaate Rao

GOSSSSSIP

The gossip mongers tried to team up Rishi with Dimple right after Bobby.  But the theory was dumped when Dimple said yes to Rajesh Khanna.

Rishi's next steady leading lady was the immensely talented Neetu Singh.  The pair dated for some time and decided to get married. The Kapoor's were opposed to an actress Bahu.  But Rishi's elder brother Randhir had married Babita and broken the rule.

Neetu and Rishi marriage was often on rocks after several allegations of Rishi having affairs with his younger co-stars. Also he had a fierce temper that made him difficult to live with. However they stuck together and are a close couple now.

They have married their daughter Ridhima recently to a businessman.  Rishi's goodlooking son Ranbir seems all set to carry forward the Kapoor tradition of acting and is said to be very talented.  Not a suprise seeing that his parents are good actos like Neetu and Rishi.

Special Note : Pinkbee wishes to acknowledge the help rendered by Siddharth Tuli in reserching for this article.  He is a huge fan of Rishi Kapoor.


FILMOGRAPHY

•    Cowboys & Indians (2008) (pre-production) .... Ajay
•    Tashan (2008) (filming)
•    Don't Stop Dreaming (2007) .... Groovy
•    Namastey London (2007) .... Manmohan Malhotra
•    Love Ke Chakkar Mein (2006) .... Armaan Kochar
•    Fanaa (2006) .... Zulfikar A. Baig
•    Sambar Salsa (2006) .... Om Suri
•    Pyaar Mein Twist (2005) .... Yash Khurana
•    Hum Tum (2004) .... Arjun Kapoor
•    Tehzeeb (2003) .... Anwar Jamal (Special Appearance)
•    Love at Times Square (2003) .... Satellite Channel CEO (Special Appearance)
•    Kucch To Hai (2003) .... Professor Bakshi
•    Yeh Hai Jalwa (2002) .... Rajesh Purushottam Mittal
•    Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001) .... Raj Khanna
•    Raju Chacha (2000) .... Siddhant Rai
•    Karobaar: The Business of Love (2000) .... Amar Saxena/Rohit Sinha
•    Jai Hind (1999) .... Gulroz
•    Kaun Sachcha Kaun Jhootha (1997) .... CBI Officer Karan Saxena
•    Daraar (1996) .... Raj Malhotra
•    PremGranth (1996) .... Somen
•    Yaraana (1995) .... Raj
•    Hum Dono (1995) .... Rajesh 'Raju'
•    Saajan Ki Baahon Mein (1995) .... Sagar
•    Ghar Ki Izzat (1994) .... Shyam
•    Prem Yog (1994) .... Rajkumar Raju
•    Pehla Pehla Pyaar (1994) .... Raj
•    Saajan-Ka-Ghar.lkc">Saajan Ka Ghar (1994) .... Amar Khanna
•    Eena Meena Deeka (1994) .... Inder 'Eena'
•    Mohabbat Ki Arzoo (1994) .... Raja
•    Izzat Ki Roti (1993)
•    Dhartiputra (1993)
•    Damini - Lightning (1993) .... Shekhar Gupta
•    Anmol (1993) .... Prem
•    Gurudev (1993) .... Inspector Dev Kumar
•    Sadhna (1993) .... Karan
•    Sahibaan (1993) .... Gopi
•    Shreemaan Aashique (1993) .... Dushant Kumar Mehra
•    Bol Radha Bol (1992) .... Kishan Malhotra/Tony
•    Deewana (1992) .... Ravi
•    Honeymoon (1992) .... Suraj Verma
•    Inteha Pyar Ki (1992) .... Rohit Shankar Walia
•    Kasak (1992)
•    Banjaran (1991) .... Kumar Singh Sesodia/Suraj
•    Ranbhoomi (1991) .... Bholanath
•    Henna (1991) .... Chander Prakash
•    Ajooba (1991) .... Hassan
•    Ghar Parivar (1991)
•    Amiri Garibi (1990) .... Deepak Bhardwaj
•    Azaad Desh Ke Gulam (1990) .... Vijay Srivastav/Chanakya
•    Sher Dil (1990)
•    Sheshnaag (1990)
•    Chandni (1989) .... Rohit Gupta
•    Khoj (1989) .... Ravi Kapoor
•    Paraya Ghar (1989)
•    Bade Ghar Ki Beti (1989) .... Gopal
•    Gharana (1989) .... Vijay Mehra
•    Hathyar (1989) .... Samiulla Khan
•    Naqab (1989) .... Imran
•    Vijay (1988) .... Vikram A. Bhardwaj
•    Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (1988) .... Ram Dhanraj
•    Hamara Khandaan (1988) .... Vishal (Chanderprakash's Son)
•    Janam Janam (1988)
•    Vozvrashcheniye Bagdadskogo vora (1988)
•    Sindoor (1987) .... Mr. Kumar (Guest Appearance)
•    Hawalaat (1987) .... Shyam
•    Pyaar Ke Kabil (1987)
•    Khudgarz (1987) .... Singing Tramp (Guest Appearance)
•    Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986) .... Mangal
•    Pahunchey Huwe Log (1986) .... Guest Appearance
•    Dosti Dushmani (1986)
•    Nagina (1986) .... Rajiv
•    Naseeb Apna Apna (1986) .... Kishan Singh
•    Saagar (1985) .... Ravi
•    Sitamgar (1985) .... Jai Kumar
•    Zamana (1985) .... Ravi S. Kumar
•    Rahi Badal Gaye (1985) .... Amar/Flight Lietenant Pavan Kumar Saxena
•    Tawaif (1985) .... Dawood Mohammad Ali Khan Yusuf Zahi
•    Yeh Ishq Nahin Aasan (1984) .... Salim Ahmed Salim
•    Aan Aur Shaan (1984)
•    Duniya (1984) .... Ravi
•    Coolie (1983/I) .... Sunny
•    Bade Dil Wala (1983) .... Amrit Kumar Saxena
•    Deedar-E-Yaar (1982) .... Javed Syed Ali Khan
•    Prem Rog (1982) .... Devdhar (Dev)
•    Yeh Vaada Raha (1982) .... Vikram Rai Bahadur
•    Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981) .... Ravi Nanda
•    Biwi-O-Biwi: The Fun-Film (1981) (uncredited) .... Man singing "Madhuban Mein Radhika"
•    Naseeb (1981) .... Sunny
•    Katilon Ke Kaatil (1981) .... Munna
•    Karz (1980) .... Monty
•    Dhan Daulat (1980) .... Lucky R. Saxena
•    Do Premee (1980) .... Chetan Prakash
•    Aap Ke Deewane (1980) .... Ram
•    Duniya Meri Jeb Mein (1979) .... Vishal
•    Jhoota Kahin Ka (1979) .... Ajay Rai
•    Salaam Memsaab (1979) .... Ramesh
•    Sargam (1979) .... Raju
•    Badaltey Rishtey (1978) .... Manohar Dhani
•    Anjane Mein (1978)
•    Naya Daur (1978)
•    Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978) .... Singer "Tere naam tere naam, dil karta hai ke dil...)
•    Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (1978) .... Vishal Rai
•    Doosra Aadmi (1977) .... Karan Saxena aka Kannu
•    Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (1977) .... Rajesh/Manjeet Kumar Dana
•    Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) .... Akbar Ilhabadi/Raju
•    Kabhi Kabhie - Love Is Life (1976) .... Vikram "Vicky" Khanna
•    Barood (1976)
•    Ginny Aur Johny (1976)
•    Laila Majnu (1976) .... Majnu/Kaish Amari
•    Rangila Ratan (1976)
•    Khel Khel Mein (1975) .... Ajay Anand
•    Rafoo Chakkar (1975) .... Dev/Devi
•    Raja (1975)
•    Zinda Dil (1975) .... Arun Sharma/Kewal Sharma
•    Zehreela Insaan (1974)
•    Bobby (1973) .... Raj Nath 'Raju'
•    Mera Naam Joker (1970) .... Young Raju