By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
ख़्वाबों में छुपाया तुमको यादों में बसाया तुमको
मिलोगे हमें तुम जानम कहीं ना कहीं
सोचेंगे तुम्हे प्यार करें के नहीं
ये दिल बेक़रार करें के नहीं
Born 4 September 1952, Rishi Kapoor, as readers know, is the scion of a family known for their traditional devotion and dedication to arts, especially theatre and cinema. Theirs is the only family which has been associated with Indian Cinama for four generations.
Rishi Kapoor was introduced to Hindi cinegoers in Raj Kapoor’s million-dollar film,” Mera Naam Joker”. Rishi plays a precocious school boy who is more interested in his teacheress’ legs ( Simi Grewal plays the teacheress ) than in his ‘lessons’. Simi is attired in mod dress-skirts and shirt. The adolescent Rishi cast furtive glances at her when she is having her ablutions. His role, though small, was well taken notice of.
Rishi Kapoor’s ascent to popularity was phenomenally quick thanks to his father, Kapoor’s ingenuity and artistic imaginativeness. Rishi hit the screen as a full fledged hero in “Bobby” a film which proved a trend setter introducing as it did, in a big way, that erotic, skimpy device called ‘bikini’. The heroine Dimple Kapadia, then a nubile, fresh and adolescent girl-the sweet sixteen kind ( she was actually sixteen then ) was presented to the viewers in a red rose bikini which was intended to hide less and revel more. There were also a few titillating scenes in the film. There was so mad rush for the film that viewers flocked from Faridabad, Meerut and Firozabad to see the movie in Delhi in 1973.
Interestingly, barring one or two, most heroines who are paired with Rishi tasted instant stardom. Dimple became a star with “Bobby” and Neetu Singh captured into the dizzy heights of fame and fortune after she had acted opposite him. Theirs was one of the most durable romantic pairs. And their romance ended, unpredictably, in a permanent-eternal, to be very precise liaison. And what is more, their marriage, , has been as successful as were the two together on the screen.
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Rishi played a sensitive role in” Karz” which had Simi Grewal, Tina Munim and Pran in the cast. His ” Amar Akbar Anthony” was another box office hit. In “Sagar” Rishi was pitted against Dimple. The film had a couple of kissing scenes too. He played a harassed and intimidated lover but coming out of the ordeal triumphantly, braving all the manoeuvres of the cast-ridden society and defeating their designs in the end.
“Nagina” admittedly had given the actor the required boost, a new direction, a new purpose and a new goal. Although, it was described as a “Sridevi Film”, we cannot ignore Rishi & Amrish Puri (May their souls rest in peace).
