04 September,2024 12:48 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rishi Kapoor, Imtiaz Ali
Legendary actor Rishi Kapoor was born on September 4, 1952. Often branded as Bollywood's first chocolate boy, Rishi touched the heights of stardom in the film industry with iconic roles in blockbuster hits like 'Bobby', 'Chandni', 'Karz', and many others. Ace filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who was the latest guest on Mid-day's Sit With Hitlist series recalled working with Rishi Kapoor in âLove Aaj Kal'. He discussed how they bonded over non-vegetarian food and also revealed why the actor never did late-night shoots.
Imtiaz Ali was shooting for âLove Aaj Kal' starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone in London along with Rishi Kapoor. Sharing a hilarious anecdote from the sets, he said, "We used to eat in a caravan truck. I didn't know that Rishi Ji's already come in. I asked someone, âWhat is the non-veg dish today?' The person said, âIt's chicken so and so'. Before he could go on, I said, âChicken? I am saying non-vegetarian. Is chicken non-vegetarian?' And then suddenly someone turned, and Rishi ji is like, âYou said that?' I was like, âYes'. He said, âCome here. You will eat with me now. This is exactly my view. They also irritate me by saying chicken when I'm asking for non-vegetarian, and they're giving me chicken. What nonsense? You and I will eat together. We'll all always eat the same dish.' I said, wow, this is how you warm up to the actor. Right. Like, âOh, this red meat has led me to be a friend of Rishiji'. Rishiji is giving me the privilege of eating with him."
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When Imtiaz was asked if Rishi was hard to direct and the rumours about him clocking out early and not doing rehearsals, he replied, "There are all kinds of actors and I've got to understand what works for an actor and I've had to see what works for him and it was just the same. I was aware of the fact that he was not going to stay beyond a certain point at night because not only are his evenings precious, but his mornings the next day also are important to him. At 10 PM, he was not going to go and have a gala time or have a party, just go to sleep."
Rishi Kapoor died at the age of 67 on April 30, 2020, after a two-year battle with leukemia. He was last seen in 'Sharmaji Namkeen'. He breathed his last midway through the shoot of the film. Paresh Rawal stepped into his shoes and finished filming his remaining scenes.