Born on September 4, 1952, Rishi Kapoor was fondly called as 'Chintoo' by his family and friends. The versatile superstar breathed his last on April 30, 2020, after battling cancer. He was 67. (All photos/mid-day archives, the Twitter account of Rishi Kapoor, AFP)
The death of Rishi Kapoor, one of Bollywood's greatest cine icons, took everyone by shock. The film industry and fans took to social media to mourn his death with disbelief. But as his family (through their statement) rightly said, "Rishi Kapoor would like to be remembered with smiles, not tears", we bring some vintage pictures of the legendary star, that will only bring a smile to your face.
A vintage photo of three-four months old baby Rishi being cradled by none other than the incredible Lata Mangeshkar. The legendary singer can be seen holding a baby Rishi Kapoor in her arms as he looks on wide-eyed. "Hello Lataji, See with your blessings, I got my picture of my two or three months. Your blessings have always been on me. Thank you very much. May I share this with the world by posting it on Twitter? This is a priceless picture for me," Rishi Kapoor tweeted.
A monochrome picture from Rishi Kapoor's childhood days along with legendary actor Pran. Rishi Kapoor reminisced about his learning days in Indian cinema by sharing this throwback picture along with a caption that read: "Man to man talk with the legend - Pran Sahab. I have done more than 30/32 films with him. A learning curve! [sic]"
Rishi Kapoor was known for his unique and unconventional Twitter posts, and that's precisely how he wished everyone a 'Happy Holi', this year. Taking to his Twitter account, he shared this childhood picture of himself in which he looked truly cute and adorable and captioned it: "A young Brat wishes a safe and a happy Holi to all. Be careful of the Carona Virus. [sic]"
This one's an epic throwback picture of a 7- to 8-year-old Rishi Kapoor along with Anil Kapoor and Boney Kapoor among many others sipping on cola. He called it the original Coca Cola advertisement. "Original Coca Cola advertisement. Boney Kapoor, Aditya Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Tutu Sharma and that cute brat Anil Kapoor (photo courtesy Khalid Mohammed)," Rishi captioned the image.
Rishi Kapoor made his debut as an actor back in 1970, working in his father Raj Kapoor’s film Mera Naam Joker. He went to reign over the industry with several romantic lead roles. "Privileged to be part of this film. Shot this in 1967/1968. Released on 18th December 1970," Rishi shared this picture on Twitter and wrote alongside.
Throwback picture from the premiere of Mera Naam Joker. Rishi Kapoor shared this picture and captioned it: "Mera Naam Joker" released on December 18th, 1970 at the Novelty Cinema in Mumbai. Here as a teenager, with the "acrobat duplicate" clown of dad at its premiere. Forgot his name. Just spoke Russian. If you seeing this comrade - "Spaciba bolshoi tavarish".
A lovely moment captured in a frame! Remembering Manmohan Desai on his birth anniversary, Rishi Kapoor shared this picture and wrote, "He worked with all the Kapoors and was very fond of all of us. God Bless!"
As the classic cult film Doosara Aadmi clocked 42 years of its release on October 14, 2019, Rishi Kapoor took a stroll down memory lane and shared this throwback photo to commemorate the special day. The click has some legendary personalities posing together for the shutterbugs. One can spot young Yash Chopra with the dapper lead actor Rishi and director of the film Ramesh Talwar. "Premiere of Doosara Aadmi," Rishi captioned the picture on Twitter.
Rishi Kapoor belongs to the illustrious Kapoor family of Bollywood, widely known as the first family of Hindi films. Son of late iconic actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, his uncles Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor were stars, too, as have been his brothers Randhir and Rajeev Kapoor in their time. Rishi Kapoor is survived by wife, actress Neetu Kapoor, daughter Riddhima and son Ranbir. In picture: A throwback picture shared by Rishi Kapoor of his parents and siblings. "Classic. My parents with my elder brother (Randhir Kapoor) and elder sister (Ritu Nanda)", captioned the veteran actor.
Another classic click! "This picture was shot on Pancham's birthday at his sitting room/residence. The gentleman behind me is not Manna Dey sahab but my favourite Nasir Husain sahab. Such a fun picture. Asha Bhonsle ji cooked for us that night. Pancham's unreleased music from several films regaled us!" Rishi Kapoor captioned this picture.
Rishi Kapoor with his beloved mother Krishna Raj Kapoor. In an unfortunate turn of events, a day after Rishi Kapoor took off to New York after being diagnosed with cancer, his mother passed away. Rishi couldn't attend her last rituals too. "That was very unfortunate. I left for the US on September 29, and my mother passed away on October 1. She knew that I had contracted a serious disorder. That entire period was traumatic for me. I was caught up with my problem. I didn't know what to do, and I didn't have an option because I had to be in New York. My brother told me that by the time I would get back, it would be too late. Also, I didn't have the stamina or strength to come back," Rishi Kapoor had said.
Rishi Kapoor with his brothers - Rajiv and Randhir Kapoor and mother Krishna Raj Kapoor. "Every day is Mother's Day!" - captioned Rishi Kapoor.
Always on the go... at the airport! Reminiscing about the moment when he had to catch a flight, Rishi Kapoor shared this throwback picture, where he is posing innocently for the shutterbugs with eyes wide open, holding a small bag with B.O.A.C written on it. He captioned the picture: "B.O.A.C. Erstwhile British Airways. And look who is in a hurry to catch his flight. Don't miss the comics under the right arm and white socks."
Going clean! Rishi Kapoor shared this picture and wrote alongside, "Well that beard was gotten rid of. This picture sent by a friend is during the filming of Henna."
Following Rishi Kapoor's death, the Kapoor family issued an official statement detailing his final hours in the hospital before he passed on. "Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45 am IST in hospital today (April 30, 2020) after a two-year battle with leukaemia. 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. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him," said.
"He was grateful for the love of his fans that poured in from the world over. In his passing, they would all understand that he would like to be remembered with a smile and not with tears," it was revealed. You were truly a rockstar, Rishiji!
In picture: After Ranbir Kapoor's film Sanju met with success, Rishi Kapoor shared this picture and wrote alongside, "I am flying and aircraft flying at 40,000 ft.Emirates flight EK702 Mauritius to Dubai now in real time. Cheers Ranbir! You don't know how proud your parents are. Thank you and God Bless you. Aur bhi achcha kaam karo!"
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