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Remembering Rishi Kapoor: Five roles he played that will stay with us

To wake up and learn that one of the most talented legends from the Kapoor family is no longer a part of us seems so surreal. The actor known for his good looks and his versatility in acting will always be remembered for the films he did over the years. The Bollywood industry is indeed mourning the loss of this great star as is the world who remembers the many memories they have of this performer.

The world mourns the loss of another legend, the late Rishi Kapoor and as a reminder of his tremendous work, BizAsiaLive.com will look back at five of the actor’s films that will always remain with us.

‘Mera Naam Joker’ (1970)
Kapoor’s striking blue eyes of course with the help of contact lenses, his cuteness and those expressions remain with the audience. He started his career as a child artist in this film playing the younger version of his father Raj Kapoor, who also directed this masterpiece. His character showed the audience that part of the joker’s life where he was young and learning about love. Raju (Rishi Kapoor) lives with his mother who despises the circus as she lost her husband in a horrible accident related to this world. Raju can’t help but be drawn towards the life of the circus even after being told off by his mother numerous times. At the same time when a new teacher arrives at his school and treats him with affection he finds himself falling for his teacher.

Although the film faced many problems when it was being made and critics giving it mixed ratings, Rishi Kapoor still managed to show the world he was a talented actor. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Actor which was a great achievement paving the way for this Kapoor.

‘Bobby’ (1973)
Things were very different this time when Kapoor appeared in another of his father’s films. This time he was no longer a kid, he was looking handsome and appeared to be the perfect chocolate hero every girl would dream of.

His character Raj had an innocence to him who didn’t realise the worlds cruelness. After being sent to a boarding school in his childhood for his constant mischief he returns as a gentleman, who learns that his parents have no time for him whatsoever. Raj (Kapoor) only wants love and affection and finds it in Mrs Braganza who was his governess in his childhood but he regarded her highly as a mother/aunty. After reuniting with his aunty he comes across her granddaughter Bobby (Dimple Kapadia) who seems to fascinate him at first sight. With time he feels that she is the one that was made for him and he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her. This teenage romance won the audiences hearts and even today is remembered for its timeless love story.

‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ (1977)
It was the first time these three big actors appeared together and they all managed to win the hearts of the audience without outdoing the other. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Kapoor. The three actors appeared as brothers who all get separated in their childhood and end up growing up into different faiths. Kapoor played the role of Akbar Ilahabadi who has a passion for singing qawwali’s and tries all he can to persuade his future father in law to let him marry his daughter. Kapoor’s character brought many laughs such as his interactions with Tayyab Ali (Mukhri) who won’t say yes to the marriage of Akbar and Salma (Neetu Kapoor). Also who can forget the tailor master scene where Akbar disguises as his uncle and keeps rattling Robert’s (Jeevan) brain with his constant babble.

Also it would be wrong not to mention the song ‘Parda hai’ sung by Mohammed Rafi and performed on by Kapoor. A qawaali style song that saw the real life couple on screen together, truly an unforgettable song.

‘Chandni’ (1989)
A love story that was like a dream to watch, filmed in the most beautiful of locations. Music that still has that magic and acting that makes this film unforgettable. The most ironic thing is that today the three main actors of the film are no longer with us but they remain part of our memories through this film. Some of the best moments in Indian cinema were captured through this film.

Rohit’s (Kapoor) naughtiness while he is trying to take Chandni’s (Sridevi) images in his camera to professing his love by painting the walls of his room with the images of Chandni these were memorable scenes. Kapoor’s character faced many obstacles in attaining his love, at times vowing to fight the world and at other times punishing himself. The audience got to see Kapoor’s many emotions from a man madly in love, to a frustrated one who has given up on life itself. There were also some wonderful scenes where Kapoor was reunited with his dear co star Vinod Khanna playing the role of friends.

This is definitely one film that is remembered when Kapoor is mentioned also not forgetting his iconic sweaters which every Kapoor fan will recall.

‘Kapoor & Sons (since 1921)’ (2016)
This role of Kapoor will forever make everyone wish they had a cool grandpa like him. Sure he was unable to move around much and was very old but don’t let that fool you. This grandpa was a child at heart and always had mischief on his mind. Those scenes between grandpa and his grandsons would have anyone rolling over in fits. Also who can forget his unhealthy obsession with the actress Mandakini. Kapoor showed that although he wasn’t playing the leading role even as a supporting actor he was able to impact the audience with his performance. So much in fact that he won various awards for this film from best supporting actor to best actor in a comic role.

These were just five of the legends films as it is impossible to write about all of the wonderful work done by Kapoor. All that can be said is that his work will forever shine on and this Kapoor will always live on!

The team at BizAsiaLive.com offers its condolences to the Kapoor family at this difficult time.