Rishi Kapoor – The eternal charmer that brands missed out on

Long before world media dubbed Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves as ‘Internet’s Sweetheart’, Rishi Kapoor was the nation’s sweetheart. With his endearing smile, charming and mischievous demeanour, the impeccable Kapoor genes, Rishi was Bollywood royalty.

The nation was dealt a double whammy when Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor passed away on two successive days this week. In normal times and in a normal world, the funeral procession of the two very popular actors would have seen a humongous mass outpouring of fans. So, it was heartbreaking to see a solitary ambulance in both the cases carry the mortal remains of the two actors straight from the hospital to the burial/ cremation grounds. COVID-19 surely is taking a heavy toll much beyond human lives.

First seen on the silver screen as a tiny tot in his father Raj Kapoor’s film ‘Shri 420’ in that evergreen song ‘Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua Hai’, Rishi was next seen as a chubby teenaged schoolboy in ‘Mera Naan Joker’. He lost considerable weight when he made his very memorable screen debut as a hero in ‘Bobby’, released in 1973. Bollywood got a fresh-faced chocolate boy hero whom girls across the nation swooned over, just when Rajesh Khanna’s star power was getting a bit – dare we say it – on the wane.

Along with Salman Khan, perhaps Rishi Kapoor was the only Bollywood hero to act with the maximum number of new heroines. But it was his pairing with his wife Neetu Singh that set the box office on fire. Light-hearted comedies were his forte and there are so many films that have entertained us over the years – ‘Rafoo Chakkar’, ‘Khel Khel Mein’, ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, ‘Naseeb’, etc.

Rishi Kapoor, the romantic hero, is how his fans remember him – be it ‘Laila Majnu’, ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Karz’, ‘Saagar’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Henna’, ‘Bol Radha Bol’, and many more. His movies were also known for the several hit songs.

Along with these films, Rishi Kapoor’s filmography also includes some hard-hitting dramas – who can forget ‘Damini’? And ‘Deewana’, ‘Prem Rog’, ‘Ek Chadar Maili Si’?. When he switched to character roles, it was as if Rishi came into his own, breaking the stereotype image. Thus, we got gems like ‘Do Dooni Chaar’, Rauf Lala in ‘Agneepath’ (2012), the corrupt cop in ‘Aurangzeb’, terrorist Iqbal Seth in ‘D-Day’ (incidentally, this was the only film in which Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan had starred together), ‘Kapoor & Sons’, a senior citizen fighting for his identity and dignity as a Muslim in India in ‘Mulk’. ‘The Body’, released in 2019, was his last film.

Apart from his star power, Rishi Kapoor took to social media as a duck to water and consistently engaged with his fans and people in the industry and in politics. Due to some of his controversial statements, the actor had also got into trouble more than a few times, but that did not stop him from voicing his forthright comments.

With such an influential personality among movie stars, it is really strange that one hardly remembers any brand associations that Rishi Kapoor had. In fact, none of the senior Kapoors were known as brand ambassadors, barring Shammi Kapoor and his Pan Parag ads. It’s a different story with the Kapoors of this generation such as Rishi Kapoor’s son and actor Ranbir Kapoor, nieces Kareena and Karisma, who endorse numerous brands. Decades ago, Rishi Kapoor’s cousin and late actor Shashi Kapoor’s son, Karan Kapoor, was a popular model, known especially for the Bombay Dyeing ads.

Rishi Kapoor’s long fight with cancer is a well-documented one and there have been numerous social media posts during his course of treatment in the US.

At 67, he had several more years to give to Bollywood and his fans, and was blossoming into a formidable character actor. His passing away has just made the star glitz a little dimmer. Amid the COVID-19 times, the Bollywood charmer perhaps didn’t get the send-off that he so deserved. But his movies will continue to entertain generations and still manage to make girls fall for his charming smile and fresh-faced looks.

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