Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films. He was the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Born into the Kapoor family, he made his debut, as an adolescent, in his father Raj Kapoor's film "Mera Naam Joker" (1970), for which he won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. As an adult, his first lead role was opposite Dimple Kapadia in the teen romance "Bobby" (1973), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best  Actor. Between 1973 and 2000, Kapoor starred as the romantic lead in 92 films. Some of his notable films during this period include "Khel Khel Mein" (1975), "Kabhi Kabhie" (1976), "Sargam" (1979), "Karz" (1980), "Prem Rog" (1982), "Chandni" (1989), and "Deewana" (1992). Since the 2000s, Kapoor played character roles to critical acclaim in such films as "Luck by Chance" (2009), "Love Aaj Kal" (2009), "Do Dooni Chaar" (2010), "Agneepath" (2012), "102 Not Out" (2018) and "Mulk" (2018). For his performance in "Do Dooni Chaar" (2010), he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics), and for his role in "Kapoor  & Sons" (2016), he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. His final film appearance was in Sharmaji Namkeen (2022), which was released posthumously. Kapoor met his wife, actress Neetu Singh while working in films on film set, with whom he had two children, including Ranbir Kapoor. He died of leukaemia on 30 April 2020, aged 67. Early life and family. Kapoor was born on 4 September 1952 at his family's home, Raj Kapoor Bungalow, in Matunga, West Bombay, in the then Bombay State of India, into a  Punjabi Hindu Khatri family, originally from Peshawar, North West Frontier Province to parents Raj Kapoor and Krishna Malhotra. He attended Colonel Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun, Campion School in Bombay and Mayo College in Ajmer. Being part of the Kapoor family, he was the second son of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor (née Malhotra). Likewise, his family encompasses a successful line of actors, including brothers, Randhir and Rajiv Kapoor; grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor; paternal granduncle Trilok Kapoor, maternal uncles Prem, Rajendra, and Narendra Nath, as well as Prem Chopra; paternal uncles Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor; and  paternal once removed cousins Anil Kapoor, Boney Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor's two sisters, on the other hand, include late Ritu Nanda, who was an insurance agent, and Rima Jain. The actresses Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, the actors Armaan Jain and Aadar Jain, and the businessman Nikhil Nanda are his nieces and nephews. Career. Around the age of three, Kapoor's first on-screen appearance was a cameo in his father Raj Kapoor's film "Shree 420" (1955), where he would appear in the musical sequence of "Pyar Hua, Iqrar Hua Hai". Likewise, Raj Kapoor would direct  the film that provided Rishi his debut role, the 1970 film "Mera Naam Joker", in which the actor would portray the young version of the lead character (played by Raj Kapoor). Rishi Kapoor's first leading role would come in adulthood, opposite Dimple Kapadia, in the 1973 film "Bobby", also directed by his father. "Bobby" went on to become one of the decade's biggest hits in India, and earned Rishi Kapoor the Filmfare Best Actor Award. Regarding the film, he would say in a 2012 interview: "There was a misconception that the film was made to launch me as  an actor. The film was actually made to pay the debts of "Mera Naam Joker". Dad wanted to make a teenage love story and he did not have money to cast Rajesh Khanna in the film". Following "Bobby" (1973), he starred in several light-hearted comedies within that decade, including, among others: "Rafoo Chakkar" (1975), with Neetu Singh; "Amar Akbar Anthony" (1977), with Amitabh Bachchan; and "Khel Khel Mein" (1975) and "Hum Kisise Kum Naheen" (1977) with Zeenat Aman. Kapoor worked with actress Neetu Singh for the first time in "Zahreela Insaan" (1974). The two would go on to share  the screen in multiple projects, including "Kabhi Kabhi" (1976) and "Doosra Aadmi" (1976), and would eventually marry in 1980. In 1980, Kapoor starred along with Tina Munim in director Subhash Ghai's reincarnation thriller "Karz" (1980), which went on to become a cult classic with popular music. In a role considered one of his best works, Kapoor played an idealistic Devdhar in the 1982 film "Prem Rog", a film based on the concept of widow remarriage, co-starring Padmini Kolhapure. Another highlight of his career, was "Saagar" in 1985, directed by noted director Ramesh Sippy, which saw Kapoor reunite with  Dimple Kapadia, 12 years after they made their debuts in Bobby. He appeared as the second lead in several multi-starrer films in the 1980s such as "Naseeb" (1981), "Kaatilon Ke Kaatil" (1981), "Coolie" (1983), "Dosti Dushmani" (1986), "Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani" (1988) and "Gharana" (1989). In the 1986 drama "Ek Chadar Maili Si", adapted from Rajendra Singh Bedi's novel of the same name, Kapoor would play a man forced by customs to marry his widowed sister-in-law, played by Hema Malini. In 1991, Kapoor starred along with Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiyar in "Henna", a tale of love  across national borders, which was envisioned by his father, Raj Kapoor, and directed by his elder brother Randhir Kapoor. Henna was India's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Kapoor also had a leading role in the 1993 film Damini, co-starring Meenakshi Seshadri and Sunny Deol, that went on to be considered a classic socially-oriented film. Between 1973 and 2000, Kapoor's other film roles (mainly as the romantic lead) include: "Raaja" (1975), "Laila Majnu" (1976), "Sargam" (1979), "Bade Dil Wala" (1983), "Chandni" (1989), "Bol Radha Bol" (1992), "Deewana" (1992) and "" (2000). Kapoor debuted  as a director in "Aa Ab Laut Chalen" (1999) which starred Rajesh Khanna, Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai. This remained his sole directorial venture. Kapoor successfully transitioned to character acting in the mid 2000s, going on to appear in several supporting roles, such as in "Hum Tum" (2004), "Fanaa" (2006), "Namastey London" (2007), and "Love Aaj Kal" (2009). In 2007, he appeared in the British English-language films "Don't Stop Dreaming" and "Sambar Salsa". In the 2010s, he played diverse roles such as the villain in "Agneepath" (2012), "Aurangzeb" (2013) and "Kaanchi" (2014); in "Student of the Year" (2012 ), as a gay character; and in "D–Day" (2013), as real-life mobster Dawood Ibrahim. He appeared with his brother Randhir for the first time in the multi-starrer comedy "Housefull 2" (2012). He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role in "Do Dooni Chaar" (2010), playing a middle-aged father trying to buy his own car. He also bagged a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his work in "Kapoor & Sons" (2016). He also appeared in an action comedy movie "Besharam" (2013) along with his wife Neetu Kapoor and son Ranbir Kapoor. After two decades , he had his on-screen reunion with actor Amitabh Bachchan in "102 Not Out" (2018), in which the two play an old-aged father-son duo. In 2018, he appeared in the Netflix drama "Rajma Chawal" and was critically acclaimed for his portrayal of a Muslim in "Mulk". In 2019, two films of Kapoor's were released: "Jhootha Kahin Ka", a comedy-drama film directed by Smeep Kang; and "The Body", co-starring Emraan Hashmi, a mystery-thriller written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. Released on 13 December 2019, "The Body" would be Kapoor's last film to be released  in his lifetime. At the time of his death on 30 April 2020, Hitesh Bhatia's "Sharmaji Namkeen" co-starring Juhi Chawla, was under production and a four-day schedule was pending at the time of Kapoor's death. Producer Honey Trehan on 8 May 2020 confirmed that the film will be released in theatres. In January 2021, it was reported that Paresh Rawal is going to complete Kapoor's unfinished portions of the film, and it will release on Prime Video on 31 March 2022. Personal life. Kapoor who was Hindu, married to actress Neetu Singh, who is a  Sikh from New Delhi, also of Punjabi Khatri descent in 1980. The couple had two children— son, actor Ranbir Kapoor, and daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. Kapoor's autobiography "Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored", was released on 15 January 2017. Kapoor wrote the book along with Meena Iyer, and the title was published under Harper Collins. Kapoor's comments on being a "beef-eating Hindu" became controversial. Kapoor was known to make controversial socio-political comments. In March 2016, he criticized the Nehru–Gandhi family over naming of roads, buildings and national assets in the name of Gandhi and Nehru. In  September 2017, he again took on the Gandhi family by slamming Rahul Gandhi over dynastic politics. In March 2020, he expressed anger and criticized the Indian Judiciary with the "Tareekh Pe Tareekh" dialogue of his film Damini over the delay in execution of the four perpetrators who were convicted in the Nirbhaya case due to loopholes in the laws. The convicts were finally executed on 20 March at 5:30 am in Tihar Jail after it was deferred thrice. Illness and death. Kapoor was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 and went to New York City for treatment. After successful treatment for  a year, he returned to India on 26 September 2019. However, he was admitted to Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital on 29 April 2020 owing to breathing difficulties. He died on 30 April 2020 from leukemia. His death came less than 24 hours after Irrfan Khan, another well-regarded actor and his co-star from "D-Day" died due to colon infection. Kapoor's last rites were performed at Chandanwadi Crematorium and his ashes were immersed in Banganga.