Anil Kapoor remembers FTII's "finest" student, Rita Bhaduri, who passed away at 62 yesterday
Anil Kapoor (MID-DAY; July 18, 2018)

Neither did I know Rita Bhaduri socially, nor had I met her [outside of] work, yet, she had a lasting impression on me. She was among the finest actors that the Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune gave us. She was my friend and Shabana Azmi's batchmate. So, we had that connect.

Rita was full of warmth, and would always spread cheer. Acting came naturally to her. My father [Surinder Kapoor] would always encourage FTII students. For him, they were special, and so was Rita. I always remembered her [wearing] a smile on her face.

We connected during the shoot of Kalpataru's Ghar Ho To Aisa (1990), which had Meenakshi Seshadri, Raj Kiran and Kader Khan as co-stars. The family drama had her play the role of a married woman who continued to stay with her husband at her maternal home, dominating everyone. On screen, she was this [woman who was constantly] scheming and plotting. But, as soon as the cameras were turned off, she would laugh with everyone. She could get in and out of characters in a jiffy.

We found ourselves working together again in Indra Kumar's Beta (1992), and Priyadarshan's Virasat (1997), which was shot near Coimbatore. As it was a rural area, and we were shooting in a start-to-finish schedule, the unit bonded after work. We were a happy family on set. Later, she moved to TV, and I did not act with her. But, memories [of her] linger.

As told to Shaheen Parkar