The Pakistani actress, who made her Bollywood debut opposite Rishi Kapoor in Henna,recalls her fondest memories of the actor and the days of the shoot
Richa Shukla (BOMBAY TIMES; May 8, 2020)

Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiar made her film debut in 1991 with the movie Henna, opposite Rishi Kapoor. Sharing her fond memories of the time spent with the late actor, Zeba says the news of Rishi’s demise is yet to sink in.

“It was an unfortunate day when I woke up to this news. I got a call from a journalist, who informed me about Rishi’s death. It was heartbreaking. All the good old memories came flooding back. I’m yet to believe that my dear friend is gone. He will always remain a mentor to me,” she says. The actress had been in regular touch with Rishi through phone calls and messages. She tells us, “Whenever Ranbir’s film released, Rishi would ask me to watch it. The last I met him was almost a decade ago, in 2010, in India. He was as charming and jovial as ever.”

Recalling her debut with Rishi, Zeba shares, “Henna will always hold a special place in my life. It was a dream come true for me. The title role demanded a girl from Pakistan and for authenticity, Raj sahab and Randhir, too, wanted an actress from Pakistan. In 1989, I was in London when I got a call from Randhir, who asked me to come to Mumbai for a screen-test.” She adds, “I didn’t know much about Bollywood then, but I had seen Rishi’s films and loved Bobby. I was literally in awe of him! At the screen-test, Randhir introduced me to him and our bond grew stronger with time.”

Praising the actor and his family for making her feel at home during the shoot, Zeba says, “From day one, the Kapoors became my extended family. Away from his stardom, Rishi was a very kind-hearted and warm person. I remember we went to Austria to shoot a few songs there, Rishi’s family, too, accompanied us. It became like a family holiday for all of us.”
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Shreya Mukherjee (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 8, 2020)

Pakistani actor Zeba Bakhtiar remembers being intimidated by her immensely popular co-star Rishi Kapoor on the sets of her debut film, Henna. In this 1991 drama, helmed by Randhir Kapoor, Bakhtiar played the titular role. While working on the project, the Pakistani actor came close to the Kapoor family and found friends in both the Kapoor brothers.

The news of Rishi Kapoor’s demise came as a shock to her. Kapoor, 67, died in Mumbai on April 30. “I spoke to Randhir two days before this happened. He said, ‘Chintu is getting better’…Nobody saw this coming. After his treatment (in the US), he was so happy to be back home,” says Bakhtiar.

It was Kapoor’s “honesty and strong demeanour” that made Bakhtiar “respect” him all the more. “He was straightforward yet funny. He had a very active mind, knew about all kinds of films being made, newer technologies and techniques that were being used. He was knowledgeable,” says the actor who worked with Kapoor again in Mohabbat Ki Aarzoo (1994).

Reminiscing the days of making Henna, Bakhtiar, 57, shares, “While Randhir was collected and chill, Rishi was electrifying and full of energy. I was new then and he would help me with my performance.”

The last time they spoke this year, they had plans of catching up, she reveals. Bakhtiar shares that Kapoor is hugely popular in Pakistan and they were “devastated with the news as he was the ultimate romantic hero who everybody would miss”.