The legendary actor breathed his last in a Mumbai hospital yesterday, after battling leukemia for two years
Madhureeta Mukherjee and Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; May 1, 2020)

Rishi Kapoor was the ultimate loverboy of the 70s and 80s, with his good looks, incredible charm, superb talent, and of course, the enviable touch of the mighty Kapoor lineage. And those traits never lost colour, even to the last day.

In the last decade, we witnessed a new avatar of the actor — Rishi Kapoor reloaded. He was basking in a variety of roles like we’d never seen him in before. The actor, with his trademark candour, had said, “The first 25 years, I was only singing songs and serenading the heroine; enough of playing a loverboy. The roles that I am doing currently are challenging and tough, but that’s the beauty of it, as I have never done this in my life. I feel like I am internally and externally all charged up.”

And we were all charged up, too, to see more of that brilliance on screen, after he returned from New York, where he underwent treatment for leukemia for a year, but life had other plans. After a tough two-year battle, Rishi Kapoor breathed his last yesterday, in Mumbai.

‘Son of a famous father, father of a famous son’, Rishi Kapoor’s previous Twitter bio was testament to his candour and wit. Fearless and brutally honest, he didn’t hold back from expressing what he truly believed in. For those who didn’t understand, he explained, “I am honest and blunt, and I believe that a fact is a fact. If something has to be said, I will go ahead and say it.” For the rest, they knew he was all heart, and they loved him for it.

In his last interview with Bombay Times, in July 2019, where he spoke from New York, he got emotional as he reflected on his life and said, “God has taught me that patience is the mother of all virtues. Life teaches you to slow down sometimes. In 45 years of my film career, I have never taken such a long break. It makes me think that sometimes, God takes the decisions for you that you don’t. God has been kind. Forget about me, it has been really tough for Neetu. Times like these remind you what human values are. I received tremendous support from those close to me. In the time of crisis when they come to your aid, you realise what relationships truly mean.”

Back then, the powerhouse performer was looking forward to returning in front of the camera as soon as he could. “I have never stayed away from the camera for such a long time in my life. This has never happened in the last 45 years, except for the time that I directed Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999), which was also shot in New York. You want to go back to your home, your bed, your home-cooked meal and workplace. I can’t wait to face the camera again; I hope I haven’t lost my touch. I hope I am still an actor,” he expressed. You’ll always be an actor, Rishi Kapoor. And one of our finest at that. Months after he returned from NY, he did go back on set, however, briefly. His last film released was The Body (2019) and he almost completed shooting for Sharmaji Namkeen, a film which marked his reunion with Juhi Chawla after a decade.

Rishi Kapoor was cremated in Mumbai around 4 pm yesterday. Only family and close friends could attend it due to the nationwide lockdown. While Neetu and son Ranbir along with Alia Bhatt, Kunal Kapoor, Anil Ambani and Abhishek Bachchan were present, Rishi’s daughter Riddhima wasn’t able to reach in time for the final rites, but she will be in Mumbai soon.