On the second anniversary of Mulk, the filmmaker says that he still can’t think of anyone who could have pulled off the role of Murad Ali Mohammed better than Rishi Kapoor
Itishree Misra (BOMBAY TIMES; August 4, 2020)

It’s been two years since the release of Mulk, a film that Anubhav Sinha said marked his rebirth as a filmmaker. The story of a Muslim family trying to fight prejudice and regain their honour after a family member turns into a terrorist, the film had Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu in pivotal roles. The late Rishi Kapoor’s role of Murad Ali Mohammed in the film has been called one of his best performances, and Sinha says that he still can’t think of any other actor who could have pulled it off. On Mulk’s second anniversary, we talk to the director about Rishi Kapoor and the life he put into the character of Murad:

How did you come to cast Rishi Kapoor in the film?
I had never met Rishi Kapoor ji, a friend took me to meet him. Before I met him, I was wondering... pata nahi role karenge ki nahi. But surprisingly, when he heard the story, he really liked the idea and agreed to do the film. I still do not know whom I could have cast as Murad Ali had Chintu ji not done it. It’s impossible for me to think of anyone else in that role. It was written for him and was done brilliantly by him. I wanted a person who looked very vulnerable, endearing and at the same time, very courageous when the situation demanded it. Someone you would want to stand up for, someone you would love. The moment I conceived the character, the first name that came to my mind was of Amitabh Bachchan. But then, I thought that he won’t look defeated. Then slowly, it shifted to Rishi Kapoor. And by the time I had finished writing, I knew that it had to be him.

Rishi Kapoor made Murad Ali Mohammed a very believable character...
Rishi ji was always very nonchalant about his work. I think Rishi Kapoor didn’t celebrate his performance in Mulk as much as he should have. It’s certainly one of his best, if not the best performance. He was never like... maine kya badhiya kaam kiya. He was very casual about his stardom and acting. He had lived all his life being Prithviraj Kapoor’s grandson and Raj Kapoor’s son, so it had become very routine for him.

Reportedly, it would take him three hours for the make-up and prosthetics and another hour to get it off. He didn’t mind that?
I remember we were shooting in Lucknow in October-November and it was unusually hot for that time of the year. He would crib ki, ‘mujhe garmi lag rahi hai, ab mein aur shoot nahi karunga’, but he would still continue to shoot.

In an interview to us, Rishi Kapoor had said that it was the toughest role that he had ever played and he couldn’t ever imagine being cast in that role...
It was that endearing personality of his caught in that bizarre situation that reminded me of Balraj Sahni saheb in Garm Hava (1974). That distraught character, torn between choices, no support system, that’s the same vulnerability that Rishi ji brought into the character of Murad Ali, and that’s why his performance always reminded me of Balraj Sahini’s.