Rishi and Neetu Kapoor in Dhan Daulat; Shatrughan Sinha in Zalzala

Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 8, 2020)

Harish Shah, who directed films like Zalzala (1988) with Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha and Rajiv Kapoor, and last produced Jaal: The Trap, featuring Sunny Deol, Tabu and Reema Sen, passed away at on Tuesday at 76. He’d been battling throat cancer for 10 years. The last rites were performed at a Vile Parle crematorium later in the day.

The filmmaker’s brother Vinod Shah, with whom he produced nine films, informed, “He’d been on saline for 10 days. Initially, we didn’t want to take him to the hospital due to Coronavirus.” Shah’s last venture was the short film Why Me, which released in 2018. In 2019, it was selected for the President’s Award, which he had received in January this year.

Remembering his Zalzala maker as a “wonderful person” who was “very cultured and softspoken”, Shatrughan Sinha says, “He was non-filmi in the true sense. He wouldn’t attend parties and didn’t get into controversies.” The actor-politician says that Shah doled out even backhanded compliments politely. “I had a habit of being late, but Harish ji never said anything or let anyone say anything about it. He would reason, ‘Bhale Sinha saab late aate hain, kaam toh time par khatam karte hain. He has never delayed a shoot and is always the first one to complete his work’.”

Guddu Dhanoa, who directed Jaal, recalls Shah as “one of the best producers”. “Harish ji was extremely understanding of his directors and very involved in his productions. For Jaal, we had to go to New Zealand twice. During the first spell of five-six days, we did an extensive action sequence with six helicopters. Due to an issue, we couldn’t complete the portion in one go and he said, ‘If going there again for a longer spell is better for the film, then so be it’,” Dhanoa reminisced.

Veteran actor Prem Chopra, who worked in the Shah-directed Dhan Daulat (1980) and productions like Kaala Sona (1975) and Ram Tere Kitne Naam (1985), added, “Harish was very particular about his timings. Rishi (Kapoor, lead) and I’d call him ‘Captain’. If we suggested something, he joked, ‘You listen to me, I’m the Captain of the show’,” recalls Chopra, adding that during the Kaala Sona shoot in Chambal Valley, the filmmaker and the crew called him Poppy Singh, after his character in the film. 

MUMBAI MIRROR (May 1, 2020)

He wanted to live and die an actor - Subhash Ghai, Director, Karz and Kaanchi

For me, he was always Chintu, the hero of my first film as a producer, Karz, in 1980. Thirty-four years later, we did Kaanchi, my last film as a writer, producer and director With the passage of time, I have seen many actors looking old and jaded, but you cast them for the experience and nostalgia they bring to the screen. But Chintu surprised me. He brought to the Kaanchi song, “Thumka” the same zest and zing of Karz’s evergreen chartbuster, “Om Shanti Om”. There were rehearsals galore, 10-12 takes, but his energy never flagged. It spoke of the passion for cinema that he had inherited from his grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, a theatre legend, and his father Raj Kapoor, the greatest showman of Indian cinema. Chintu is a case study for future generations of actors on how to keep the magic alive and set the screen on fire, even after four decades.

Acting was in his genes, but he was a director’s actor. His never interfered and was always the obedient student. Also, he never acted, he simply reacted. To begin with, he was the proverbial chocolate box romantic hero. But in his second innings, when he returned after a decade, he was a revelation. He excelled in every role, be it that of the villain or an old man. Much like Amitabh Bachchan, who also came back with a bang.

Chintu was a doston ka dost who valued relationships. He had a lot of respect for my knowledge of cinema and my sense of drama. He’d reprimand me for not having made a film in five years. I had promised him that as soon as I got a script, I would make a film with him and a younger actor. He was excited, telling me he was waiting for the day.

I met him for breakfast in January and berated him for going to work. He replied saying he wanted to live and die an actor. He got his wish. The world will get more actors, but not another Chintu who was a wonderful human being.

—As told to Roshmila Bhattacharya
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Just one week after returning to Mumbai, he was reporting to work, on time - Emraan Hashmi, Co-star, The Body

It was my lifelong desire to work with Rishi Kapoor because I had grown up watching his films. I got my wish with The Body. We shot on a set in Mumbai for 45-50 days at a stretch, and I learned so much from him. He reinvented himself as an actor over the years and enlivened intense, conversational sequences in the film with his wit and spontaneity. We didn’t think he’d be able to allot dates for the promotions, but a week after returning to Mumbai from New York where he’d been undergoing cancer treatment, he was reporting to work on time.

Before he fell ill, he was asking after my son Ayan, who has beat cancer. It was bizarre because two months later he was diagnosed with cancer himself. When I went to meet him after his return, I thought he’d be frail from all the chemotherapy, but he looked super healthy and raring to go. I’m devastated today.

— As told to Ankita Chaurasia
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Whenever I was hurt, he would come running to check - Jaya Prada, Co-star, Sargam

Rishi ji may have been a hero for the world but for me, he was always my friend, Chintuji. He was my first Hindi film hero. On the first day of the film, I was both excited and nervous to be standing in front of a huge star who was smiling at me. He came up to talk to me and make me comfortable. He helped me get through long shoots. Since I had to dance barefeet, whenever I was hurt, he’d come running to check. He was fond of dancing and would give me a run for my money.

He was a brave man which is evident from the way he fought cancer. During his treatment in the US, I’d text him, assuring him that he’d be fine. It was a long journey, from Bobby to 102 Not Out. Each character seemed to have been written just for him.

—As told to Akash Bhatnagar
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He was a brilliant actor - Umesh Shukla, Director, All Is Well, 102 Not Out

He was a brilliant actor and a wonderful person with a great sense of humour. To me, he was like a friend and a brother. He’d say that he was enjoying his second innings as actor, adding, “Ab tak toh sweaters, pullovers pehen ke waadiyon mein gaane gaata tha...”

Rishi ji sought challenging roles and played them brilliantly, like Do Dooni Chaar and Kapoor & Sons. He was interested in new things and was encouraging of younger colleagues, like Jimit Trivedi, the chemist in 102 Not Out. If Jimit sat at some distance alone in between shots, Rishi ji would call him to sit with him and Amit ji. In the first half of the film, Rishi ji’s character is irritated with the chemist. But he helped make Jimit comfortable.

I visited him with writers Saumya Joshi and Abhijat Joshi when he was in New York for treatment. Rishi ji was so zindadil that we felt like patients in front of him. On March 18, I sounded him out on a new subject. He looked forward to resuming work.

—As told to Hiren Kotwani
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I was in college when Bobby released; a year later, it was still playing - David Dhawan, Director, Bol Radha Bol, Eena Meena Deeka, Yaarana, Yeh Hai Jalwa and Chashme Baddoor

Over the years, he became family. He was moohfat and would initiate a conversation rather than wait for you to start it. He was an endearing man who was passionate about films and food, in particular Chinese.

I was in college when Bobby released in 1973. When I joined FTII the following year, I’d pass the theatre and still see the film playing. My first film in Switzerland, Yaarana, was with him, and he insisted I buy a good watch as Swiss watches were the best.

He was very disciplined and quick to catch a mistake.

After his return from New York, we met him a few times.

—As told to Hiren Kotwani
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He was a Puckish prankster, rulate nahin the, bas chidate the - Poonam Dhillon, Co-star, Yeh Vaada Raha, Amiri Garibi, Tawaif

During our first film together, he was a big star and I was in awe of him. Once, while shooting a romantic song, he was doing silly things to distract me. You could never get into the ‘mood’ when he was around. He was such an effortless actor, the ultimate hero in romantic roles. People would tell me he was a bully, but for me he was a Puckish prankster, rulate nahin they, bas chidhaate they. His tweets reflected his wit and that he was upfront and outspoken. There was no diplomacy or artifice. He was professional in all his dealings and took his father’s legacy forward.

We can’t go to pay our last respects but we are there in spirit.

—As told to Hiren Kotwani
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He had love in his heart even for his enemies - Paresh Rawal, cast member, Aa Ab Laut Chalen

My first film with Rishi ji was his debut directorial. We shared a good rapport ever since and talked regularly. Few people in the industry are as frank as him. But he had love in his heart for everyone, even enemies.

I could see that he liked modern cinema and discussing new ideas. He was equally passionate about the cinema of yore. His one pet peeve was something he had christened “har jagah coverage”. If a director wanted to take a shot from different angles, Rishi ji would get agitated, arguing that the “spontaneity would be lost”. He also preferred dubbing over sync sound.

There was a certain ease in talking to him; one didn’t have to worry about being manipulated. He had a whacky sense of humour, but he was a seedha, raja person at heart.

—As told to Hiren Kotwani
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Chintuji was one of the reasons Shah Rukh came on board - Guddu Dhanoa, Producer, Deewana

When we narrated the film to Shah Rukh (Khan), he asked who was playing the lead character. On learning it was Rishi, he exulted, “He is my favourite actor, I’m doing the film.” Chintuji was one of the reasons he came on board.

When we were shooting with Chintuji and Divya (Bharti), in Ooty, in between shots, we’d play cards. We didn’t have enough chairs one day, so Divya sat on the ground. He looked at her and asked “Tumko maloom hai, main tumse kitna bada hoon? Twenty years.” Despite the jokes, the age difference didn’t show on screen as he was so handsome man.

I last spoke to him during the release of his autobiography. .

—As told to Himesh Mankad

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 8, 2018)

For years, he had nurtured the dream of becoming an actor, even confiding in his mother that he wanted to run away to Mumbai. She had stopped him, saying if he did, his strict schoolmaster father would turn her out too and suggested that he send out applications to film producers from Punjab instead. Dharamendra or Dharam Singh Deol as he was known then, had laughed at how ‘bholi’ she was. But soon afterwards, he saw an ad for the Filmfare talent-hunt contest inviting participants from across India, and filled out the application. He was shortlisted for the auditions and subsequently picked out as the winner by filmmakers Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. And his dream of coming to (then) Bombay was realised.

Dharamji, who turns 83 today, is still just as passionate about films – he describes the medium as his “beloved” and asserts that he didn’t come here to make money or buy bungalows and cars. “I wanted to act so I could make a place for myself in people’s hearts. I rented an apartment initially and bought a Fiat car for Rs 18,000 (pictured on top) just before the release of my first film. I drove straight to the studio to give Bimal da the good news and took him out for a spin. He was very happy for me and assured me that I’d go far,” the actor reminisces, pointing out that though he’s not shrewd and manipulative, he’s survived in the industry for almost six decades and delivered over 100 hits with a lot of hard work and a “little bit of talent”.

Rajkumar Santoshi, a self-confessed Dharmendra fan, attributes the actor’s longevity as much to his versatility as to his innate goodness which his face reflects on screen, along with his honesty and simplicity. The filmmaker owes his break as a director in Ghayal to Dharam ji who put his trust in a rank newcomer who’d assisted Govind Nihalani and belonged to a different school of filmmaking. Santoshi’s original producer had dropped out because he wasn’t happy with his choice of hero, first Kamal Haasan, then, Sunny Deol. “Sunny took me to Rajasthan where Dharam ji was filming J P Dutta’s Batwara for a narration. He liked the story as much as Sunny had and asked me curiously if I was related to filmmaker P L Santoshi whom he knew well. On learning that I was his son, something I hadn’t divulged, he embraced me and told us to go ahead. Ghayal was the first film he lent his name to as a producer. It got us plenty of rewards and awards,” he says.

Santoshi goes on to point out that though a hugely under-rated actor, Dharamji’s range of histrionics in the films of the ’60s and ’70s had matched that of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. Four of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films alone – Satyakam, Anupama, Guddi and Chupke Chupke – had showcased his talent in diverse performances. “He was the only one to stand up to the Rajesh Khanna popularity wave in the ’70s with hits like Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Samadhi and Sholay, in which, despite Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan having author-backed roles and Amitabh Bachchan at his brooding best, Dharam ji managed to stand out with his ‘soocide’ act atop the water tank,” Santoshi, known as an actor’s director, says, adding that his comic timing is also impeccable, as seen in Sholay and Pratigya . “When he serenaded his heroine with a 'Rafta Rafta' or a 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', he made the romance seem real and while he was flexing his muscles as a He-Man, there was a vulnerability to him that made you want to protect him. Not to forget, he was voted among the 10 most handsome men in the world at one point, he didn’t need cosmetic surgery and his hair is his own. Today, he’s still a very good-looking 83-year-old man,” he asserts.

Dharamji’s cousin, Guddu Dhanoa, says he’s proud to have a brother who’s so handsome. “At airports and other public places, I could see waves of adulation and admiration follow him, along with cries of, ‘Dharmendra... Dharmendra,’” says the director of films like Ziddi, Bichhoo and 23rd March 1931: Shaheed featuring Sunny and Bobby. “I was so proud to have such a handsome brother, one who visited us in Delhi when I was still in school, bringing with him hordes of fans into our home who wanted to speak to him and touch him. Army jawans came in trucks and blocked our lane so he could not run away. He was at the height of his stardom then, and I’ve heard when because of date problems there was talk of him dropping out of Sholay, the price per territory for the film fell from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 12 lakh,” says Dhanoa.

When I ask Dharam ji who only this year was seen in Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se, for the reason he has remained in people’s hearts for so long, he typically replies with a shayari he had just penned, “Mauka diya muqaddar ne, dil-dimag ek hue, neki bhi saath hui, mehnat aur mashaqqat ke, manzilein tai hoti gayi, aur hum surkh-ruu hue.”

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2018)

On Sunday, Shah Rukh Khan revealed that the following day would be exactly half a lifetime of being ‘others’. “Of expressing love, happiness, sadness, dancing, falling and flying...” The tweet ended with the hope that he had touched small bits of our hearts and would continue to do so through his lifetime, rhapsodising, “Roshni meri bahot door tak jayegi, par shart yeh hai ki saleeke se jalao mujhko.” His first mainstream film, Deewana, opened on June 25, 1992 and kickstarted his star trek. But producer Guddu Dhanoa reveals that SRK stepped in to play Raja, who woos and weds a widowed Kaajal (Divya Bharti) with her mother-in-law’s blessings only after Armaan Kohli’s exit. “Armaan had differences with Shabnam Kapoor on another film, Insaaf Ki Devi. Shabnam’s husband Sweety (Lalit Kapoor) and Raju Kothari were co-producing Deewana with me and his dad, Rajkumar Kohli, called to say Armaan would either do both films or neither,” Guddu reminisces.

The maker was simultaneously working on the prep of Bobby Deol’s debut and Dharmendra, his first cousin, had deputed him to coordinate with Champion’s scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and director Shekhar Kapur. En route to Chennai to see the special effects of Mani Ratnam’s Anjali, Guddu confided to Shekhar that he’d lost his ‘hero’, who instantly recommended Shah Rukh Khan who’d impressed in his TV shows, Fauji and Circus. “I couldn’t recollect his face till he entered a restaurant at Connaught Place and then, knew instantly that he was my Raja,” narrates Guddu.

SRK, juggling five films — Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, King Uncle, Chamatkar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and Dil Aashna Hai — had no dates but agreed to a narration at his home the next day. After a barren first half, when Raja is nowhere in the picture, he suggested they break for lunch. “When we resumed, the story grabbed his interest and at the end of the narration, he told me, ‘Guddu, I’m doing your film. But I can shoot only if another maker cancels his dates. I paid him a signing amount of Rs 11,000 and returned,” says Guddu.

After a month, he got a call from the actor whose Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman schedule had got cancelled. He had 20 days off. ‘When can you shoot?” he asked and Guddu replied, “Tomorrow.” They started a day later, and the film he had no dates for, was the first to release.

“God up there writes our screenplays, we are just actors playing out roles,” philosophises Guddu, remembering how they’d take the ferry to Madh Island for the shoot at Poonawala bungalow. “One day, I told him some industry people were saying Shah Rukh was a good actor but didn’t look good in songs. He shot back, saying, ‘Meri filmein chalin toh main rahunga, else I’ll return home to Delhi.’ After a beat, he added, ‘Par main chaloonga.’ I liked his confidence,” Guddu smiles at the memory.

He himself was confident of Deewana working after the music, released a month before the film, topped the charts. “Aisi Deewangi” was playing in cabs and hotels while we were shooting in Shimla. It was the first song to be recorded. “Payaliya”, “Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar”, “Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar” and “Koi Na Koi Chahiye” were equally popular. Sameer bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist (“Teri Umeed”), Best Male Playback went to Kumar Sanu for “Sochenge Tumhe” and Nadeem–Shravan were Best Music Directors.

“I came across Nadeem-Shravan when scouting for a heroine for Bobby in Champion. I’d picked up a reel of Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin so we could take a look at Pooja Bhatt. Everyone ended up loving the title track and Nadeem-Shravan were signed. It’s another thing that Champion never got made and their compositions were used in Barsaat with which Bobby eventually made a beginning. While ferrying them for music sittings at Sunny Super Sound, I told them about my film, and they agreed to score for it too,” he says.

After the film was complete, Guddu had some sleepless nights following rumours that SRK wouldn’t dub for Deewana as the makers of his solo release wanted to come out first. But he assured them the film that was done wouldn’t be stopped and kept his word. “Manmohan Desai who’d taken the Delhi–UP territories for distribution had a problem with Kaajal staying with Raja at the end and insisted she returns to her first husband, Ravi. Since he was an experienced maker while we were newcomers, many suggested we listen to him. But we refused and listened to our hearts and our love story had a happy ending,” says Guddu who ended a two-year dry spell with the film.