Most of us remember our first jobs vividly. For Anees Bazmee, his first job remains hallowed ground, and for good reason. The director worked with none other than late Raj Kapoor at the legendary RK Studios in Chembur. The mere recollection of his old self, all of 16, serving as an assistant director at the studio between 1978 and 1981, brings a smile to his face.

“Every day I’d take a bus from Malvani where I lived, to Malad station, then another to Vile Parle, where my colleague K K Singh lived. He later wrote Ram Teri Ganga Maili [1985].” From there, the two would travel together to Chembur. A long commute certainly. “Four buses in total, and one-and-a-half hours, one way,” he broke it down, before saying, “But we never thought of it as difficult. We were working at RK Studios. That was everything.”

The energy was unmatched, remembered the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024) director. The reporting time was 10.30 am sharp. Pack-up time, in contrast, was never fixed. It could be 6 or 7 pm, or past midnight. Did they mind the long hours? Absolutely not. “RK Studios felt like home. There were four studio floors, and every day, shoots, rehearsals, and prep would be going on. It was like a creative mela.”

The biggest incentive of being a part of this mela? Seeing the showman of Indian cinema, up-close and in action. Bazmee recalled, “When you entered, Raj Kapoor’s office was to the left. He sat in a way that he could see everyone who came in or went out. So, we were always aware that Raj Kapoor was watching.”

 Working at one of Hindi cinema’s biggest studios, that too under the tutelage of the legendary filmmaker, was not only an enriching experience, but it also left him with a treasure trove of stories. The director recounted an incident, where Singh and he were writing the censor script of a film. “It was well past midnight. Suddenly a voice boomed, ‘Who’s there?’ Raj Kapoor had come to check who was still working. We told him what we were doing, and he simply said, ‘Chalo’. At 3 am, he took us to his house, woke everyone up, fed us, and sat with us. That was the kind of man he was.”

The four years he spent at RK Studios went by in a flash. Bazmee may have joined at a meagre salary of R300, but the job felt priceless. “We learned so much about films, discipline, and loyalty. Dabbu sir [Randhir Kapoor] and Chimpu [Rajiv Kapoor] would come often. Chintu [Rishi Kapoor] was a big star by then. Raj Kapoor came every single day. He had a private resting space we called ‘the den’.”

The studio canteen, too, holds special memories. For months, he ate dal and roti as that was all he could afford. “On seeing that, Chimpu got emotional and told the canteen manager, ‘Whatever KK and Anees eat, put it on my tab.’ The very next day, KK went all out, ordering chicken, fish, and parathas. I told him not to overdo it, but he said, ‘Let me enjoy today’,” Bazmee laughed.

In 2019, the studio was sold, thus bringing the curtains down on the place that witnessed the making of classics like Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955), and brought the industry together for the Kapoors’ famous Ganesh Chaturthi festivities over the decades. Bazmee said, “When RK Studios shut down, it felt like my house had been sold. Even now, when I pass by this space it makes me very emotional.”

(Cuts in…) Can you believe it? Dekhte hi dekhte, ek saal ho gaya. In a matter of 10 months, I lost both my buddies, my brothers Rishi and Rajiv. It’s been the most painful year for my family and me. It’s been an extremely sad year for Raj Kapoor’s clan. I loved my brothers dearly. Rajiv and Rishi left us one after the other, and life has not been the same without them ever since. We’re a close-knit family and we spent most of our time with each other when we were not at work. We loved being around one another and our camaraderie was something else. We’d meet for drinks, meals and sometimes, just to talk to each other and relive old memories. Life is dotted with happy and sad moments, but the last 10 months have been a terrible jolt. Life can never be the same without Rishi and Rajiv. I loved them dearly, and I will always miss both of them.

I am not feeling healed. Time is not healing me in any manner. Just when we were slowly coming to terms with Rishi’s passing away, my youngest sibling Rajiv left us. I feel lonely without them. They were not just my brothers, they were my confidants and my closest friends. We grew up together; our parents brought us up in such a way that we grew up to become each other’s pals, secret-keepers and what-have-you. We were each other’s strength and shoulders to lean on. I don’t have them here anymore.

Yes, time will heal us but I definitely feel a vacuum. In Rishi’s case, Neetu, Ranbir and Riddhima have felt a greater sense of loss. Rishi’s absence must be hurting them so much more, every single day. I am slowly coming to terms with his absence, too, but it will take a long time for it to settle in.

We had such great times together. That void of the brother-buddy can never be filled up. For the world, he was a great actor, who left behind scores of wonderful movies to enjoy and love. For us, he’s left loads of happy memories of the times we’ve laughed, hung out, eaten and chatted with abandon. Of course, I can go back and I do go back and watch all his films and that’s how I end up seeing him virtually, every day.

The connection we shared ran really deep. Rishi was a great friend to have - reliable and honest. My sister Rima and I feel his absence all the time. We’re left alone now — out of five siblings, it’s just she and I now. In the last three years, we lost our mom, our R K Studios and millions of invaluable memorabilia, our brothers, our sister and Shashi uncle. It’s all happened too soon. Today, when I watch Pyaar hua ikraar hua from Shree 420, I see my siblings in it and it pains me that memories of that movie have been lost forever. What you see in that song is what we’ve lived by — my siblings and I grew up to respect our elders and be extremely protective of one another.

For us, Christmas was always at Shashi uncle’s house, Holi was at Chembur and Diwali would be at one of our homes. All that is somewhat dwindling now. It doesn’t feel the same anymore, especially without my brothers. There’s hardly anyone there now from that generation of people in the family to which my brothers and I belonged. In this one year, my kids have supported me a lot, ensuring that I don’t feel lonely, but nothing can fill the void that my brothers have left behind. I miss that sibling bonding.

I saw them going in front of my eyes and it pains me to think of those days and times when I had to bid farewell to them. Emotional jolt! Time will heal me, I am sure. But, I can never get Rishi or Rajiv out of my mind. I am hoping that I will come to terms with their absence. The show will go on.

I almost feel like calling them up and telling them what I feel, and then I realise, it’s not going to happen. There’s not one day when Rishi and I didn’t speak to each other in all these years. There’s been a silence for the last one year. It’s beyond words to explain how much it hurts to not be able to speak to Rishi and share my thoughts with him. The lunch and dinner times, our drinking windows in the day, the time when we would hang out together...there’s not one moment in the day when I don’t miss Rishi and Rajiv. Rishi was so happy about his second innings in cinema with all those lovely roles. He was very pleased with the work that he was getting, all these different characters. He would say ‘Dabs, I can’t imagine myself in some of these roles but yeh directors aur writers toh kamaal kar rahe hain.’ He had loved a whole lot of scripts that came to him even as he came close to his last days. Who knew this would be it? He just could not be there to relish his success in the second innings, which he worked so hard for.

I will be thinking of Rishi, like every other day, and it’s not a conscious thing. It happens on its own. We were emotionally close to each other. Life will go on, it moves us on. My father (Raj Kapoor) believed that the show must go on and it will. He’s left plenty of great films behind, unko dekh kar yaad karunga apne bhai ko. My brother was such a charming man, a good husband and a loving father. His children made him so happy. C’est la vie... I hope Chintu is happy where he is now.

Actor Rajiv Kapoor, best remembered as the hero of the blockbuster Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985; right), directed by his father, the great Raj Kapoor, passed away following a heart attack in Mumbai on Tuesday. He was 58. The 1980s saw a profusion of star sons launched into filmdom: Kumar Gaurav, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Suneil Anand, to name a few. Rajiv belonged to the same bunch.

Unlike his older brothers, Randhir and Rishi, he wasn’t introduced in a home production. Randhir Kapoor had started out with Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971) and Rishi Kapoor, who passed away last year, with Bobby (1973). Rajiv made his debut with Ek Jaan Hain Hum (1983) under F C Mehra’s reputed banner, Eagle Films.

He oozed a natural flamboyance. Old-timers also spotted shades of uncle Shammi Kapoor’s brio in the exultant dance track, ‘Dil chahe aasman pe,’ and an amiable effervescence in ‘Bolo Kuchh To Bolo’, which Rajiv lip-synced with gusto on a bicycle. Journalist Madhu Jain wrote in a biography of Hindi cinema’s first family, The Kapoors, that director Lekh Tandon once said that Raj Kapoor had told him: “This boy will make it big. From Prithviraj on he will be the best Kapoor.”

But Rajiv’s career floundered. Post Ek Jaan Hain Hum, he acted in a clutch of duds: Ravindra Peepat’s Lava, Nasir Hussain’s Zabardast and Shomu Mukherjee’s Lover Boy. Even a double role in director Toni’s Aasman (1984), where he played the bad guy with relish, tanked at the box-office. He seemed unable to carve out a distinct personality that creates a steady fan base.

It was left to Papa Kapoor to provide his youngest son’s most memorable moment on celluloid. After the success of Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Rajiv said in an interview, “Ram Teri Ganga Maili (RTGM) has removed a big blot from my name. It has shown that given a good director and the right kind of note, I too, can deliver the goods and be accepted by the public in a very big way.” Critics too found his performance “poised and consistently credible.”

But Rajiv didn’t benefit much from RTGM’s triumph as the credit was given to Raj Kapoor. Even Mandakini, who played the title role, gained more. The film, however, kept Rajiv in circulation. He worked in a few more films—Shukriya, Zalzala, to name two. Both flopped.

The actor took to direction with the ambitious Prem Granth (1996), a desi adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess Of The D’Ubervilles, hoping for a change in fortune. Following his death, Madhuri Dixit, who played the lead in Prem Granth tweeted, “…It was a difficult subject which he handled with great maturity though it was his first film. Remembering the wonderful moments we shared.”

But again, the film was a commercial failure. Rajiv Kapoor remained a promise unfulfilled.

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Rishi Kapoor had tweeted this family picture on Mother’s Day in 2019; Seen in the picture are (L-R) Rishi, Rajiv and Randhir Kapoor with Krishna Kapoor

I was crushed on hearing the news. I remember working with Chimpu on Zabardast (1985), which was directed by Nasir Hussain and had Aamir Khan serving as the assistant director. We were shooting by the pool at Fariyas Resort in Panchgani. Just before we were to can a scene, Chimpu threw me in the pool. My costume was soaked, and we didn’t have an alternate outfit for the sequence. Nasir saab was furious as he had to cancel the shoot. I still vividly remember how he got an earful from Nasir saab. But then, that was Chimpu — full of life! His style reminded me of Shammi uncle. 

During our Lonavala stint, he decided to spook the unit members. The house where they were staying was secluded and eerie. So, one night, Sunny Deol, Chimpu, our co-producer and I went there and frightened the crew members by making strange noises. The next day, everyone on set was discussing how the house was haunted. We couldn’t stop laughing. What lovely days they used to be!   

I will always remember Chimpu as the ever-smiling prankster. May his soul rest in peace.

Sanjay Kapoor, 52, got everything late in his life, be it the release of his debut as a hero in Prem at 31, his marriage to Maheep at 35, purchase of his own house at 38 or producing his first film Tevar at 52, but he was born positive and was brought up to always be content, much like his father Surinder Kapoor. He is emotional and sensitive and his high self-respect forbids him from asking his high-profile friends for favours. Over an hour-long conversation in his Juhu house over a cup of coffee, he talks to Bombay Times about his values learnt from his father, his attachment to Boney Kapoor and why he will never offer a film to Anil Kapoor again. Excerpts:

Talk about your family's association with Raj Kapoor's family?
We used to live in Chembur in a two-bedroom hall. We were so connected with the Kapoors that Dabboo (Randhir Kapoor) would joke that we are related via satellite. My mom and Krishna aunty were best of friends and Chimpu (Rajiv Kapoor) and I grew up together. My father, Surinder Kapoor, used to work for Shammi Kapoor and his first wife was my dad's rakhi sister. She was the one who pushed my dad to make films and so, her picture used to come in the beginning in all his films.

Even though my father had not given blockbusters, Raj Kapoor uncle used to respect him a lot due to the goodwill he enjoyed and his honesty. Chimpu had a car and would travel abroad, right from when he was a year old. But our parents brought us up in a way that we never had any complexes. I remember Chimpu became an actor very quickly. Prior to his becoming an actor, when we went out together, if he paid the bill two times, I would pay it once. But we would go to ordinary places then that both of us could afford. But after he became a star, he started going to clubs where he would have whiskey and I, beer, and the bill would come to Rs 2000. Then I could not afford it, so I would often avoid going out with him at night. We remained great friends. But I could not tell him why, but then, we started meeting for lunch as that is all that I could afford. My father had always taught us not to pile on.

Talk about your father?
There are many things that I had learnt from our father. Chimpu would always go abroad and bring us Batmans and strawberry rubbers. So when I was in class X, I took a promise from my dad that if I came first class, he would send me abroad. I studied really hard and came first class, but coincidentally, one of my dad's films did not do well at that time. He said to me, 'If I send you abroad, people will ask me how I could send you abroad when my film had not done well.' I felt bad as I could not go, but later, I realised his honesty and what he was trying to do that time. He has done that even earlier. He had seen a flat in Samudra Mahal in Worli for himself and had done the deal. He was making a film with Bhappi Sonie, who had also seen a flat in Worli, and even though my father did not owe any money to them at that time, they requested him for an advance to buy that flat. So my father gave them the money that he was to buy his own flat with and can you imagine, they bought the same flat that my father was buying. My father would tell us, 'Never see the few people ahead of you. Look at the people behind, some of who may also be more deserving than you. Be ambitious, but also be content.' Later, Bhappi Sonie went through a bad time and had to sell his flat and shift into an even smaller place than where we were staying. My father would say, 'My children are doing so well, so we are going up.' He had a lot of goodwill. He was from Peshawar and would always go and drop any guest to the car. I am a happy guy as I think like my father. And that is why I have never been bitter or ever felt frustrated. I feel I have got a lot and thank God for it.

Your first film was released when you were 31. Why so late?
Shekhar Kapur was initially supposed to direct Prem. But the problem with Shekhar is that he is a very lazy guy, which is why he has made such few films over 30 years. He never wanted to start it and that led to my frustration. We then decided on Satish Kaushik to direct it, who started the film in 1989, but then he also had to direct Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja in between, that finally released in 1993 and was a disaster. With that mind, he directed Prem that finally released after 6 years of starting it in 1995. Again in Prem, I will tell you about my father. We had signed a singer Nalin Dave and we were all convinced that since it took 6 years to make the film, his voice was not sounding young enough for me any more and we should replace it with Udit Narayan's. But my father did not change. He said, 'Just like Sanjay has waited 6 years, Nalin has also waited 6 years. Now, it is their destiny.' I was dating Tabu at that time initially, but by the end of it, we were not talking to each other. It finally released when I was 31 and would joke and say, 'I am the oldest newcomer.' But this was destiny. Prem did not work, but within 4 weeks, Raja released with Madhuri Dixit and that became a blockbuster. Madhuri was such a big star at that time that I did not get the credit for it. It was also the time when Sri was with her mother, who was not well in the US and Boney was with her. Had Boney been here, things would have been very different for me as there was nobody to take care of things as far as I was concerned.

Talk about your relationship with Boney?
Everyone would say that Boney was a manipulator, but the fact is that he has always done things without any harm to anybody. He chose and decided the price for both Anil and me. I had a bank account but till 12 years back, he managed all my money. In the beginning I did big shows and got a lot of money and he managed all of that. Lot of close friends would give me negative advice, but it did not matter to me. Both Anil and I had blind faith in him. He is like a father figure, but he has gone through this phase where he would overspend on his films. He tends to get carried away. He is not a manipulator. Even when my father was lavish. Boney's economics were wrong and so, he got into a role where his losses started. Because he was handling everything, it was affecting the whole family. It was not that he was using the money for his own benefit or anything, but it's just that he was putting it into his films.

Between Anil and Boney, who are you more attached to?
Boney, as we have done films together and he has always shown more concern where my life is concerned.

Your career did not pick up as well as it could have.
I did Auzaar, directed by Sohail Khan, that did not do as well, but I got a lot of appreciation for it. I was a hot newcomer and despite it being a negative role, I agreed to do it at once when Sohail called me. Many actors had said No. Salman was a superstar by this time and I don't know if Salman would remember this, but over a drink, he said to me at Piano Bar, 'When you become a producer, I will do your film.' They are a great family that way. When the hoardings of Auzaar came up, it had a big Salman's picture and a small picture of mine, even though I had a better role. He called up our producer TIPS and said, 'If you want to have this kind of publicity, then don't put my name also. Sanjay stood by us.' Salman made sure that my picture was more than his only and not less. That is how Salman is. Anyways, I thought to myself that I would make a film with Salman and through Arbaaz, who was very close to me, I met Salim sahab, who said a yes. But to my bad luck, my films Sirf Tum and Chhupa Rustum did well and thus, I kept looking out for acting assignments. In the meantime, Boney was making No Entry and Salman, without even reading the script, said a yes, I felt because of me, and that is how Salman came into Boney's life. For whatever, reason for a year, I did not sign any projects after this and had got married to Maheep. In 2002, I needed to buy a house for myself and that is the time to settle my family, I did TV and a host of movies just for the money.

Which was your lowest period?
There was a period when I was not doing much as an actor and was trying to become a producer. I was wanting to do a film with Anil. I spent 3-4 years discussing everything with him and even going with the director he wanted, but at the last minute, he said No. I was totally taken aback that time. I just felt that even if he felt that the film would have been a flop, he should have still done it for me. In the same period, he did Yuvvraaj and Black and White. I felt hurt as I had wasted so much time and gone with all his recommendations, including the director he wanted. Mentally, I was very low. I couldn't believe that despite he being my brother, he had said No. Rajat Rawail managed Anil's work and he told me, 'Sanjay, when you meet Anil with the script, you take the advance cheque also.' I found that very strange as he was my brother. I also felt hurt that Anil could even doubt that the money would not come. After that, there has never been a problem between Anil and me, but I never approached him again. Today at 52, I have finally turned producer with Arjun, who has been the closest kid to me in the family. I remember at the peak of my career, I got some money which I gave to a person to build a house on the beach for me. I later realised that the money I had got was not from a right person and I returned the money. My being positive has saved me. Whatever I am today is due to our parents, who I love the most in this world. And I do know that I get everything in my life, but I have always got it late.