Rishi Kapoor's fascinating journey in Bollywood: From a chocolate boy to a villain

It's not until you're told it's Rishi Kapoor in the frame that you begin to seek him out towards the end of the popular Shree 420 song, Pyaar Hua, Iqraar Hua. The song concludes with Main na rahoongi, tum na rahoge, phir bhi rahengi nishaniyan and pans towards all three Kapoor children - symbolising the larger legacy the Kapoor's would build as the first family of Bollywood.
Today, one of the scions is no more. To many millennials, Rishi Kapoor is either Ranbir Kapoor's father or Kareena Kapoor Khan's uncle. To the fraternity and millions of fans around the world, he is an actor who held his own for five decades, a feat very few actors have managed.
Fifteen years after that blink-and-you-miss appearance, one saw Rishi Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker as a precocious teenager coming to terms with his attraction towards his teacher.
Mera Naam Joker did not do well at the box office. In fact, years later, Rishi Kapoor would even joke that Bobby was made to repay debuts incurred during the making of Mera Naam Joker.
But a young Rishi Kapoor in the film had already made his audience sit back and take note of him, exuding vulnerability and coyness that wouldn't typically be spotted on the big screen. His 1973 full-fledged debut Bobby offered fewer surprises with a conventional love story at the heart of the plot. But his spontaneity and charisma were duly applauded. While the film catapulted him and co-star Dimple Kapadia into popular imagination, it also set a template for the actor from which he could rarely break away.
Be it Rafoo Chakkar, Kabhi Kabhie, Khel Khel Mein or Amar Akbar Anthony, Prem Rogh, Naseeb, he nearly patented the role of a charming and happy-go-lucky lead man. The audiences loved him in these roles, which meant that the template would be carried well into the late 80s and 90s with Henna, Chandni, Bol Radha Bol, etc. Films like Subhash Ghai's Karz, a reincarnation drama, were an aberration. As he had said in a recent interview, "I have spent 25 years in the film industry as a romantic hero, but I never got the chance to do roles like what the younger generation is doing. In 1973, the audiences would never accept films like Vicky Donor or Bala."
The 2000s, however, were a different ballgame. Even mainstream Hindi films did not take it upon themselves to offer their audiences an 'escape' to a parallel world; rather, they mirrored the world as it was. This meant there was more to do for senior actors rather than playing stock characters such as the hero or heroine's father or mother.
The changing landscape of Bollywood gave Rishi Kapoor a platform to showcase his versatility. His range can be best understood from three of his recent films for which he was widely applauded.
As the helpless filmmaker in Luck By Chance, he showcased his impeccable comic timing. As Rauf Lala in the remake of Agneepath, he evoked fear. As the patriarch of a Muslim family in Mulk, he effortlessly conveyed angst.
That the actor in him had truly begun to enjoy his craft was evident. "I have no interest in portraying roles of hero/heroine's father as I am too expensive for such roles. I only want to do characters irrespective of the length of the role. I don't want anyone to pat my shoulders, but you guys never realise the fact that I make all my characters look different and there is no Rishi Kapoor in its. In those days, even if there were hate films being made by Gulzar or Hrishikesh Mukherjee, they would opt for other actors and never gave me a chance," he is believed to have said.
If his career took another turn lately, a more interesting side to Rishi Kapoor also came to the fore through Twitter. Sharing jokes, taking gentle digs, reminiscing about good, old times, he found a way to connect with his fans through the microblogging site. He wasn't apologetic of his political incorrectness; rather, he celebrated it. So active was he on social media that it was his absence from the platform that made fans sit back and wonder what had happened to him when he was seeking treatment for cancer in America.
Today, the actor may be no more, but his characteristic wit and candour will remain etched in our minds.
anamika@khaleejtimes.com