MUMBAI: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan penned a heartfelt note reminiscing the moments spent with veteran actor Rishi Kapoor right from his childhood to his leukemia diagnosis.
Kapoor died at the age of 67 on Thursday morning after a two year long battle with leukemia at H N Reliance hospital here.
Bachchan had broke the news on Twitter, saying, “He’s GONE .. ! Rishi Kapoor .. Gone .. Just passed away .. I am destroyed!”
But he soon deleted the tweet.
Later in the night, on his blog, Bachchan recalled the time when he first saw Kapoor during a visit to his father, cinema icon Raj Kapoor’s house in Chembur.
“Had seen him at his home Deonar Cottage, Chembur, a young energetic, bubbly, mischief in his eyes Chintu , on those rare moments when I was privileged to have been invited to an evening at Raj ji’s house.”
Bachchan said he frequently saw Kapoor at RK Studios, where he trained for his debut film “Bobby”.
“A diligent enthusiastic youngster, ready to pounce onto every learning that came his way, in that famous large and legendary make up room, of Raj ji at the end of the first floor corridor of make-up rooms.”
The actor wrote about Kapoor’s extraordinary walking style that he said was similar to his late grandfather, legendary actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor.
“He had a walk that was confident and determined a stride and style that was similar to that of his grandfather, the legendary Prithvi Raj ji.. A walk I had noticed in one of his earlier films.. That walk.. I never found it in any other.”
Bachchan and Kapoor have worked in several films together such as “Kabhie Kabhie”, “Amar Akbar Anthony”, “Naseeb”, “Coolie”, “Ajooba” and “102 Not Out”.
Talking about the experience of working with Kapoor, Bachchan said, “When he spoke his lines, you believed every word of it there was never an alternative its genuineness was beyond question.
“And there has never been any other, that could lip sync a song as perfectly as he would never.”
Off screen, Bachchan remembers, Kapoor’s playful attitude on set, which he said, was infectious.
“Even in the most grave sequences he would discover that comedic spark and we would all just crack up! Not just on set if you were with him at any formal event, he would find that little distractive light hearted gem to expand on and lighten the situation.
“When there was a time lapse as the shot got readied during a shoot, he would bring out his playing cards, or at times pull out his rather complicated Bagatelle board and invite others to play a competition not just for fun a serious competition,” Bachchan said.
The 77-year-old actor recalled how Kapoor never lamented about his condition post his cancer diagnosis.
“During his time of diagnosis and his treatment he never ever lamented his condition it was always ‘see you soon, just a routine visit to the Hospital I’ll be back shortly’.
“Joie de vivre… the exuberant enjoyment of life, was a gene he inherited from his father the legend, the Ultimate Showman the Iconic Raj Kapoor.”
Bachchan said he never visited Kapoor in the hospital as he didn’t want to see him in “distress”.
“I never visited him in Hospital.. I never wanted to see distress on his smiling cherubic face. But I am certain..When he went , he must have gone with a gentle smile.” (AGENCIES)
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