Rishi Kapoor: Bollywood loses its lover boy

Can we unsubscribe to this year already? I mean, what is even happening? The country hadn’t healed from the news yesterday when another bomb dropped on us. The chocolate boy of Bollywood, Rishi Kapoor, passed away today morning. This news came at the heels of the death of another legend, Irrfan Khan. And the country cannot mourn enough. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we need this year erased. Skip ahead!

Rishi Kapoor came from a star-ridden family. His father Raj Kapoor was hailed as one of the best. So were his uncles, Shashi and Shammi Kapoor. So we can see where he got his charms and talent. His first role was as his father’s younger self in Mera Naam Joker, which was critiqued to be a disaster. Later on though, in bobby, Rishi sir made a name for himself. It won him the Filmfare best actor trophy. Pretty neat, right? It also earned him the famous chocolate boy of Bollywood title. 

He also won the Filmfare Critics’ Best Actor Award for his performance in Do Dooni Chaar (2011). In the movie, Rishi Kapoor very effortlessly portrayed the struggles of middle age man and his wish to buy his own car. It was relatable on many levels.

He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Kapoor and Sons (2016). It might now have been a great movie (for me, no), his performance was worth the note. He was bestowed with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and that was deserving!

He has played so many versatile characters. Remember when he broke the conventions by playing a gay character in SOTY? It was epic. still, his lover boy image would never vanish. 

This isn’t all he did. He was able to sway us all with his performances in movies like D-Day, 102 not out, and Mulk. Even though we attached the lover boy title to him, his charms showed even in other dimensions.

Such was his hold on our hearts, we’d watch movies that flopped just for him. His music videos too were on repeat for a good part of our parents’ lives. (Some of us secretly love his songs, don’t lie okay?!) 

Rishi Kapoor has given us many evergreen movies. From his rom-com performance in Ama Akbar Anthony to his comic cameo in Om shanty Om, we’ve loved him all the way.

Bobby: Of course first up is the teenage romance that earned him his evergreen Pyaar wall title. He defined the word Pyaar for many of us later on in his life (like my pyaar for food). This movie also gave us the evergreen song, Main Shayar too nahin. C’mon, we all love it and hum it to ourselves from time to time.

Do Dooni Char: Middle-class family wants to and struggles to save enough money to buy a car. Sound relatable much? His performance was noteworthy here.

D-Day: He starred alongside Irrfan Khan in this movie. He charms us with his intensity and potent acting skills. Most wanted man in Bollywood, much?

Kapoor and Sons: A very coming of age movie which perfectly shows not all is well in a family all the time. His acting here makes you rethink all the times you thought dysfunction is part of a family. (It’s not!)

Amar Akbar Anthony: LEGENDARY is the only word to describe this. Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and Vinod Khanna together? How can anything go wrong? Except for the villains, maybe!

Agneepath: He loved being in that movie and he did his character justice. Need we say more?

We love everything about you, be it your stoic expression or your laughter. We shall forever keep love in our hearts for him and everything he has given to this country. Thanks to you, romance shall never die.