Indian cinema lost another icon today. Earlier this morning, Rishi Kapoor breathed his last after his long battle with Leukaemia. The actor was survived by his wife Neetu Kapoor and two kids - Ranbir Kapoor and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.

As tributes have started pouring in, filmmaker Karan Johar reminisced about the time he first met Rishi Kapoor on the sets of his father's film Duniya and how he was moved to years when he directed him Student Of The Year. "I was 7 years old and overheard that my parents were invited to see a preview of “Duniya meri Jeb mein”...it starred my favourite Rishi Kapoor...it was school night and my very particular mother refused to let me come with her....I threw such a tantrum because i couldn’t bare the fact that I was being disallowed from seeing a Chintu kapoor film...the parents finally succumbed...i went ....with stars in my eyes...like i had every time I saw him on celluloid...he was my HERO! The very handsome, the exceptionally charming, the eternally Romantic RISHI KAPOOR...my childhood was dedicated to watching him sing his songs with abandon, wearing his printed sweaters and dancing in my bedroom.....doing the dafliwalle routine with a dinner plate in front of my school friends...and finally nearly fainting when I met him for the first time in Cochin on the sets of my fathers film DUNIYA...I looked at him like he was a monument that I wanted to keep marvelling at," he wrote on Instagram.

"When i directed him in SOTY i shed a tear silently after he gave his first shot ... a major childhood dream was actualised ....today i feel like an irreplaceable void has crept into my existence...a piece of my growing years has been snatched away....i am honoured to love him...to know him...to have a drink and reminisce with him....I still will .. how can the romance of Indian Cinema ever leave us? Never. Dard -e dil....but this legendary legacy will live on! I LOVE YOU RISHI KAPOOR!❤️❤️❤️," he signed off.

Rishi Kapoor starred as the Dean of the college in Student of The Year.

 

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I was 7 years old and overheard that my parents were invited to see a preview of “Duniya meri Jeb mein”...it starred my favourite Rishi kapoor...it was school night and my very particular mother refused to let me come with her....I threw such a tantrum because i couldn’t bear the fact that I was being disallowed from seeing a Chintu kapoor film...the parents finally succumbed...i went ....with stars in my eyes...like i had every time I saw him on celluloid...he was my HERO! The very handsome,the exceptionally charming,the eternally Romantic RISHI KAPOOR...my childhood was dedicated to watching him sing his songs with abandon, wearing his printed sweaters and dancing in my bedroom.....doing the dafliwalle routine with a dinner plate in front of my school friends...and finally nearly fainting when I met him for the first time in Cochin on the sets of my fathers film DUNIYA...I looked at him like he was a monument that I wanted to keep marvelling at....when i directed him in SOTY i shed a tear silently after he gave his first shot ... a major childhood dream was actualised ....today i feel like an irreplaceable void has crept into my existence...a piece of my growing years has been snatched away....i am honoured to love him...to know him...to have a drink and reminisce with him....I still will .. how can the romance of Indian Cinema ever leave us? Never. Dard -e dil....but this legendary legacy will live on! I LOVE YOU RISHI KAPOOR!❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) on Apr 29, 2020 at 11:14pm PDT

ALSO READ: Rishi Kapoor on his support system Neetu Kapoor – “We were made for each other”

The legendary Sharmila Tagore is devastated by the double blow that Indian cinema has received on two successive days. "Why are these younger actors going and the older ones are still around? First, we lost Irrfan who was an absolute favourite and now Rishi Kapoor who was not only a fabulous actor but also part of my family. In fact I’m trying to call (daughter-in-law, Rishi’s niece) Kareena since morning. But can’t get through," Sharmilaji has barely been able to get over the first tragedy before the second struck.

"I took Irrfan’s death very personally. He was an actor I related deeply to. His performances in films like Maqbool, Paan Singh Tomar, for which he won the National award, and The Namasake were so subtle layered and brilliant…I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen The Namesake. Irrfan transformed into a Bengali gentleman. He learnt Bengali for the film. My daughter Soha has done three films with Irrfan. I’m very envious of her."

Sharmilaji remembers meeting Irrfan at an international film festival some years ago. "I remember him as very silent, not saying much but very observant. He spoke about how important it was for an actor like who believed in realistic acting to bridge the gap between niche and populist cinema , and how realistic acting became boring after a point. Irrfan wanted to change that. If you watch his performances keenly he always ended his scenes on an ambiguous note…a quirky twitch of the eyebrow, a cryptic smile. His performances intrigued me. I wanted to know what he was going to do next. What was he hiding?"

With Rishi Kapoor it was just the opposite. Says Sharmilaji, "He came on the screen like a bright light and embraced the audience. Unlike Irrfan who always seemed to withhold something, Rishi spilled it all out and connected unconditionally with the audience. No matter what he played, the lover boy or the old father in 102 Not Out he was completely into character. I remember this film of his with Dimple Kapadia, Pyaar Mein Twist where he was shown walking his dog. He looked so proper and gentlemanly. In Hum Tum he came into the plot midway. But the screen brightened the minute he walked in. Rishi had a rare ability to immerse himself in every character completely. And he was a people’s person. He could connect with the audience immediately."

Sharmilaji remembers receiving a joint award with Rishi some years ago. "We were both given Filmfare awards for Lifetime Achievement. Rishi openly grumbled about why he was being bracketed with me since I was around for so much longer. That’s the he was .He spoke his mind regardless of the repercussions. Recently he tweeted about liquor shops being opened during the lockdown. People were outraged. But he had a point. Those addicted to alcohol are bound to get restless sitting at home."

Sharmilaji feels the unfairness of the double loss very strongly. "Irrfan and Rishi had both gone for treatment of their cancer. They came back and we all hoped that they would be fine. That was not to be. I don’t know what greater calamities this year has in store."

Also Read: With Rishi Kapoor’s demise, fate of these films remains uncertain

Deepak Dobriyal who is in faraway Uttarkhand is now negotiating a new form of lockdown. “I am in a state of denial about Irrfan Bhai’s going. Till the other day he was a fighter, a warrior in the true sense of the word. People from the outside can’t see what he went through for three and a half years. I was with him. I know the pain he and his wife Sutapa have endured. I can’t imagine he has been defeated in the battle. So I am here pretending to myself that he’s still with us.”

Deepak spent a good four years shooting with Irrfan and getting to know him. “And he became not just a part of my life but my wife’s too. He would tell my wife to look after me and handle me with kid’s glove as I am very bholu (innocent). After coming in contact with Irrfan Bhai my wife actually started looking at me with more respect. That’s how generous kind and loving Irrfan Bhai was towards me. I remember a Holi party at Tigmanshuji (Dhulia)’s home some years ago… as soon Irrfan Bhai saw me he rushed to me and kissed me so hard on my forehead that at Tigmanshuji commented, ‘Yaar, why haven’t we worked together yet?’”

Deepak reveals that Irrfan looked out for him. “As an actor and a brother he was protective of me. I remember when I had done a shot in Hindi Medium that he especially liked he wanted to edit it personally so my performance showed up well. Kaun aisa karta hai? He recommended me for many films like Blackmail, and Qareeb Qareeb Single but made sure no pressure was put on me to accept the offers. We actually did just two films together Hindi Medium and Angrezi Medium. But it seems like a lot more because of the impact. We spent a good four years of our lives doing these two films. Working with him changed my life. I learnt about how generous an actor can be to a co-star and that long-lasting friendships can be made even in this professional industry. We were so good together on screen because we never felt threatened by one another. We were like two sides of the same coin.”

Deepak’s favourite Irrfan performances? “Was he ever less than brilliant? But I think Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar, Maqbool, Life In A Metro, The Namesake and The Lunchbox were the highpoints of his career. I even liked him in Chandrakanta. But when I said so he would get annoyed.”

Deepak pauses to remember that his dear friend and brother is actually gone. “Yeh iss saal ho kya raha hai(what is happening this year?). I am stuck so far away. I couldn’t be present at my Bade Bhai’s last rites. I can’t forgive myself for this. My heart reaches out to Sutapa Bhabhi (Mrs Irrfan Khan). People have seen only 5 percent of the struggle Irrfan has gone through, the other 95 percent that Sutapa Bhabhi went through is not known to anyone.”

Also Read: Homi Adajania speaks about how Irrfan Khan and Deepak Dobriyal give sibling rivalry a congenial touch in Angrezi Medium

Amitabh Bachchan’s tweet announcing Rishi Kapoor’s death came as a bolt from the blue. Everyone knew Rishiji was very unwell and that he had a relapse in February. At that time a close family friend had told me, “He’s very unwell. But he’s in denial. He just won’t accept how unwell he is.”

That his condition would worsen so rapidly and that we would lose two brilliant actors first Irrfan and now RK, in just 24 hours, confirms that this year is indeed the worst year in living memory.

When I contacted one of Rishi Kapoor’s closest co-stars Juhi Chawla she said, “It’s too sad…just too sad. I’m devastated. I just can’t believe this…sorry don’t feel like being on the phone…sorry.”

Also Read: Juhi Chawla reveals her family took help of Indian High Commission in London to return home safely