Rishi Kapoor was gone too soon. His career revitalised and his characters were getting grittier and powerful. The loverboy of the late 70s and the early 80s continued with romance unabashedly in the 90s and then he made a switch to author-backed character roles. There was so much more left for him to give to his fans and cinema but he was cruelly snatched away from us. One other aspect of Kapoor was his frank nature. He never minced his words. Be it his displeasure for the kind of movies Ranbir Kapoor chooses to his issues with Neetu Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor had been apologetically forthright. He also admitted to a lot of things about himself and his family that many won't have the gumption to accept. Today on his birth anniversary, we will talk about five confessions of his that are truly shocking. Raveena Tandon Shares Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor’s Wedding Day Pic Which Also Has the Actress In It

Raj Kapoor and his affairs

In his book Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, Kapoor talks about Raj Kapoor's relationship with Nargis and Vyajanthimala. "I was very young when my father had an affair with Nargis ji, and so was not affected by it. I don’t remember feeling anything was amiss at home either. But I do remember moving into the Natraj Hotel on Marine Drive with my mom during the time Papa was involved with Vyjayanthimala. My mother had decided to put her foot down this time," Kapoor recollected.

The Amitabh Bachchan problem

Rishi Kapoor had been quite open about what he felt about Amitabh Bachchan and his popularity in the 70s. Those were the days when movies and characters were written with AB in mind. Rishi believed that in multi-starrers, although Bachchan used to get a meatier presence, other actors were equally responsible for their success. His memoir quotes the actor saying, "A big disadvantage of working in an all-star movie in those days was that everybody only wanted to make action films, which automatically meant that the star who could carry off the action with the most flair would get the meatiest part. Although we may have been smaller stars, we were not lesser actors. But this is something that Amitabh has never ever admitted to, in any interview or book. He has never given due credit to the actors who have worked with him."

The Ranbir critic

Rishi Kapoor had admitted that he never liked any of Ranbir's movies. During an interesting interview with Simi Garewal in Melbourne, Rishi Kapoor shared that he detested Ranbir's movies.  "I would have never allowed Ranbir to do a film like Wake Up Sid or Rocket Singh or a Barfi. Barfi! mein kya hai sala goonga hai, behra hai..kya actor hai..  honest to God, before Barfi! released people would say tere bete ko kya hogaya hai (what has happened to your son?). He is going the Amol Palekar way. He should be a star. There should be heroics of him". (What's there in a film like Barfi!? He is deaf and mute) He later admitted that he was really wrong about it when he realised how much people loved Ranbir's performances in these movies. Oscars 2021: Did the Academy Awards Pay Tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor Apart From Irrfan Khan in ‘In Memoriam’ Segment? Here’s the Truth!

Depression and Neetu Kapoor

Rishi Kapoor in his book revealed that his depression negatively impacted Neetu Kapoor. After Bobby, he was on a high. A lot was expected of his subsequent movies, but most of them bombed at the box office. Kapoor had depression because of this and blamed Neetu Kapoor for the failures. "Neetu was pregnant with Riddhima and had to endure my breakdown in that fragile condition. I finally came through it with the help of supportive colleagues, family and friends, but I can only imagine how agonizing the experience must have been for her," Kapoor had shared.

BBA - Bought Bobby Award

This is why Rishi Kapoor will always be special. He had the guts to admit that he bought an award. In his book, Kapoor confessed, "I think that Amitabh was sulking because I had won the best actor award for Bobby. I am sure he felt the award was rightfully his for Zanjeer, which released the same year. I am ashamed to say it, but I actually ‘bought’ that award." He gave in to a PR's suggestion and got the award after paying Rs 30000.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 04, 2021 08:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).