Rishi Kapoor’s Last Decade In Bollywood Was A Testament That The Actor Was Far From Done Proving His Versatility

Rishi Kapoor was born, brought up and bred in the midst of Bollywood’s most prestigious film family and so looking back at his life story it seems inevitable  that he was born to be an actor. Rishi took no time to become a heartthrob soon after his career in movies commenced with Bobby in 1973 and was the romantic hero women swooned over much before Shah Rukh Khan.

That era came lasted through several of his early films, Rishi Kapoor took never his image for granted. It was his second innings in Bollywood, however, that changed entirely the way we saw him as an actor. Rishi’s choice of characters in the millennium including films like Do Dooni Chaar, Agneepath, Kapoor and Sons, Student the Year all stood out and showed how he as an actor was immeasurably versatile and how he can stand out in a herd of new stars and old by convincingly bringing his own characters to life.

Do Dooni Chaar, 2010, had him playing a middle class school teacher who was struggling to put together the money to buy a car for his family. The actor chalked out the dilemma and struggles of a small town low income family man so well that he took home the Filmfare Award Critics for Best actor.

In 2012, Hrithik Roshan may have earned Agneepath the hit status the story always deserved by playing Vijay Deenanath Chauhan but the moment Rishi Kapoor made an appearance as the ruthless Rauf Lala with his kohled eyes and cunning demeanor, to the moment he stayed on screen, he had our singular attention with his dramatics. Needless to say you can’t go without mentioning him while talking about the new Agneepath ever.

Rishi Kapoor always maintained he stayed relevant and let his portrayals express his love for the craft. He was bold like no actor in his generation and effortlessly played a gay school principal in the high school drama that marked the arrival of Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan in the industry, Student Of The Year in 2012. What’s more? You could see him having fun with his character which he maintained it should in no way look crass or cheap or even a mockery.

In Kapoor and Sons in 2016, on the other hand, he is hands down the most loved character as the 90-year-old head of a family who made us laugh, cry and left an everlasting mark on the minds of fans who fell in love with the film. Rishi’s unabashed jokes in the film, his effortless blending in with the younger lot broke the mold that grand dad roles in films have to be all about sitting in the corner and waiting to die.

His nuanced performance in the critically acclaimed Mulk in 2018 showed how Rishi Kapoor had still miles to go before one could question his versatility. Playing a vulnerable lawyer and patriarch of a Muslim family Rishi made you feel the tension of the story like only a seasoned performer like him could.

In the same year, Rishi and Amitabh Bachchan had brought back fond memories with the film 102 Not Out. Amitabh played his father who was teaching him at the age of 76 how to live a fuller life while Rishi’s character was moving to accept he’s too old. Not in several years of seeing them together as friends and co-stars had we expected to fall in love with their chemistry once again but as father and son.

Rishi Kapoor was last seen in The Body starring Emraan Khan in December 2019. The movie was shot before Rsihi learnt about his cancer diagnosis post which he never was able to brighten up another film set with his liveliness.

Today as he’s gone each of the films he has left behind as his legacy are as precious as his life itself. Fans can’t thank him enough for what he has given to cinema in his career spanning over 45 years and while we feel that his second innings could have had many surprises more to offer he was taken away from us too soon.