Going Down Memory Lane
To pin down Rishi Kapoor for an interview is like asking for the moon. If one day he is shooting at the Chandivali Studios at the farther end of the suburbs, on another day he can be spotted at the Essel Studios at Trombay and there are days when he is shooting at Goregaon or Juhu in one of those private bungalows which are let out for shooting. When I bumped into Rishi at the Oberoi’s Carousel Bar the other day unexpectedly on the sets of his Khatilon Ke Katil, I whisked him away for half an hour to his suite downstairs in the hotel for this interview.
As a starter, I asked Rishi whether he had any qualms about losing his evergreen bachelor image now that he is all set to marry his sweet heart Neetu. Even before I could finish asking the question, he interrupted me half way with, “I care a damn for image”. He continued, “Did my father Raj Kapoor or for that matter Dilip Kumar or Ashok Kumar lose their bachelor image just because they got married? On the contrary, their fans knew that they were all happily married and yet fell for them”. Rishi paused for a moment, winked at me and quipped, “Why, my father was the biggest lover boy among all the leading men of the 60’s in spite of the fact that he was the father of four -Dabboo, Chimpu, Rima and I.”
Has he thought of life after marriage and the trail of responsibilities that marriage would bring along with it? I asked Rishi. “Zyada farak to nahi padega in my case”, he said. And went on to elaborate, “I agree I have to care more for home and cannot have late nights like now. But then even nowadays, whenever I keep late nights, I inevitably spend them with Neetu next to me. After marriage too, I may spend late nights but the only difference will be that I will be spending them with Neetu at our home.”
Rishi confessed to me that actually he isn’t at all prepared for an early marriage with Neetu and is more eager in consolidating his career of the moment. “People ask me if I had to encounter problems in convincing my parents about Neetu. On the contrary, it was my parents, who sprang a pleasant surprise on me at Delhi where I had gone to attend the engagement of Rajendra Kumar’s daughter Dimple. They asked me to ask Neetu to rush up to Delhi and forced me to get engaged to her. I tell you, Neetu has worked her way to the hearts of my parents.”
“My father was the biggest lover boy among all the leading men of the 60’s in spite of the fact that he was the father of all four -Dabboo, Chimpu, Rima and I.”
After marriage, Rishi wants to settle down at his current abode-the cottage at Chembur where Raj Kapoor had spent the best years of his life and Rishi had grown up as a toddler. “I want Neetu to get accustomed to the Kapoor traditions and ways of life and become a part and parcel of my family by living with my parents, at least for a year after marriage before we shift to a new bungalow which we intend buying, just like Dabboo shifted with Babita bhabhi to his new flat at Napean Sea Road.”
Rishi is a staunch male chauvinist. “Call me a MCP, I do not mind, but then I wouldn’t like my wife to work in films after our marriage. Tell me why should I ask Neetu to work in films? Basically, I know her very well. She is least interested in working in films. She will be more at home looking after my folks and attending to all my needs. She isn’t career conscious like some of the other actress- wives.”
Rishi asserts emphatically that the date for the marriage hasn’t yet been fixed. “It looks like the entire world knows more about my marriage than I do. People ask me whether I have decided to get married on December 3. In any case, our marriage will not take place before January next year. Neetu has got to finish all her acting assignments before the year is over. I am adamant about one thing and that is Neetu should be completely free from any film commitment, including dubbing work once we get married. I do not want her to have any tension after marriage”
On the floors, there is only one single film starring Rishi and Neetu. The name of the film is Dhan Daulat and it is being directed by Harish Shah, the producer of the film, after Dulal Guha walked out of the direction of the film after some difference of opinion with the producers. “Keeping in mind our marriage, we had decided not to accept any more film with each other a long time back, even before Dhan Daulat was launched. To tell you the truth, today on the floors, Neetu has more films with Shatrughan Sinha than me.”
Earlier, Rishi used to work daily on one set and loathed the other stars who flitted from one set to another doing triple shifts. Today, however, Rishi has learnt to play the game the way it ought to be played. “I have decided to work in two shifts every day. I find it less strenuous than working in one shift the whole day. It was my illness which forced me to start accepting two shifts every day though I was against the idea. I do not want my producers to suffer because of me getting bed ridden like with jaundice nearly for a month last year.”
Rishi excused himself and walked up to the camera range to give his shot, after we left his make up room and arrived at the Bar where Arjun Hingorani had made the lighting arrangements and sent word for Rishi to report for the shot. After giving the shot with Tina, who has been teamed with him in his Kaatilon Ke Katil, Rishi again resumed the conversation.
We talked about his forthcoming films. Rishi admitted that of late he had become awfully choosy. “I have decided not to take up each and every role that I am offered, however irresistible the temptation may be, because I do not want to screw my career up. I have taken up really challenging roles like I have done in Sargam with Jaya Prada. I am fed up of the same kind of dancing roles I am doing in film after film which do not leave me any scope to get my teeth into the role, leave alone do justice to the role. It is up to the audience to accept me or reject me outright, but I think it is a risk worth taking up.”
Who knows? Rishi may emerge a winner as far as his career is concerned too, just like he won the race of matrimony.
