Irrfan Khan left us a day before Rishi Kapoor and I had barely woken up when Times Now called to break the news and before I could blink, I was on air expressing my condolences. I am not sure what I spoke but when I disconnected, I was inundated with calls saying that the news of Irrfan Khan’s death was not true! I wanted to believe the callers, I wanted to believe in a miracle but the fact was that Irrfan Khan was gone.

Irrfan was not a friend the way Rishi Kapoor was but there was a bounce in our interaction every time we met, his eyes sparkled every time he bumped into me at a screening or a party and holding my hand firmly he would say, ‘Jab bhi aap se milta hoon bohat accha lagta hai’.  I met him for the first time during the monsoon of the 90s, I think. I was walking out of a coffee shop near my home and spotted him outside with a bunch of friends, smoking.  

Those days he was doing a  crime series with Kay Kay Menon on television and I was hooked on to that series because the performances were extra-ordinary so I smiled at him spontaneously and introduced myself, he threw off his cigarette and said, ‘Arre aap…Aap se se  toh main kab se milna chahta th aur aaj milgaye…’

He insisted we have a cup of coffee together and I agreed because I had innumerable questions about his characters. Irrfan traveled me through his television journey, said there was a time when he was shooting round the clock because that is how the television industry operates. Then one day, when he was driving home late night after pack up, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the steering wheel middle of the road. “I’m not sure how long I had passed out but when I opened my eyes it was sunlight and it took me a while to figure out what had happened. My wife tells me that I was so drained and disoriented that I did not emerge from the bedroom for days. That’s the time I decided that irrespective of what happens in future, whether I get movie offers or not, I will not go back to television.’

To Be Continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

Blog Number:

Part 5 Rishi Kapoor/ 2010 and beyond

Post 2010 when Rishi Kapoor thought his career was coming to an end, he was flooded with opportunities. Cinema was changing and the man of the moment was Rishi Kapoor. He was offered a variety of roles and he picked and chose the best. In a way Do Dooni Chaar was the turning point, he followed his heart and made conscious choices Love Aaj Kal, All Is Well/, Kapoor & Sons, 102 Not Out, Mulk, Manto his career and life was on a roll.

When Mulk was about to be released the media hounded him for interviews but Rishi Kapoor true to himself refused to participate in the promotions, said he was not interested in talking about himself and nobody could change his mind.

He called me and asked me to interview him however and the following conversation was shot at a restaurant near his home. Both of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and the unit in love with him.

When I visited their home for Ganpati, Neetu mentioned that Rishi Kapoor was not feeling too well for some days but is better now shooting in Delhi.  In a few days, came the bad news and soon the family left for America.

The treatment took longer than expected but I often chatted with him and he was always full of beans. Once, while visiting Randhir Kapoor post the fire at RK Studio, we connected with him together and he was happy I was visiting the studio. ‘Please go into my cabin and take a picture there, I’m missing my office today.’ He sounded low that day but a few months later was back home with a bang!

We embraced each other emotionally at Bachchan’s Diwali bash and he said ‘Come home soon there are so many stories to tell you’. We kept juggling dates to meet up but his frequent visits to the hospital kept delaying our date and then came the breaking news on Instagram! I still cannot believe it is over, I still feel that maybe death got a wrong address that day!

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

In 1990 I launched a new magazine called ‘g’ and the publisher hosted a lavish party to celebrate our premier issue. Everyone in the film fraternity was present at the occasion but my old pal Neetu was unable to attend because one of the kids, Riddhima or Ranbir was unwell at that time. Neetu felt terrible about letting me down on my important day and made sure to send Rishi Kapoor for the party. He arrived suited-booted carrying a bunch of red roses for me and that day I had no option but to strike a long conversation with him.

Months multiplied into years and Rishi Kapoor and I slowly but steadily were building a new foundation to our relationship that included some smiles, some handshakes, some arguments, and very seldom some praises as well.  Neetu was amused by our new bonding and encouraged us to spend more time together but the fun was when we were all together because then Neetu and I were a team and he was the opposition. I have many memories of such afternoons and evenings.

In the meantime, Neetu was blossoming in all her roles – as a wife, mother and bahu of RK khandaan, I often bumped into her at social and professional events and no matter how many people surrounded us, we always had time to discuss her favorite topic, Chotte Sarkar Rishi Kapoor.

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

Rishi Kapoor/ 80s-90s Blog day 1799In the 80s Neetu and Rishi had moved out of RK Bungalow in Chembur and were living independently in Pali Hill, Bandra but they were always there at RK Studio and home for a family occasion. The pictures below are at one such party held at #RK lawns post a private screening.Neetu was sporting a new haircut those days and the restless baby holding her hand is daughter Riddhima. There were a lot of guests that evening and Neetu had to attend to all of them, so when she got busy with others she put #RishiKapoor in charge of me. By this time we had dropped our guards but were still not comfortable in each other’s company and therefore when Neetu joined us after a few moments, both of us heaved a sigh of relief.

To be continued…

@bhawanasomaaya

When I became a journalist Neetu Singh was the first film friend I made way back in the 70s.

We clicked in the very first meeting and have remained friends over the decades. I would often visit her home in Bandra and on her sets, where ever she was shooting. I was familiar with her family and her staff and whenever we met, we had a lot to talk about, which included her boyfriend at that time, Rishi Kapoor.

I wasn’t particularly fond of Kapoor in the good old days. He was a big bully and intimidating everybody without provocation. I often complained about him to Neetu and she always maintained that his arrogance was a façade. She was madly in love with him and whenever she traveled outdoors, she asked me to keep an eye on her boyfriend. Not that I did but that was her way of warning her beloved that he was being watched in her absence. This irritated him naturally and he looked for opportunities to fight with me.

In 1980 when Neetu and he got married however, Rishi Kapoor suddenly dropped all hostility towards me. He was concerned why I was no more coming home to meet his wife and family and now when he bumped into me suddenly at a shooting, he made it a point to smile and say, ‘meri bibi ki dost hai toh ab meri bhi dost banti hai..’

To be concluded…

@bhawanasomaaya

In the olden days if you visited a friend at his shooting, they never allowed you to go home till pack-up. I tried to get up and leave a couple of times but every time, Anil and Satish Kaushik find excuses to keep me on their sets, just now it is the naashta break. and time for snack break. While the camera unit gets ready for the next location, Kaushik takes me for a stroll on his sprawling sets. There is a large terrace surrounded by trees. He points to the smiling flowers and informs that all the plants are artificial but they look so real that often he forgets that they are made of paper.

They have created the exterior of a beautiful bungalow and on the top floor is Anil Kapoor’s room, his balcony surrounded by bougainvillea branches.  After a guided tour of all the floors we arrive at a new set where the cameraman is all set. Post suhaag raat is serious scene where Shilpa has to make a long speech and confront Anil Kapoor. Anil is ashamed but has his say. Some more shots followed by a new scene for which Anil and Shilpa need to change their costumes.  I decide I have to go home now and Anil Kapoor escorts me to my car, he looks exhausted as well but cheerful, says, “It is normally 10-10 shift today we have wasted so much time celebrating that we are all prepared for an extension if we are lucky we will pack-up by midnight”.

@bhawanasomaaya