Rishi Kapoor almost rejected Kabhi Kabhie: agreed to do the film on uncle Shashi Kapoor's insistence
By Rajesh Ahuja
Yash Chopra's Kabhi Kabhie may now be seen by film lovers as an integral part of the repertoire of films of Bollywood's favourite lover boy Rishi Kapoor but it is a little known fact that the actor initially rejected the film.
It was uncle Shashi Kapoor's insistence that eventually led a reluctant Rishi Kapoor to finally agree to working in the film.
Writing in his autobiography 'Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor uncensored', the late Rishi Kapoor said, ''today, it is unimaginable to think of my repertoire without Kabhi Kabhie, a film I had reluctantly accepted. Looking back, I wonder how I could not have done the film.'''
'How I came to join the film, a landmark in my career, in an interesting story. I had rejected it outright, Rishi Kapoor said.
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Rishi Kapoor almost rejected Yash Chopra's Kabhi Kabhie; agreed to do the film on uncle Shashi Kapoor's insistence |
The actor said that his initial decision to reject the film was not due to the fear of being overshadowed by Amitabh Bachchan, who starred in the film.
After the success of Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer, Amitabh Bachchan was well on his way to become a megastar. Many of Rishi Kapoor's friends, including Tinnu Anand, Bittu Anand (Tinnu's brother) and cameraman Sudarshan Nag advised him not to take up a film which featured Amitabh Bachchan.
'Early on in my career, a megastar was on the rise in Hindi cinema. A tall man had appeared on the scene with a breakout performance in a film called Zanzeer that had many of my friends, including Bittu Anand, Tinnu Anand and cameraman Sudarshan Nag raving. They all advised me to steer clear of him.
But I was never afraid of being overshadowed by anybody. So it(rejection of the film) had nothing to do with Amitabh Bachchan being in it.- I was not just interested in it. I did not even like my role in it,''Rishi Kapoor said.
The film's director Yash Chopra was especially keen that Rishi Kapoor do the film as the financer Gulshan Rai had specifically asked for him to be cast in the cinematic venture.
'When Yash Chopra offered the film to me, I refused it saying, 'give me Neetu's part in the film '' and went away to Paris where I was shooting for Pramod Chakraborty's Barood.
He(Yash Chopra') was perplexed. I didn't know that his financer Gulshan Rai had asked specifically for me, the new youth icon, to attract the younger audience . It seemed like the movie could not be made without me though by now Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor had signed on,'Rishi Kapoor said.
It was uncle Shashi Kapoor's intervention that convinced Rishi to finally agree to work in Kabhi Kabhie.
'I returned to Mumbai from Paris to celebrate the one year run of Bobby at Metro. After the celebration I went to Delhi watch cricket match. The film unit of Kabhi Kabhie was then shooting in Kashmir. Shashi uncle did something unprecedented: he flew down to Delhi with Yash Chopra to talk to me again.
At no point so far did he intervene in my career. I respect him a great deal as I do all my elders, so I succumbed to the pressure and that's how I finally agreed to be a part of Kabhi Kabhie, 'Rishi Kapoor says.
Looking back, Rishi Kapoor said that doing Kabhi Kabhie was an extremely satisfying experience.
'We shot for it in 1974-75 and that was the time when my romance with Neetu (Singh) started building. Even otherwise, it was an extremely satisfying experience, 'he said.
Released in 1976, Kabhi Kabhie, produced and directed by Yash Chopra , is considered among the iconic musical romances in Bollywood. Written by Pamela Chopra, Kabhi Kabhie starred an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rakhee Gulzar, Neetu Singh, Waheeda Rehman, Simi Garewal and Parikshit Sahani.
Praised for its story, screenplay, direction, dialogues, soundtrack, and performances of the ensemble cast, Kabhi Kabhie is today regarded as a cult film .
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