Juhi Chawla On Rishi Kapoor: “Always Friendly, But A Little Detached”
Advertisement
The untimely demise of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has left his co-star Juhi Chawla devastated. Juhi, who worked with the late actor in several films, including “Bol Radha Bol” (1992), “Rishta To Ho Aisa” (1992), “Ghar Ki Izzat “(1994) and “Eena Meena Deega” (1994), took to social media to mourn the death of Rishi Kapoor, sharing a few of her fond memories with him.
“Shocked!! Saddened beyond words! Devastated Can’t believe it … Not Chintuji! I feel really really sad . I have many many memories of him …I started working with him soon after QSQT in Kalpataruji’s film Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani, Ghar Ki Izzat was another of our films.
“At that time, being a newcomer, I would be overawed by his presence on the sets, as he was such a big star he was always such an effortless actor he barely rehearsed and the director was always happy with his very first take of a shot! I’d be trembling and praying I didn’t forget my dialogues in front of him and look foolish. He was always friendly, but a little detached. Every day he’d work two shifts mostly, moving from studio to studio and always punctual. He had his own timing and he kept to that. I can’t remember seeing any temper tantrum, he was super efficient with work and effortless,” Juhi shared.
She also recalled how Rishi Kapoor used to make his cheeks pink by putting make-up on his face all by himself instead of waiting for make-up dada.
“Impatiently Chintuji would pick up the sponge dr rub it all over his face ..!! The pink of the cheeks got rubbed off along with the brown of the chiseling and everything would be mixed upon his face ..!!! Chintuji would ruffle or comb his hair and say alright… I’m ready I would laugh and laugh cause Chintuji had just undone all Dada’s efforts !! And Chintuji did this every time,” Juhi wrote.
She also spoke about how Rishi Kapoor used to get annoyed with people who requested stars to get pictures clicked with their kids.
“Chintuji would get annoyed with fans who came to watch shooting with tiny children, and who would push their bawling children in front of us and say, ‘ Hamare bacche ko aapke saath photo leni hai’. Chintuji would say to us how do people do this, their children are frightened, have no clue who we are and their parents instead of saying, please may we have a picture with you, torment their children. He came up with a trick when some such person would come and begin to say, ‘Sir , please may I’. Chintuji with a straight face begin to speak formidable high sounding but meaningless English sentences, ‘The Constitution of the American Confederacy will take punitive action against the lordship of the Universal intelligence inducing mankind’s venerable position withholding classified information in toto .!!! and then with a straight face conclude .. ‘ did you understand ..?!???? ‘ … the hapless fan by now would be completely confused, gobsmacked, stammer and run for his life …! as usual I was somewhere around, holding my sides with laughter,” she recalled.
Juhi was shooting with Rishi Kapoor for the film “Sharmaji Namkeen” earlier this year in Delhi. The was Rishi Kapoor’s film was the last one Kapoor shot for, and it marked the union of the two actors after almost a decade. They were last seen together in the 2009 film “Luck By Chance”.
Sharing memories from Rishi Kapoor’s last film, Juhi further said: “Due to Chintujis treatment, the shooting was postponed. The film was finally taken over by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar for production. In January this year I joined the crew in Delhi for the shooting. It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful, our shooting was on track. Chintuji was his amusing, happy, sometimes grumpy, often chatty self. Just sometimes he would sit by himself in the sun, or looking into his phone preoccupied.
“We had a great time shooting, he was effortless, absolutely effortless in his shots. Always and I mean always after his shot, the director would shout a very satisfied spontaneous OKKKKK into the mike. I remember watching Chintuji during the shots on the monitor and almost enviously thinking to myself … Chintuji is so nice, just SO nice on-screen …. it is not fair!”
“After my shots, Hitesh, the director sometimes said a doubtful.. yes … fine … ok …good . After most shots I would ask the direction to replay my shots so I could see my look and performance, Chintuji would chide me saying … You are such an insecure actor! What is this bad habit all you have, of going and looking at the monitor? The monitor is only for the director … it’s not meant for the actor! Why do you allow all this Hitesh! ?? And more often than not we all got a scolding, for some trivial thing or another .. and I’m telling you Chintuji ‘s scolding was always hilarious… I would be rolling with laughter while the director, Hitesh, would try to reason with Chintuji. So often I looked at our cinematographer and crew, signaling, I hope someone is rolling the camera in between shots, the behind-the-scenes -goings-on are so funny we can make a movie from that footage itself,” Juhi added.
Rishi Kapoor passed away on Thursday after a long battle with leukemia. He was 67.
Android & IOS users, download our mobile app for faster than ever Bollywood & Box Office updates!
