Rishi Kapoor also revisited that day when his father mentioned to his mother, Krishna Raj Kapoor, that he should act in Mera Naam Joker.
Almost two decades before actor Rishi Kapoor became an overnight sensation with Bobby, he made a blink-and-miss appearance in one of his father Raj Kapoor’s films. The youngest on the set of Shree 420 and naturally oblivious to the camera in front of him, Rishi, as he recalls, made it very difficult for his father to shoot his only scene in the film.
Today, that shot counts as his first brush with the movies, but at that time it was quite a task for the crew to get him to complete the scene, where he also had older brother Randhir Kapoor and sister Ritu Kapoor for company. Rishi reveals that the film’s lead actor Nargis Dutt had to bribe him to do that shot finally.
“I have been told that there was a shot I had to give for Shree 420 and my elder brother and elder sister were also in the shot. It was about walking in the rain but whenever that shot would happen and water would fall on me, I would start crying. Because of that, they weren’t able to shoot that scene. So, Nargis ji bribed me by saying, ‘I will give you a chocolate if you keep your eyes open and don’t cry in the shot.’ I kept my eyes open only for that chocolate and that was my first shot ever,” said Rishi Kapoor.
Rishi Kapoor reveals Shree 420’s lead actor Nargis Dutt bribed him to do this shot.
The actor went down the memory lane as his 102 Not Out co-star Amitabh Bachchan got him talking about what prompted him to join films. The two interacted with each other and a few from the media recently at a special event to promote their upcoming film which releases on May 4.
Rishi Kapoor, who has been a part of the Hindi film industry for 45 years now, also revisited that day when his father mentioned to his mother Krishna Raj Kapoor that he should act in Mera Naam Joker. Rishi played the younger Raj Kapoor in the film which released in 1970, three years before Rishi made his debut as a leading actor in Bobby.
“We were eating at home and my father told my mother, ‘Krishna, I want Chintu to play my younger version in Mera Naam Joker.’ And I got excited that there are talks happening about me working in movies. I didn’t react in front of them. I just completed my meal and came to my room. Mummy was telling papa that his studies shouldn’t be hindered because of the film. That’s another thing that it hardly made any difference to my life.
Rishi Kapoor made his debut in his father Raj Kapoor’s 1970 film Mera Naam Joker.
“But while they discussed that, I came to my room and on my study table, I opened a drawer and there was this full sheet. I started practising my autographs,” the veteran said as Big B and those present in the audience cheered him on.
The 65-year-old actor also shared an anecdote from his childhood, something that his paternal uncle Shashi Kapoor had told him. Whenever his mother beat him up for any mischief, Rishi cried, went and stood in front of the mirror to see how he looked while crying. “I don’t remember this but Shashi uncle told me that. So, these are some of my early bearings of movies,” Rishi Kapoor concluded with a smile.