Rishi Kapoor in ‘Hum Kisise Kum Naheen’. (Express archive photo)

While the entire nation is mourning the demise of popular actor Rishi Kapoor, one of his admirers and retired defence officer Wing Commander Mringendra Mukherjee, who crossed paths with Kapoor during the shoot of 1977 film Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, has some fond memories of the star.

Rishi Kapoor passed away on Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He was 67.

Wing Commander Mukherjee was the liaison officer when Kapoor was shooting for Nasir Hussain directorial Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, which released in 1977.  “I remember playing Scrabble with Rishi Kapoor and Tom Alter. Kapoor was a funny man, who mostly was in a jovial mood, and Alter used to address him as the son of a rich man,” Wing Commander Mukherjee told indianexpress.com, adding how Kapoor never missed a chance to boast about Neetu Singh who was his girlfriend at that time.

Awed by Rishi Kapoor’s friendly nature, Mringendra Mukherjee wanted to fulfill his wish of flying in a chopper but was warned against it by the film’s director Nasir Hussain.

“Kapoor was interested in flying in the chopper we had, but Nasir Hussain didn’t allow him. Nasir told me he had promised Raj Kapoor that he will keep his son safe,” Wing Commander Mukherjee recalled.

The Air Force officer remembered Kapoor as a “great lover of food”. He added: “He loved eating and drinking. He was full of life.” In fact, Wing Commander Mukherjee said his wife complained that he had put on so much weight after the trip, “which I gained because of the eating and drinking with Rishi Kapoor.”

For Wing Commander Mukherjee, Kapoor appeared a warm-hearted man, though with streaks of bragging. “He had a lot of stories to narrate from his time in London, where he was carefree. He had a childlike attitude and Nasir was very careful about taking any risks with him.”