Actor Rishi Kapoor passed away on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

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

While the entire nation is mourning his demise, one of his admirers and a retired defence officer Mringendra Mukherjee, who crossed paths with Kapoor during the shoot of 1977 film Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, remembers him fondly.

“During the shoot of Nasir Hussain directorial Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, I was present in the jungles where they shot as a liaison officer. 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. Rishi never missed a chance to boast about Neetu Singh who was his girlfriend at that time,” Mukherjee shared.

Awed by Rishi Kapoor’s friendly nature, Mringendra Mukherjee wanted to fulfil 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,” Mukherjee recalled.

The short sojourn in the wilderness with Rishi Kapoor rekindled Mringendra Mukherjee’s memories of his youth. “Rishi Kapoor was a great lover of food. He loved eating and drinking. He was full of life. After I returned home from that trip, my wife complained about my weight which I gained because of the eating and drinking with Rishi Kapoor,” he said.

Mukherjee also revealed Kapoor used to regale the cast and crew with stories. He shared, “At times, Rishi was warm-hearted, sometimes he was 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.”