Rishi Kapoor: An actor, a friend and boss who turned my Baba's life around

The year 2020 began on a rocky note for people across the world. But the last 24 hours for Indians and Hindi film lovers all over have been heart-wrenching, to say the least. In a span of just a day, the film industry lost two of Bollywood's finest talents. Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor. While Irrfan's loss was numbing, Rishi Kapoor's passing away felt more like a personal one.

It was another usual morning at home as the 9 am news bulletin played in the living room. Around 9:40 am, news channels across began flashing that veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away. Sitting in disbelief, my mother's tears rolled down. An eerie silence took over the room as my father, grandmother and I saw the actor's ever-smiling face play up in monochrome visuals. Why did this feel so personal?  

It was 1970 when my grandfather -- Late Sumant Madhav Jadhav Rao, a makeup and wig artist -- met a young Rishi Kapoor on the sets of Mera Naam Joker. Working for the RK Studios as a makeup artist, my grandfather (whom I fondly called as Baba) went on to become Rishi Kapoor's personal makeup man when the veteran actor began his journey with Bobby in 1973. Travelling across India and the world meant Baba spent most of his time on shoots with Rishi as the actor reached greater heights with every new film.

Rishi Kapoor touched my Baba's life in many known and unknown ways. Fondly known as Chintu, the actor's shoot stories were a staple at home while growing up. One of the most popular stories has to be from the sets of Rishi's 1975 film Rafoo Chakkar. The shooting schedule was right in the middle of a forest and Rishi was low-key terrified of the wild. The actor was sure that he would not be sleeping alone at night and thus asked my Baba to sleep in the same room as his. While there were no wild animals lurking around, it was indeed my Baba's snoring that kept the actor up all night.

Rishi and Neetu Kapoor were also kind enough to attend my parents' wedding back in 1991. With no frills of stardom, Rishi came for the wedding directly from a film shoot despite his packed schedule. Today morning as the news broke out, my mother fondly recalled helping Baba pack his makeup kit for the legendary actor and reached the attic to refresh a few memories as she fought back her tears.  

(Rishi and Neetu Kapoor at my parents' wedding in Mumbai's Bandra, 1991)

The family WhatsApp group has been somber as my relatives reminisce Chintu's heydays. My uncle summed it up, "We saw the golden days of Rishi Kapoor and Bollywood through the eyes and stories of Baba."

Here's a big thank you to Rishi Kapoor and his undying love for acting. Your stories will continue to regale us.  

Rest In Peace, Rishi Kapoor