Actor Mohnish Bahl gave moving recollections of the time he spent with late Rishi Kapoor while filming some of their memorable movies including Bol Radha Bol, Henna and Deewana.
Mohnish reflected on Kapoor, who passed away early morning on Thursday at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in south Mumbai after a two-year battle with leukemia.
"What happens in life when you move on in your career is that the films become a medium of interaction with other like-minded people, who bring happiness to your life. And, Chintuji was one such person," Mohnish began.
"When you look back on life, you look back on those memories. The positivity he would spread at all times, you looked forward to meeting him. He would always have a smile in his face. He would always have a joke on his lips. He was very warm and friendly. He used to call me his lucky mascot because we did a lot of films which were successful at that time. And, when I would tell him about the films which were not so successful, he would quickly brushed it aside and say, 'Forget it, we didn't do those films.'"
Mohnish, who is the son of legendary actress Nutan, said despite being one of the biggest actors of his time, Kapoor treated him like his younger brother on the sets.
"I remeber we used to go into shows abroad. I used to tag along with my mother and Chintuji was one of the lead stars on the shows, and that's how I got to interact with him. He treated me like a younger brother because of the family relation between Raj uncle (Raj Kapoor) and my mom. He will always have a special place in my heart as a mentor. I haven't met him in years because our relationship was mostly personal one that developed through professional interactions. The fact that you'll never be able to meet that person again is what strikes you as the void.
"I will remeber him as a beacon of light. You don't see somebody everyday; you don't have an intention to meet somebody, say in next 5-6 months unless the occasion arises, but the very knowledge that you know that you will never ever meet that person again is what creates the vaccum," he added.
Talking about Kapoor's outspoken nature, Mohnish further said, "There was nothing filtered. If he felt something about something, he would say it. It wasn't like speaking with a forked tongue. You knew where he stood in positions he took. It was so refreshing to come across somebody who could speak their mind.
"I remember we were doing Henna and there was a cook called John of RK Studios who used to make the most wonderful paya for us on the sets. So, we used to be shooting late into the night at the film city, and Chintuji knew that I loved the paya that John made, so extra paya used to be made and him and me would feast on it. There was an abundance of love, affection and food for everybody," he recalled.
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