‘One of the biggest entertainers of Hindi cinema’: Rituparna recalls her ‘Rishi Kapoor’ memories

Like any other Rishi Kapoor fan, Rituparna Sengupta too mourns the death of the evergreen actor. She goes down memory lane and recalls so many moments associated with the veteran Bollywood actor who breathed his last after battling with cancer at 67.
“We didn’t even recover from the news of the demise of Irrfan Khan that struck us yesterday and today we wake up with Rishi Kapoor leaving us.We have grown up watching his films. Times are really bad. Everything seems so puzzled at the moment,” says the seasoned actress calling Rishi Kapoor as one of the biggest entertainers of Hindi cinema.
Rituparna had first met the veteran actor during the launch party of her Bollywood debut film ‘Teesra Kaun’ (1994) that also featured Chunky Pandey, Mithun Chakraborty and Javed Jafri among others in key roles.
She recalls, “When I went to Bombay to work for the first time for my film Teesra Kaun, produced by NN Sippy, Rishi Kapoor had already worked in so many hit films by that time including Sargam. At the inaugural party, Rishi Kapoor gave us clapstick and his best wishes. Whenever I would meet him, I used to think of this important occasion.”
She also speaks about the time spent during the Melbourne Film Festival. “Rishi Kapoor’s ‘Kapoor & Sons’ was screened at the festival and along with my ‘Rajkahini’. Every evening we used to sit and chat. He was a lively and jovial man.” She even met Rishi and Neetu once at their Mumbai residence.
While speaking about Kapoor’s huge contribution to Hindi cinema, Rituparna says, “He has enriched the industry with his impeccable roles like no one else. He was so relevant even today with films like Rajma Chawal and Do Dooni Chaar. He has inspired generation after generation. His song Sagar Kinare with Dimple Kapadia can still make one fall in love. He was a versatile actor.” She adds conveying her condolences to the Kapoor family.