October 12, 2024: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, in his autobiography, revealed a candid and surprising confession about his relationship with Bollywood’s first superstar, Rajesh Khanna. Kapoor admitted to having an ‘illogical’ dislike for Khanna during the 1970s, despite never having a direct conflict with him. This dislike even led him to actively dissuade his father, the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor, from casting Khanna in the iconic film Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Reflecting on his reasons, Rishi Kapoor confessed that he couldn’t fully explain why he harbored such feelings. However, he acknowledged that his resentment partially stemmed from witnessing Khanna’s behavior towards his father on the sets of Bobby (1973), the film in which Rishi starred opposite Dimple Kapadia. Dimple married Khanna during the production of Bobby, and Raj Kapoor had to seek Khanna’s permission to allow Dimple to complete her scenes. Rishi disliked seeing his father in such a position, feeling it was a display of disrespect.
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Rishi wrote, “No one really liked Rajesh Khanna in those days. I had seen him ridicule my father during an outdoor shoot of Bobby. Dimple was married to him by then, and my father had to seek his permission to film the remaining scenes with her. I had to see my father fawn over him. That unpleasant memory stayed with me, and I feared a repeat of such scenes if Kaka-ji joined the cast (of Satyam Shivam Sundaram). Still, I have to concede that he was genuinely fond of Papa and would have given anything to have a Raj Kapoor film on his resume.”
Rishi went on to admit that he was part of the group within the Kapoor family who objected to Khanna being cast in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, something he later regretted. He shared that before Rajesh Khanna’s death in 2012, he personally confessed to him about the objection and cleared the air during the making of Aa Ab Laut Chalen, which Rishi directed and in which he cast Khanna in an important role.
In his autobiography, Rishi Kapoor reflected on his feelings of guilt, admitting, “He did me no harm, and I can see today that it was all my doing. So why did I dislike him?” This self-awareness and reflection added a layer of regret to Rishi’s life, showing his willingness to confront his past before his own passing in 2020 after a battle with cancer.
