“The day Chintu was flying to NY for treatment, he said, Thakur, achchhi khabar nahin hai”

Jaipur-based film distributor, Raj Bansal, who regarded Rishi Kapoor as his elder brother talks about his introduction with Chintu, shares the fond memories unknown to most, and the journey of a romantic hero toward being an actor in his own eyes. In an exclusive interview with Writers Ball, Bansal reveals all about Rishi’s angst as an actor, a friend who kept his promises, and a father who was concerned about his son’s career.

Writers Ball: You have shared a long association with Rishi Kapoor. The news of his passing away must have broken you.

Raj Bansal: I was in shock. It must have been around 8:45 am when the news started streaming in. I was like, Kya bakwas hai (What rubbish is this?). I refused to believe it. I had only spoken to Neetu (Kapoor) two days back, when she gave me the reassuring news that he is being shifted out of the ICU. I knew he was recovering. 

WB: He was taken to the hospital the day before… 

RB: No. The reports circulating around are factually incorrect. He was admitted some days back. His hospitalisation itself was a surprise to me. We had spoken only two days before that and he was taking a walk outside his flat. I remember telling him to go back inside. He told me, “Yaar Raju ab Bungalow pe renovation ka kaam chal raha hai. Flat mein shift kara diya hai. Thodi fresh hawa lene aya tha (Our bungalow in Mumbai is being renovated. We have shifted to a flat. I had come out for fresh air.)” We had spoken about our future, the lockdown and Corona. We spoke for more than half an hour and, normally, both of us don’t speak over the phone for so long. That’s why I refused to believe he is no more.   

WB: That he had been diagnosed with cancer was a well-guarded secret. At what point of time did you get to know about it?

RB: His cancer was detected in 2018. No one knew about it, except for the family. It was September 2018. He was to fly to the US for treatment that evening. He rang me up the same day. He used to fondly call me ‘Thakur’. I took the call and greeted him. He said, “Thakur tere se baat karni hai (I need to talk to you).” And then, he choked up. I sensed something was not right. Then he told me, “Thakur paanch minute mein call karna (Call me in five minutes). I waited for exactly five minutes and called back. I asked him, “Chintu sab theek toh hai (Is everything alright)?” He was choking again. “Thakur, achchhi khabar nahin hai (I don’t have good news for you). “I have been diagnosed with cancer. I’m flying to New York for treatment this evening,” he told me. That’s how I knew.   

WB: What brought about this lifelong journey of friendship. You were not a distributor for RK Films. How did the two of you meet and become brothers in arms?

RB: It was 1988. Yash ji (Yash Chopra) was shooting the film Chandni in Delhi. He called me and said, “Raju, come over for the shoot. Bring over your family as well.” I met Rishi Kapoor, who was playing the lead with Sridevi on the sets. He was shooting for the song Mere haathon mein nau nau choodiyan hain. Yashi ji introduced us and we got along very well. I was leaving the next day for Jaipur. So, I told Rishi Kapoor we would meet again. He asked me if I can postpone my plan for a day. I said yes, but asked him, why? He said he was to shoot for the film Ajooba there and that we could ride together. I said why not? That was how we met. 

Chintu and Sanju’s homes are on the same lane. I would stay with Sanju whenever in Mumbai. One day Chintu told me my daughter is his, and she would, henceforth, stay at their place. Ever since that day, my daughter would keep company with Chintu’s, while I would be with Sanju.

Raj Bansal

WB: Apparently, he became so fond of you that he had promised to visit Jaipur for your son’s first birthday, just after your first few days together. Is this true? 

RB: Yes, that was Chintu. It so happened when we got down to Jaipur, he asked me to accompany him to Rambagh where he was staying. I requested him that I would first like to meet my son, who was just a month old then. When he came to know, he accompanied me to my home where he met everyone. And, then he promised he would be back for his first birthday. The next year when we were planning Abhimanyu’s first birthday (His birthday falls on December 25), I reminded him of the event. He warned me not to party without him and told me, “Mere bina party mat karna. Party hogi. Par 1 January ko,” he said. He was there on the said date. And, that’s when we celebrated our first reunion.    

WB: Your families have since shared a strong bond…  

RB: Chintu knew Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) and I were great friends. We would stay at each other’s place whenever at the other’s hometown. So, every time I was in Mumbai, I would lodge with Sanju. One day Chintu told me, I can continue staying at Sanju’s place, but insisted that my daughter stay at his place. Their homes are on the same lane. Ever since that day, my daughter would keep company with Chintu’s at his place, while I would be with Sanju. Chintu has since attended our family weddings and even visited my father when he was being treated in Mumbai. He would touch my father’s feet the moment they would meet. My father was a huge fan of Raj Kapoor. Both of them used to talk about him a lot. We are a family now. 

WB: How would you describe Rishi Kapoor as a person, compared to other stars in the industry?

RB: Wo ek zindadil insaan tha (He was a livewire). We cannot speak of him in any other way. Chintu was a fantastic friend. He was a person who doesn’t mince his words. He would say to your face whatever he had in mind. You could be Narendra Modi, or Donald Trump, but not to him. It didn’t matter. As a person, a friend, he was very clear-hearted and emotional. As an actor, of course, he was wonderful. 

RB: Some memories are hard to forget. There are some you keep to yourself. Are there any crazy memories with Rishi Kapoor that you would like to share?

RB: Oh there’s this one incident that I haven’t shared with anyone. Chintu was shooting in Jaipur with Nana Patekar for the film Hum Dono. I was staying with them at Chokhi Dhani resort. A friend of Nana from the Army joined us over drinks and dinner. We had ordered snacks, which took some time to be served. Suddenly, the army man said, “Since the snacks are going to be late, let me have this one.” He then picked up a glass, and started eating it. A glass! We were too taken aback to even ask anything. We quietly finished our drinks and retired to our respective rooms. When I woke up, there were 3-4 missed calls from Chintu. He asked me if we had a little too much to drink last night, and I asked why. He asked if that army man was actually chewing pieces of glass last night, and I told him I remember that. Not convinced, he decided to check if the remains of that glass were still lying around as conclusive proof. We dashed out of our rooms, quite literally, to find out if we were drunk or what we had seen was true. And, there it was, the half-eaten glass lying under the tree where we sat! Chintu picked it up, wrapped it in a handkerchief and took it along with him. It was unbelievable. 

The greatest compliment for Ranbir came from Sanjay himself, who was crying after the screening. He told Ranbir, “It was like watching myself on screen.” Chintu knew Ranbir has arrived with this film. He was truly moved by his son’s acting.

Raj Bansal

WB: He was said to be quite concerned by Ranbir’s choice of films. Did he ever share his reservations with you?

RB: I’ll sum it up for you in the context of the movie Barfi. He was very protective about Ranbir and wanted him to pick the best of films. He had even asked me about Barfi, “Ye kis type ki picturen karta hai? (What kind of films is Ranbir doing?). But then, a day before the movie was to release, he himself invited me to accompany him for the trial. I went along with him. When we were walking out of the show at Film City, I asked, “So, what do you think of the movie?” And, he said, “Ghar chal ke baat karte hain (let’s talk about it at home).” Back home, he asked me if as a distributor I thought the film would work. I told him it’s very good and has the chance of a successful run at the Box Office. He called me obsolete in jest and said, “You should retire now and let your children take over the business. Ranbir is great in the film, but I have my doubts it would work at the Box Office,” he told me. The film, of course, went on to become a huge hit.

WB: Ranbir also starred in Sanju, based on the life of another close friend of yours, Sanjay Dutt. What about that one? 

RB: Yes, watching the first show of Sanju was an emotional drama of another kind. It was about a dear friend who was portrayed by the son of another dear friend. I accompanied Neetu and Ranbir, along with Sanjay Dutt, for its screening at Yash Raj Studios. Rishi was not around then. He saw it a week later.  The greatest compliment for Ranbir came from Sanjay himself, who was crying after the screening. He told Ranbir, “You have become me in this movie. At some points, I forgot I am watching Ranbir Kapoor. It was like watching myself on screen.” Chintu knew Ranbir has arrived with this film. He was truly moved by his son’s acting.

WB: Rishi Kapoor made a transition from the romantic lead hero of the 70s through 90s to a character actor during the latter part of his career. Did he ever discuss that part with you?

RB: Yes, on more than one occasion he would tell me, “Hum koi actor thode hi hain. Humein toh bas pedon ke ird-gird naachne ke liye lete hain (I am hardly an actor. I am only cast to run around trees and dance).” He told me that he has never received a Filmfare award and would ask how can I call him an actor. Once he moved out of that stereotype and started doing his own kind of films, he surprised everyone with the kind of roles he took up. That transition to being a character actor was a conscious decision on his part, and he was quite pleased with himself after that. Chintu called me after reading the script of Do Dooni Char, which by the way is an excellent movie. Excitedly, he told me, “I have read a new script and I’m planning to do the movie.” I asked him if he had liked the script. He said he did and told me, “After this movie, you will be proud of your friend.”

WB: You would have had filmy discussions with Rishi Kapoor. From among the people he had worked with and his contemporaries, which actors or directors did he hold in high regard?

RB: I don’t particularly remember him talking about actors. From among the directors, he used to like Rajkumar Hirani a lot. He was also all praise about Yash Chopra and Nasir Hussain. We know he had worked with a range of actresses. Of those, he really liked Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, with whom he appeared in a number of films. 

WB: When did you last meet Rishi Kapoor?

RB: We met the last in December 2019. Chintu had returned to Mumbai after his year-long cancer treatment in New York. I was with Sanjay Dutt. We walked up to his house, not knowing how to approach him knowing he hadn’t been keeping well. We were ushered inside and Chintu was all smiles and rushed to greet us and hug us. We had gone there thinking we won’t trouble him. But we winded up spending the entire night there over drinks and dinner. He even called Neetu (She was visiting a friend). It was a night to remember. We laughed so much that I had to sit on the floor because of the cramps. That was Chintu. That was Rishi Kapoor for you. 

As told to Priyanka Kachhava (@priyankacmsk) and Siddhartha Bose (@sidsbose).

Also read: Rishi Kapoor: The last lap of an eternal romantic