Rishi Kapoor (1952–2020) was an Indian actor, film producer and director who worked predominantly in Hindi cinema. A member of the Kapoor family, one of the most prominent dynasties in Indian film, he had a career spanning nearly five decades and was recognised as one of the leading romantic heroes of Hindi cinema in the late 1970s and 1980s, before reinventing himself as a successful character actor in the 2000s and 2010s.
Key facts
| Full name | Rishi Raj Kapoor |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 September 1952, Mumbai (then Bombay), Maharashtra |
| Died | 30 April 2020, Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Parents | Raj Kapoor (father), Krishna Raj Kapoor (mother) |
| Siblings | Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Ritu Nanda, Reema Jain |
| Spouse | Neetu Singh (m. 1980) |
| Children | Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahani |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, director |
| Years active | 1955; 1970–2020 |
| Notable awards | National Film Award (1971); Filmfare Best Actor Award (2009 lifetime achievement; 2009 Best Actor for Do Dooni Chaar-era recognition) |
Background and family
Rishi Kapoor was the second son of actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor and grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of Prithvi Theatres. He grew up in Bombay and was educated at Campion School and Mayo College, Ajmer. He belonged to the third generation of the Kapoor family in Hindi cinema, a lineage that has continued through his son Ranbir Kapoor and nephews including Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.
Career
Child actor
Kapoor first appeared on screen as a child in his father's film Shree 420 (1955) in the song sequence "Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua". He played the younger version of the protagonist in Mera Naam Joker (1970), a performance for which he won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.
Lead actor (1973–1990s)
His debut as a leading man came with Bobby (1973), directed and produced by Raj Kapoor, opposite Dimple Kapadia. The film was a major commercial success and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Through the 1970s and 1980s he became identified with romantic and musical roles, often paired with Neetu Singh, whom he later married. Notable films from this period include Khel Khel Mein (1975), Laila Majnu (1976), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977), Sargam (1979), Karz (1980), Prem Rog (1982), Naseeb (1981), Coolie (1983), Saagar (1985), Tawaif (1985), Chandni (1989) and Henna (1991).
Direction and production
He directed Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999), produced under the R. K. Films banner. He was associated with R. K. Studios, the production house founded by his father, until the family decided to sell the property following a fire at the studio in 2017.
Character actor (2000–2020)
From the early 2000s, Kapoor moved into character roles, drawing renewed critical attention. Significant later-career films include Hum Tum (2004), Fanaa (2006), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Do Dooni Chaar (2010), Agneepath (2012), Aurangzeb (2013), D-Day (2013), Kapoor & Sons (2016), Mulk (2018) and the posthumously released Sharmaji Namkeen (2022). He played the antagonist Rauf Lala in Agneepath and a Lucknow-based patriarch in Mulk, both of which were widely praised.
Illness and death
Kapoor was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2018 and travelled to New York City for treatment, returning to India in 2019. He died on 30 April 2020 at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai, a day after the death of fellow actor Irrfan Khan.
Awards and recognition
- National Film Award for Best Child Artist (1971) for Mera Naam Joker
- Filmfare Best Actor Award for Bobby (1974)
- Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- Multiple nominations across Filmfare, Screen and IIFA awards for his later character roles, including Do Dooni Chaar, Agneepath and Kapoor & Sons
Writings
His autobiography, Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, co-written with journalist Meena Iyer, was published by HarperCollins India in 2017. The book covers his upbringing in the Kapoor household, his career, and his relationships within the Hindi film industry.
Significance
Rishi Kapoor is regarded as a transitional figure in Hindi cinema: he closed out the era of song-driven romantic leads associated with the 1970s and 1980s and adapted to the realist, ensemble-led storytelling that became prominent in the 2010s. His pairing with Neetu Singh remained one of the most popular on-screen couples of his era, and his late-career roles helped redefine the scope available to senior actors in mainstream Hindi films.
Related topics
- Kapoor family
- Raj Kapoor
- Prithviraj Kapoor
- Neetu Singh
- Ranbir Kapoor
- R. K. Films
- Hindi cinema
- Bobby (1973 film)
- Amar Akbar Anthony
- Filmfare Awards
References
- Kapoor, Rishi and Iyer, Meena. Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored. HarperCollins India, 2017.
- National Film Awards archive, Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India.
- Filmfare Awards official records.