Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passes away at 67
In a terrible piece of news, veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away on Thursday, hours after being hospitalized. The news was confirmed on Twitter by his long-time friend and Bollywood's megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Big B wrote he was devastated and destroyed. Rishi Kapoor is survived by his wife Neetu and two kids, Ranbir Kapoor and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. RIP, legend.
Late on Wednesday night, Rishi's brother Randhir confirmed he had been admitted to a hospital and was not keeping well. "He was not keeping well and had some problem, so we admitted him early this morning. Had there been an emergency, I would also have been at the hospital," Randhir, who is also an actor, said. Neetu was with Rishi, said reports.
As is usually the case with cancer survivors, Rishi's health had been fragile. Even in February, he was admitted to a hospital in Delhi. At the time, he had revealed that he had caught an infection, because of Delhi's pollution and his low count of neutrophils (white blood cells). He passed away a day after Bollywood lost another gem, Irrfan Khan.
The son of Bollywood's showman Raj Kapoor, Rishi started working in movies in 1970. He played the role of younger Raju in Mera Naam Joker. Between 1973 and 2000, he starred in over 90 movies as the lead actor. Treated as Bollywood's first "chocolaty boy", Rishi had a stellar career. Some of his notable works include Bobby, Bol Radha Bol, Chandni, and Prem Rog.
In 2008, Filmfare had honored him with Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2017, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the amiable Daadu in Kapoor & Sons. A veteran actor, Rishi was as popular among newer stars as he was with the cine lords of his generation. But his ill-health forced him to take a break.
The Kapoor family, in a statement, said Rishi passed away at 8:45 am after battling leukemia for two years. "The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last. He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents," the statement added. He didn't let illness impact him.
"There are numerous restrictions around movement and gathering in public. We would like to request all his fans and well-wishers and friends of the family to please respect the laws that are in force. He would not have it any other way," the family said.
