Actor Ashwini Bhave, who worked with Rishi Kapoor in Hindi films like Henna (1991), Honeymoon (1992) and Mohabbat Ki Arzoo (1994), remembers him as a warm and supportive co-star. In an exclusive chat with Filmfare, she shares her fond memories from the sets working with the veteran actor.
She says, “I’ve been a huge fan of Rishiji even before I worked with him. I always loved the clothes be wore, especially his sweaters and sweatshirts!” She recalls one incident. “One day, we were shooting in Austria for the song, Main der karta nahi ho jaati hai for Henna. We were moving from one location to the other when suddenly, Randhir Kapoor, who was directing the film said, ‘Stop the cars!’ He had liked one location. We all had to put up there. Then he asked Rishi and me to change into a fresh set of clothes so he could shoot a small sequence there that day. My dress designer was Neetu Kapoor. We had a limited number of changes. We didn’t have extra outfits. Neetuji suggested, ‘Let’s check if Bob (Neetu called him Bob fondly) has something in his bag. She opened his huge black bag and pulled out his jerseys and pants. I selected a black-white sweater and black trousers out of the lot. I borrowed Neetuji’s black scarf. The pullover was loose so we tightened it with clamps. I was happy to wear the favourite sweater of my favourite actor in that song. The thick garment was a blessing as it was so cold that day.”
She goes on to share another memory with Rishi Kapoor. ” We were shooting in a bungalow in Pali Hill for Mohhabbat Ki Arzoo. A phenomenal song had been recorded with Ila Arun for the film. The lyrics were Payal utaar dungi, kajal utaar dungi. It had terrific rhythm. Rishiji had rhythm in his body and he could pick up any rhythm easily. There was one off beat note in the song. He spent about half an hour explaining it to me, repeating the song over and over again. We were to shoot some other scene that day. This song was to be shot later. But Rishiji was so keen I grasp the beat that the scene for the day was put on hold. Henna had brought out the dancer in me. I too enjoyed myself trying to get a hang of the tempo. Rishiji indeed was so passionate about the finer things of life.” Ashwini adds that these memories are to be cherished for a lifetime.