‘Rishi Kapoor Took My Attention Away from Son Saif in Hum Tum’: Sharmila Tagore

A few days ago, Bollywood lost two of its finest actors- Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor to cancer. Their unfortunate demise has come as a big blow to all their fans, friends and family members. Heartfelt condolences and tributes have poured in from across the globe.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore penned a writeup to mourn the death of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor. To start with, she writes that the two late actors have not just left their families but also their second family that is their fans all over the world.

Sharmila Ji wrote for Dawn, “Two of my beloved actors and stars, both on the cusp of greater glories, both gone ahead of time, both leaving behind not only their personal families but also their extended families of film lovers and fans.”

She adds that she did not even get the opportunity to bid goodbye to the late actors. “There wasn’t even an opportunity to say goodbye. The passing of Rishi and Irrfan — how does one even commit that phrase into writing — leaves me devastated. At this moment, I cannot begin to contemplate the enormous void that these magnificent actors have left behind. Who can possibly fill the gap? Do we even want to fill the gap?”

Mentioning that Rishi has an irresistible charm to himself, Sharmila Ji recalls the time when she found her attention wavering from her son, Saif Ali Khan, to Rishi in the film Hum Tum.

“No two actors could be more different in their approaches to the craft. Rishi embraced his characters with such vivacity and enthusiasm that it was impossible to resist his charm. As an actor, Rishi understood the integrity of the scene as a whole, allowing his co-stars the space without overwhelming them with his star persona,” she says.

Speaking of Irrfan’s acting skills, she says: “On the other hand, Irrfan was a master of the understated. His deadpan amused demeanour and his casual throwaway delivery were in direct contrast to Rishi’s.”

Sharmila Ji concludes by saying that by the end of his career, Rishi Kapoor was finally living up to his potential. “You just have to watch him feed off Amitabh Bachchan in 102 Not Out to realise that on his day he could beat any actor hollow,” she wrote, adding that Mulk is her favourite Rishi Kapoor performance.