Goodbye Shammi Kapoor

He'll always be remembered as a person full of life and longing. An Internet buff, a gizmo and gadget freak, and passionate about driving, nothing could ever get this swashbuckling irrepressible hero down and out. Not even the three-day- a- week dialysis ritual, which he was his routine for the last many years. Here below we reproduce excerpts from an interview we'd done with him last year...

Your joie de vivre is infectious...
Life's been great, life's been beautiful. Staying alive is an indescribable joy. I have been undergoing dialysis for seven years now, but that hasn't dampened my spirits a wee bit. I live life fully, and rest assured that when I kick the bucket, I'll die a happy man.

Your yaahooo moment...
Though I'd yahooed in both Tumsa Nahi Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho, it was my rendition of yaahooo in Junglee that went down in history. It just went with my rebel star image.

You've a special equation with Aamir Khan...
I shared a very close relationship with Aamir's uncle Nasir Hussain, who directed me in Teesri Kasam, Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho. Aamir has grown up in front of my eyes and I am very proud of his achievements. Aamir made one very moving comment about me at a felicitation function. He said, "Shammi Kapoor is not the Elvis Presley of India. Elvis Presley is the Shammi Kapoor of America."

You were a true trendsetter...
Well, I did my best. My style was unique, but it would have come to nothing had it not been for such brilliant music directors like O P Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan. I was this supremely macho guy and within me lay dormant an incredible energy that was screaming for expression. Luckily for me, my directors sensed the potential in me and allowed me to unleash my creativity. I guess I also had this very innocent way of looking at girls that heightened the romance element in my films.

An Internet buff...
I am a complete gadget and gizmo freak. I became familiar with the virtual world way back in 1988. Much before I bought the hardware, I had mastered all the software. Call it a hobby or passion, but I am addicted to technology. Of course my other passion is driving. Even now when I have to have dialysis three times a week, I never let go of an opportunity to drive myself. I quietly ask the driver to move to the backseat.

Any memory from your movie days that stands out...
It's difficult to sift through such a mountain of memories and come up with just one. But here's something. This was when we were conceptualising the shoot of the song Tareef Karun Kya Uski from Kashmir Ki Kali. I insisted we shoot it in Mumbai and promised them fireworks. Thankfully, I was given that freedom and the song became a cracker of a hit.

If you'd a chance, whom would you have liked to romance onscreen from the current crop of actresses?
You seem bent to get me into trouble! I am 78 and most of today's top heroines are barely above 25. You can get away with a question like that, but I have to return to Mumbai., So, no thank you, I'd rather err on the side of caution!

Your nephew actor Rishi Kapoor says the tag Eternal Lover Boy rightfully belongs to you...
He's just being very kind.

He was truly an iconic star and remains so. May his soul RIP.

His movies were fantasic, he was a wonderful actor, may his soul rest in peace.