Rishi Kapoor was truly destined for the silver screen, hailing from the renowned Kapoor family, with his father being the legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor. Acting was in his blood, and he made his first appearance in cinema as a child artist in his father’s classic film, Mera Naam Joker (1970), portraying the young version of the lead character.

His captivating performance earned him a National Award, paving the way for an illustrious career. Rishi's official debut as a leading man came with the romantic blockbuster Bobby (1973).

At just 20 years old, he became an overnight sensation. His boyish charm and vibrant energy, combined with the undeniable chemistry he shared with co-star Dimple Kapadia, turned Bobby into a massive success, establishing Rishi as the new face of romance in Bollywood.

When Rishi Kapoor Spoke About Never Receiving Due Credit as an Actor

In a 2018 interview with Bollywood MDB, Rishi Kapoor reflected on his career, stating, “I never gained the critics' and audience's favor by doing anything different. My roles revolved around romancing heroines, running around trees, and singing songs in scenic locations like Ooty, Kashmir, and Switzerland. I was often seen wearing jerseys and was dubbed the 'sweater man' worldwide. Unlike my contemporaries, I didn’t receive diverse roles or characters to portray.”

He continued, “I’m not complaining about spending 25 years solely focused on romance. I might not be the biggest star in the country, but I was always among the top five. I'm grateful for my 25-year journey. Although I feel I never received the credit as an actor, I recognize it’s my fault; I didn’t provide my audience with enough reasons to appreciate me beyond just singing songs.”

In his autobiography- ‘Khullam Khulla – Rishi Kapoor Uncensored’, Rishi Kapoor said, “To go back to Amitabh, I must confess there is still a lingering issue I have with Amitabh Bachchan. A big disadvantage of working in an all-star movie in those days was that everybody only wanted to make action films, which automatically meant that the star who could carry off action with the most flair would get the meatiest part. That’s how, with the exception of Kabhi Kabhie, which was a romantic film, none of the multi-starrers I featured in had an author-backed role for me. Directors and writers unfailingly reserved their strongest, pivotal roles for Amitabh Bachchan. And it wasn’t just me. Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna faced it too.”

He adds, “Amitabh is undeniably a superb actor, immensely talented and, at the time, the number one star who ruled the box-office. He was an action hero, the angry young man. So roles were written for him. Although we may have been smaller stars, we were not lesser actors. Yet, the rest of us had to constantly measure up to him. We had to work hard, really exert ourselves to match up. In my time, the musical/romantic hero had no place. Amitabh was an action hero in an era of action films. As such, writers gave him the lion’s share and he had the authorbacked roles in almost all his films. This gave him an advantage over the rest of us who had to make our presence felt with whatever we got.”

Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 and went to New York City for treatment. After a courageous two-year battle with the illness, he passed away in April 2020 at the age of 68.

At the time of his passing, Rishi was still actively working on his final film, Sharmaji Namkeen, directed by Hitesh Bhatia, with only four days of shooting left. To complete the project, actor Paresh Rawal stepped in to finish Rishi's remaining scenes, and the film was eventually released in March 2022. His death left a significant void in Bollywood, but his films continue to bring joy to millions.