Energetic, Charismatic and a true entertainer - words fall short to describe Bollywood's legend Rishi Kapoor. The actor who started his film career as a child artist in his dad's film Mera Naam Joker, went on to do some of the most successful films of Bollywood. Sadly, he succumbed to cancer. Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with Leukemia, a form of cancer, two years ago and had been undergoing treatment ever since then. He was even declared cancer-free sometime back, but the disease relapsed. Today, he breathed his last in a hospital in Mumbai. But even while he was undergoing his treatment, Rishi Kapoor was always full of life and positivity.
The veteran actor's statements that he made during his treatment period prove that he wanted to live life and was willing to fight for it. Even in the statement that has been shared by the Kapoor family on Rishi Kapoor's demise, they have mentioned that the actor kept the doctors entertained till the end. When Rishi Kapoor had shared about his travel to New York, he had written, "Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It’s been 45 years “plus”of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon!"
Later in an interview with Times of India, he had shared how he was missing Mumbai. Sharing his routine in New York, he had said, "I move around, eat, drink, shop and watch films. For me, this has taken great patience, else I would have left this place and come back to Mumbai a long time ago. The treatment requires you to behave a certain way."
In an interview with Times Now, the actor had made cancer sound like any other illness. "People have issues with their kidney, they have problems with liver or heart, I had a marrow problem and I had to get it rectified. So there is nothing such as a serious issue. Just that between two treatments, there was a long gap and during that time, as she (Neetu) said, we just went out and around town."
He once even joked about how Bollywood has over-dramatised cancer. He quoted to TOI, "Filmon me humne background music daal, dool ke itna kharab kiya hai naam cancer ka (We have given a bad name to cancer with all the background music that we used in films)! Today it its treatable, people are dealing with all kinds of cancer …just have to be positive.” (Also Read: Rishi Kapoor Death: Actor's LAST WORDS On Twitter; Urged Fans To Not Resort To Violence During COVID-19 Pandemic)
When he was declared cancer-free, the actor had poked fun at himself and said, "A person like me who has never had patience, this is God’s way to teach me patience. Getting well is a slow procedure. But it makes you grateful for the gift of life."
You'll be missed Chintu ji.
Image Source: APH Images