Late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor once refused to work with Amitabh Bachchan and replaced him with his uncle Shashi Kapoor in a film. Read on
Late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor was one of the leading actors in Bollywood. He was an immaculate actor and honest man who often spoke his heart out during interviews. But did you know he once refused to be cast alongside Amitabh Bachchan in films? He had a good reason for it as well.
In 1979, actor-director Tinnu Anand made his foray into Bollywood with the film Duniya Meri Jeb Mein as director. He once reflected on his time working with Rishi Kapoor. During a conversation, he revealed that Rishi had previously expressed concerns about working with Big B.
As reported by Mens XP, Tinnu Anand said during an old interview, “My brother Bittu was a producer, and we were not financially secure to make a film like Duniya Meri Jeb Mein. So, we had to listen to the whims and fancies of the actors. Like, when I told Rishi Kapoor that I was going to narrate the story to Amitabh Bachchan, he was very happy. That night he went to a party for the film Zinda Dil, and when his cameraman-director Sudarshan Nag asked him what he was feeling so happy about, he told him that the next day he and Amitabh would sign on the dotted line to act in Tinnu’s film.”
Rishi Kapoor had already worked with the director on two films without receiving a single penny in compensation, and he was ready to do it again with one condition. The filmmaker said, “He wanted us to cast someone else as Rishi was convinced that Amitabh had a better role than him, and since he played a handicapped character, he would gain sympathy. We were in a quandary.” In fact, Rishi had suggested casting Shashi Kapoor, his uncle in the movie as per the filmmaker. He said, “Rishi suggested we take Shashi Kapoor, his uncle. But we didn’t know back then that Shashi will only give two hours in a day for the film.” Finally, the movie was released with Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh and Shashi Kapoor as the lead cast for the movie.
Khullam Khulla’s autobiography: Rishi Kapoor, the late actor, also spoke candidly about working with Amitabh Bachchan, asserting that the roles were “designed” for him and that other actors had to put in a lot of work to match him. The book also said that Amitabh never credited his actors—only the directors and writers—when credit was due.
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He said, “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, an angry young man. So roles were written for him. Although we may have been smaller stars, we were not lesser actors.”
Both performers continued to be a part of Kabhie Kabhie despite their “lingering issue”. They collaborated on Ajooba, Coolie, Naseeb, and Amar Akbar Anthony films, and they came together for 102 Not Out after 27 years.
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