'Dard-e-dil dard-e-jigar': Bobby's crush and Chandni's lover, Rishi Kapoor was one of a kind

From the son of the iconic Raj Kapoor to the romantic heartthrob of the 70s to the father of new-age star Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor lived to lead a magnetic life and had a charming personality till the end.

Rishi, the second child of actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj, was born on September 4, 1952. 

In 1955, Little Rishi, lovingly called as Chintu was just three when he faced the camera for the first time, in the iconic rain song 'Pyar hua iqrar hua' of the film 'Shree 420', featuring his father Raj Kapoor with Nargis.

In 1970, the film 'Mera Naam Joker' marked his debut as a young boy, as the younger version of the protagonist clown Raju, essayed by his father Raj Kapoor. He bagged the National Award as Best Child Artist.

In 1973, Rishi Kapoor made his debut as a Bollywood hero in superhit 'Bobby', a teenage love story that also featured Dimple Kapadia.

In 1980, Rishi married Neetu Singh, his co-star of several hit films. Also this is the year of 'Karz', a milestone in his career that cemented his image as a romantic hero, with superhit songs like 'Dard-e-dil' and 'Om Shanti Om'.

In 1983, he appeared in 'Coolie' alongside Amitabh Bachchan after earlier collaborations such as 'Kabhie Kabhie', 'Amar Akbar Anthony'.

Though the year 1988 witnessed Bollywood losing its ultimate showman Raj Kapoor, Rishi lost more than his father. He lost his mentor and his favourite film director.

Rishi Kapoor turned director for the first and last time with 'Aa Ab Laut Chalen' in1999, starring Rajesh Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Akshay Khanna and Suman Ranganathan.

Rishi Kapoor joined Twitter in January, 2010, and became an instant cyber sensation. Over the past decade he had been, by turns, regaling, informing, and triggering off debates routinely with his blunt statements on social media.

The actor, mostly known for his loverboy roles in his heydays, turned into a villain as Rauf Lala in 'Agneepath' in the year 2012. The performance remains one of his best till date. He repeats villainy again the next year in 'D-Day' in which he co-stars with late actor Irrfan Khan. It may be noted that Khan passed away on April 29, 2020.

His role of a merry-spirited grandpa obsessed with Mandakini of 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' in the film 'Kapoor & Sons' was a comic delight across generations. (Photo | PTI)

In 2017, Rishi penned his autobiography 'Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored'. True to his nature, the writer in him unveiled unadulterated emotions and poured his heart out.

In the following year, he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and he flew to New York for a year's treatment. Incidentally on October 1, 2018, Rishi's mother, Krishna Raj passed away. For fans, the year is special because Rishi Kapoor united with Amitabh Bachchan for what would be their last time in '102 Not Out'. In the comedy drama, Rishi played the 75-year-old son of a man who is 102.

The actor's last release, 'The Body', opens on November 13. The film co-starring Emraan Hashmi and Sobhita Dhulipala fares below expectations. (Photo | PTI)

As he breathed his last on April 30, 2020, Rishi Kapoor will be remembered for generations to come.

The actor is survived by his wife Neetu Singh and children Ranbir Kapoor and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.