Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor says his family has always been “very secular” and has equal respect for all religions.

The actor, known for posting honest opinions on social media, was reacting to posts by users on Twitter. 

One read: “If you have such a hatred to Muslims. Why you all Indians go to all big Muslim countries to work and mint money. You hypocrites”, and another stated: “What makes you think RK has a hatred for Muslims? What has compelled you to make this deduction?”

In response to this, Rishi tweeted: “This allegation is very false and hurtful. Our family has always been very secular and have equal respect and admiration for all religions.” 

On the work front, Rishi is all set to share screen space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan after over two decades in the upcoming film “102 Not Out”. 

The film that is said to be based on Saumya Joshi’s Gujarati play “102 Not Out”, will see Amitabh playing a 102-year-old man while Rishi will portray the character of his 75-year-old son.

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IANS

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has called the police, fire fighters and the medics “real heroes” and added that romancing or fighting in films is no heroism.

“The Real Heroes. ‘9/11’ Firefighters entered Twin Towers knowing eminent death. Now Grenfell Tower where again the braves have entered. Singing songs, romancing or fighting in films is no heroism. The real heroes are the fire fighters, police and the medics. I was no hero! Sorry!” Rishi tweeted on Wednesday night.

The 64-year-old actor’s tweet came after a major fire took place and consumed a 24-storey apartment complex in west London housing hundreds on Wednesday.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at Grenfell Tower, an apartment block located in the neighbourhood of Kensington, shortly after Tuesday midnight, reports Efe news.

Some 200 firefighters and 40 fire trucks were deployed to the scene and emergency workers were battling to get the fire under control.

On the work front, Rishi will soon be seen sharing screen space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the upcoming film “102 Not Out”.

The film features Amitabh as a 102-year-old and Rishi as his 75-year-old son.

“102 Not Out” is based on writer-director Saumya Joshi’s successful Gujarati play by the same name. The film is a sweet story between a father and a son and the duo will also speak a few lines in Gujarati in the film!

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Amitabh and Rishi, who will be seen sharing screen space after two decades, have previously worked in films like “Amar Akbar Anthony”, “Naseeb” and “Kabhi Kabhie”.

A string of Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan have shared their excitement over India’s win against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2017.

India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 124 runs in a rain-marred Group B encounter of the Champions Trophy at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.

Here is what celebrities had to say:

Amitabh Bachchan: And Congratulations India. Beat Pakistan in CL (Champions League) cricket by huge margin. Great to see all performing good.

Rishi Kapoor: Mujrewali celebrates India’s victory lol. Cannot remember this film’s name but yes that’s me in a ‘Kalptaru’ film. India rules again!

Anil Kapoor: Phenomenal win. Well done team India.

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Ranveer Singh: Full power… What a match the boys played! Scintillating all round performance! Banging start to the tournament! India vs Pakistan.

Varun Dhawan: India vs Pakistan is always special for both countries. Match over India win. Players shake hands. Wish life was as simple as sport.

Suniel Shetty: No borders between team India and Victory! India vs Pakistan.

Sonu Sood: India wins! Heading towards….Get ready India.

Aftab Shivdasani: India begin their Champions Trophy 2017 in style. Great win, brilliant and professional all round performance.

IANS

He is 74, but is still active on the big screen. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he considers himself “fortunate” to be still getting work.

Amitabh, who came into limelight through his ‘Angry young man’ image in films like “Zanjeer”, “Deewaar”, “Sholay”, “Don” and “Muqaddar Ka Sikandar”, is currently shooting for “102 Not Out”, where he will be seen as a 102-year-old man and will play father to veteran actor Rishi Kapoor.

“Fortunate to still be seeing my self thus. ‘Shamitabh’, ‘Piku’, ‘Wazir’, ‘Te3n’, ‘Pink’, ‘Sarkar3’ and ‘102 Not Out’,” Amitabh posted on Twitter on Wednesday alongsite a collage of the characters that he played in recent times.

The film is being directed by Umesh Shukla.

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IANS

The Indian theatre, film and television world on Thursday morning woke up to the news of the untimely demise of veteran actress Reema Lagoo, one of Bollywood’s favourite on-screen mothers. The industry’s love for her talent and her warm-hearted nature was evident in the outpouring of tributes over social media and during her last rites.

Reema died following a cardiac arrest early on Thursday morning, a family source said. She was 59 and breathed her last at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, in Andheri west, where she was rushed shortly after midnight.

Divorced from her husband and actor Vivek Lagoo, she is survived by her daughter, Mrunmayee Lagoo, 35, who is a film and stage actress and theatre director.

Her family members and colleagues from Hindi and Marathi film, stage and television industries turned up to bid a tearful adieu to Reema at her funeral in Oshiwara.

Daughter Mrunmayee accompanied by her husband Vinay Vayakul lit the funeral pyre amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. Many prominent film personalities like Rishi Kapoor, Kajol, Tanvi Azmi, Shreyas Talpade, Rakesh Bedi, Raza Murad, Anang Desai, Sulabha Arya, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Kothare, Sonali Kulkarni, Vijay Gokhale, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sunil Barve, Ramesh Bhatkar and Ashoke Pandit, looked on in grief.

Mumbai: Actors Kiran Kumar and Rishi Kapoor at the funeral .

Before the last rites, actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao, besides filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, visited Reema’s house.

Mumbai: Aamir Khan along with wife and filmmaker Kiran Rao during the funeral.

Aamir said on an emotional note: “We are all in shock. She had no problems that we knew of. It happened suddenly and is saddening. My first film was with Reema ji — ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. She was a fabulous actor and her heart was so clean. She was also very socially conscious. We only pray that she rests in peace.”

Mumbai: Actress Kajol during the funeral.

Reema was in action till Wednesday night on the set of TV show “Naamkaran”, in which she played antagonist Dayawanti.

“Reema ji wanted to leave early from the set yesterday due to a throat infection. She used to come in to the set at 9 a.m. everyday, but she had said she would come in a little late today (Thursday) around 11 a.m. because she wanted to get herself checked,” a source from the show’s unit told IANS.

Too sudden, too soon — that’s how her colleagues, juniors and associates received the news of Reema’s death.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, among other politicians, paid tribute to her. Modi described her as a versatile actor who left a big impact in the film and TV world, while Sonia Gandhi called her a “household name who portrayed an array of heart-warming characters on screen”.

Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Mahesh Bhatt, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Renuka Shahane, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Dia Mirza penned heartfelt social media posts in remembrance of the warm, radiant and versatile actress.

Noted for her roles in Hindi movies like “Rangeela”, “Maine Pyar Kiya”, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!”, “Aashiqui”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, “Vastaav”, “Saajan”, “Kal Ho Na Ho”, Reema became synonymous as Bollywood’s quintessional ‘Maa’ — a middle-aged, modern, but understanding mother. She played on-screen mother to actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Kajol and more.

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Starting her career as Baby Nayan Bhadbhade, a charming schoolgirl in Pune, Reema soon graduated to larger roles on Marathi stage and films, then television and Hindi-Marathi films, besides doing a 10-year long stint with the Union Bank of India banks from 1979.

Recalled former colleague Vishwas Utagi: “She worked in the Fort branch of Union Bank of India for nearly a decade and simultaneously pursued her passion for acting.”

“She was a prominent representative of the UBI in various inter-bank cultural events and bagged many individual and group prizes,” Utagi told IANS.

At that time, she competed with other bankers like Amol Palekar (of Bank of India) and Ashok Saraf (of State Bank of India), among many others, who later went on to become legendary actors, he added.

After working in about 10 Marathi films as a child star, Baby Nayan — who became Reema Lagoo after marriage — later graduated to plum, bigger roles, and after getting a strong foothold in the film industry, she and husband left their banking jobs.

On television, the actress was seen in prominent roles in “Khandaan”, “Shrimaan Shrimati”, “Tu Tu, Main Main,” “Do Aur Do Paanch”, and the ongoing serial “Naamkaran”. In Marathi, she gave notable stage performances in “Ghar Tighanche Have”, “Chal Aatap Lavkar”, “Jhale Mokle Aakash”, “To Ek Kshann”, “Purush Buland” and “Vitho Rakhumai”.

For Marathi showbiz, Reema was ‘Reema tai’. Actress Usha Jadhav said she will be missed, while Renuka Shahane, who famously played her daughter in Hindi movie “Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!”, wrote a long and emotional Facebook post on Reema’s inner and outer beauty.

Besides acting, Reema took keen interest in public activities, took part in several banking agitations, sat on a dharna in 2013 to successfully stop demolition of the 80-year-old Bharatmata Cinema hall in Parel, and joined a procession for the welfare of the dishoused millworkers of Mumbai a few years ago.

IANS

After feuding in 2014 over his harsh comments on romantic films in bollywood, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on Wednesday said it was amazing to share screen space with veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. 

“It was indeed a pleasure sharing the screen with Rishi Kapoor. What an amazing energy you possess even now,” Nawazuddin tweeted.

Rishi was himself cordial in his response, appreciating the working liaison and thanking Nawazuddin. “Did that bit for Nandita Das and “Manto” -title role played by you. We will have fun working together in the future,” he responded.

Nawazuddin is currently filming for Nandita Das’s “Manto”, in which he plays the controversial writer Saadat Hasan Manto.

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IANS

Veteran singer Nitin Mukesh is emotional that his “darling” son Neil Nitin Mukesh is getting married in Udaipur. He says he could not have asked for a more humbling and a happy moment in his life.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more humbling or happy moment. God has been so kind. We are getting my darling Neil married and I want to tell you this… What he has done for the family, for the family’s name and for his grandfather’s name… We owed him something, and that’s what we have done with his wedding,” Nitin said.

He was in tears and choked up as he spoke of his son’s wedding to Mumbai-based girl Rukmini Sahay. The couple got engaged at a Juhu hotel here on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra last year, and their wedding revelry has been going on in Udaipur.

“This evening, they become Mr. and Mrs. It is a very happy moment. My Neil is one of the best children… I wish him luck and happiness,” added the proud father, son of late legendary singer Mukesh.

Talking about Rukmini, 27, he said: “Rukmini is just what we had dreamt for… She is just every bit of what we had dreamt for Neil. I hope they have a very happy life. I do want to see many grandchildren.”

Neil’s wedding has been a close-knit affair with family members and close friends attending the ceremonies. However, Nitin, who is the son of legendary singer Mukesh, is hoping to see the entire Hindi film industry at the reception in Mumbai on February 17.

“The wedding has turned out only a 100 times bigger than what we had imagined or started off with love and adoration… This wedding will be remembered by all,” he added.

Among the known faces at the pre-wedding celebrations were Rishi Kapoor and Pamela Chopra.

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After veteran Rishi Kapoor’s revelation about “buying” a Best Actor Award for Rs 30,000 once upon a time, Bollywood celebrities like Raakhee, Subhash Ghai, Taapsee Pannu and Prasoon Joshi have raised questions on the credibility of popular film awards.

Here’s what they had to say:

Raakhee:

When I was told I was getting the award for Best Actress in an awful film called ‘Be-Imaan’, I said I wouldn’t accept it. Not when just a few years earlier they refused to give me the award for what I thought was a commendable performance in “Sharmeelee”.

“They chose to give Asha Parekh the Best Actress award that year for “Kati Patang”. Shockingly, they didn’t even give Sachin Dev Burman the Best Music award for his soulful music in “Sharmeelee”. In fact, Sachin and his son Rahul Dev Burman hardly ever got awards.

Tapsee Pannu:

Awards, for me, are wonderful television shows. Those trophies look good on your living room shelves. That’s about it.

Tillotama Shome:

I wouldn’t know about popular awards because I’ve never been nominated for any, let alone won. If I did win any, I’d feel accepted as part of this wonderful fraternity. Never mind. We unsung artistes are like wild flowers. We will grow even through the cracks.

Paresh Rawal:

The popular awards are worthless and useless. They are big marketing events with no substance. A glaring omission was my film “OMG – Oh My God!” which didn’t get any nominations in the popular awards. And there are innumerable such sins of omission. Awards are as useless as a tail on a teddy bear.

Subhash Ghai:

Popular awards lost their credibility long ago when they were turned into star-studded stage shows and commercial events for television channels. Filmfare was the first awards function to turn commercial when they tied up with a gutka brand. The rest followed. Earlier, all the awards were for excellence and not for commercial branding. Unlike the Oscars, which we still respect for maintaining authenticity, I attend our popular awards in the spirit of a festive gathering. I only feel excited when I see the awards for best debutants. That means we have new talent coming in.

Saurabh Shukla:

There are too many awards. And an excess of anything leads to boredom. If you eat too much chocolate, the craving is replaced by nausea. You can’t get excited about Holi if you had to play it seven times a year. Awards are a celebration of talent. If you have too many choices they are no longer exciting.

Satish Kaushik:

Too many players spoil the game. These are more like reality shows than awards functions. I miss the days when there was one awards function, the Filmfare awards and the whole industry used to wait for it.

Prasoon Joshi:

They are a kind of reality television. They are designed to entertain viewers. Award functions are like consumer products. If we come to terms with this, it is easy to comprehend the presence of so many brands functioning within the awards space. As long as we recognize today’s average awards function as a consumer item, we are fine. India to that extent, is unique. However, I feel National awards are a little different as they are not marketing tools.

Shailendra Singh (head honcho of Percept Ltd):

It’s a buffet out there. You eat everything. But you don’t respect or enjoy anything.

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Rishi Kapoor has revealed several interesting things about his life and career in his just launched autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, which has been co-authored by Meena Iyer. Among other things, Rishi also wrote about his rivalry with Amitabh Bachchan in the beginning of his career. Read the excerpts here.

On his rapport with Amitabh Bachchan : 

“I must admit that in those days there was an unspoken undercurrent of tension between Amitabh Bachchan and me. We never sat down to sort it out and luckily the strain evaporated on its own. It was only after we did Amar Akbar Anthony that the two of us got friendly with each other… Amitabh and I didn’t start off on the best of terms. Initially we had a rather uncomfortable, blow hot, blow cold relationship. ”

On the reason behind his cold rapport with 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.”

On being a brat and calling Amitabh Bachchan by his name :

“I was immature and defiant back in the 1970s. He was ten years older than me but like an idiot I used to call him Amitabh, never Amit ji. Thankfully, I was able to overcome my differences and replace them with a warm camaraderie, which later turned into a family relationship (his daughter Shweta is married to my nephew Nikhil, Ritu’s son).”

On buying his Best Actor award for Bobby :

“During the making of Kabhi Kabhie, there was every indication of a cold war between us. He never spoke to me and I didn’t speak to him. I think that Amitabh was sulking because I had won the best actor award for Bobby, given by the leading film magazine of the era. I am sure he felt the award was rightfully his for Zanjeer, which released the same year. I am ashamed to say it, but I actually ‘bought’ that award. I was so naïve.”There was this PRO, Taraknath Gandhi, who said to me, ‘Sir, tees hazaar de do,toh aap ko main award dila doonga.’ I am not the manipulative sort but I admit that I gave him the money without thinking. My secretary, Ghanshyam, also said, ‘Sir,dete hain, mil jayega award, isme kya hai.’

On learning from his mistakes later in life :

“Amitabh probably learnt from someone that I had paid for the award. I can only say it was 1974, I was twenty-two years old, and incredibly naïve and bratty. I was flush with money and was not wise or mature enough to understand what I was doing. Only later did I realize my folly.”

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who is known for his outspoken nature, says he has always tried to maintain a gap between him and his son, actor Ranbir Kapoor when it comes to talking about personal life. He says Ranbir has never liked it and doesn’t want to be like him as a father.

Rishi on Tuesday launched his autobiography, titled “Khullam Khulla – Rishi Kapoor Uncensored”, here. He was joined by his wife Neetu Singh and daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.

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In his autobiography, Rishi has revealed some of the unknown aspects of his life, right from his and his late father Raj Kapoor’s affairs with co-stars to his belief on father-son relationship and his passion for acting.

“For me Raj Kapoor was not only a father. He was my guru, whatever I am today is because of him. When we were kids we knew that we were children of someone very important because wherever we went people looked at us as Raj Kapoor’s sons,” Rishi said at the launch.

“I never argued with my father and it so happened that unfortunately the same kind of relationship passed on with me and Ranbir. I really want that there should be love and respect between us.

“But I am not the type of guy, who will ask him (Ranbir) to share secrets of his girlfriends and all that. I am sorry. It’s my failure. I want there to be a wall between me and him where I can see him, but can’t feel him,” he added.

Rishi revealed that during Ranbir’s childhood, he was busy working, due to which Ranbir got closer to Neetu.

“Probably he felt that he needs his father, but I’m sorry I just can’t,” he said.

“Ranbir feels that when he is going to have kids, he is not going to be like me. It’s a generation gap. I cannot be a friend to a son. You must accept me the way I am,” Rishi said.

IANS