Rishi Kapoor Choked When He Told A Friend About His Cancer Diagnosis: 'Thakur Acchi Khabar Nahi Hai'

Rishi Kapoor Choked When He Shared His Cancer News With A Friend

Raj revealed, "His cancer was detected in 2018. No one knew about it, except for the family. It was September 2018. He was to fly to the US for treatment that evening. He rang me up the same day. He used to fondly call me ‘Thakur'. I took the call and greeted him. He said, "Thakur tere se baat karni hai (I need to talk to you)." And then, he choked up. I sensed something was not right. Then he told me, "Thakur paanch minute mein call karna (Call me in five minutes). I waited for exactly five minutes and called back. I asked him, "Chintu sab theek toh hai (Is everything alright)?" He was choking again. "Thakur, achchhi khabar nahin hai (I don't have good news for you). "I have been diagnosed with cancer. I'm flying to New York for treatment this evening," he told me. That's how I knew."

Raj Bansal Recalls His Last Meeting With Rishi Kapoor

"We met the last in December 2019. Chintu had returned to Mumbai after his year-long cancer treatment in New York. I was with Sanjay Dutt. We walked up to his house, not knowing how to approach him knowing he hadn't been keeping well. We were ushered inside and Chintu was all smiles and rushed to greet us and hug us. We had gone there thinking we won't trouble him. But, we winded up spending the entire night there over drinks and dinner. He even called Neetu (She was visiting a friend). It was a night to remember. We laughed so much that I had to sit on the floor because of the cramps. That was Chintu. That was Rishi Kapoor for you," he told the online portal.

Was Rishi Admitted To The Hospital A Day Before His Death?

To this, his friend clarified, "No. The reports circulating around are factually incorrect. He was admitted some days back. His hospitalization itself was a surprise to me. We had spoken only two days before that and he was taking a walk outside his flat. I remember telling him to go back inside. He told me, "Yaar Raju ab Bungalow pe renovation ka kaam chal raha hai. Flat mein shift kara diya hai. Thodi fresh hawa lene aya tha (Our bungalow in Mumbai is being renovated. We have shifted to a flat. I had come out for fresh air.)" We had spoken about our future, the lockdown and Corona. We spoke for more than half an hour and, normally, both of us don't speak over the phone for so long. That's why I refused to believe he is no more."

Raj And Rishi Were Buddies For Almost Three Decades

Recalling how they first met on the sets of Chandni, Rishi's friend said, "It was 1988. Yash ji (Yash Chopra) was shooting the film Chandni in Delhi. He called me and said, "Raju, come over for the shoot. Bring over your family as well." I met Rishi Kapoor, who was playing the lead with Sridevi on the sets. He was shooting for the song 'Mere haathon mein nau nau choodiyan hain'. Yashi ji introduced us and we got along very well. I was leaving the next day for Jaipur. So, I told Rishi Kapoor we would meet again. He asked me if I can postpone my plan for a day. I said yes, but asked him, why? He said he was to shoot for the film Ajooba there and that we could ride together. I said why not? That was how we met."

Rishi Kapoor's Transition From A Romantic Hero To Character Roles

Raj also remembered how the late actor would describe his initial career when he mostly played romantic heroes and said, "On more than one occasion he would tell me, ‘Hum koi actor thode hi hain. Humein toh bas pedon ke ird-gird naachne ke liye lete hain' (I am hardly an actor. I am only cast to run around trees and dance)."

Speaking about Kapoor's second innings, he said, "Once he moved out of that stereotype and started doing his own kind of films, he surprised everyone with the kind of roles he took up. That transition to being a character actor was a conscious decision on his part, and he was quite pleased with himself after that. Chintu called me after reading the script of Do Dooni Char, which by the way is an excellent movie. Excitedly, he told me, ‘I have read a new script and I'm planning to do the movie. I asked him if he had liked the script. He said he did and told me, ‘After this movie, you will be proud of your friend'."