By Anisa Nandy Last Updated:
Renowned for his audacious and fearless manner, Rishi Kapoor was sometimes called a 'bully'. On several occasions, his spouse, Neetu Kapoor referred to him as a 'brat' and an 'obnoxious' person. Anubhav Sinha, who worked with Rishi Kapoor on the 2018 movie, Mulk, recently spoke about his interactions with him and described him as a 'Punjabi bully'.
In a recent interview with Mashable India, Anubhav Sinha mentioned that Rishi Kapoor, a Punjabi playing a man from Benaras, enjoyed hearing scenes narrated by him.
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Anubhav Sinha found it hard to perform while being watched, so he asked Rishi Kapoor to listen attentively during narrations. Consequently, the actor often sought opportunities to discuss scenes with him. Anubhav said:
“Whenever I used to narrate scenes to him, he would love to hear it from me. He was a Punjabi, and he had to play a man from Benaras. He would always tell me, ‘You once read it for me’. I told him, ‘Sir, the fact that I know you are looking at me, I won’t be able to perform. So whenever I am narrating the scene to you, please hear me then. I don’t know more than that.’ So he would find excuses to discuss scenes with me.”
Anubhav Sinha added that he later realized Rishi Kapoor was playfully bullying him by making him narrate scenes and lines. Rishi Kapoor, being a Punjabi, would randomly approach and question the lines, pretending not to understand. When the speaker read the line, “Main tumhare bina nahi jaa sakta,” Rishi would mimic him, saying, “Acha acha, Main tumhare bina nahi jaa sakta.” The director laughed as he recalled the incident.
Anubhav mentioned that Rishi Kapoor was somewhat of a spoilt Punjabi boy, and they had a minor altercation. Anubhav told him that he wasn’t intimidated, having handled Rishi’s uncle during his debut. Anubhav had worked with the late Shammi Kapoor on the television show Shikast, which aired in the 90s. On the other hand, Anubhav mentioned in the same interview with Mashable India, how respectful the late actor was of him. The Article 15 director recalled his grandeur by saying:
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"He was a born star."
Anubhav Sinha further added that at twelve Rishi Kapoor shot to fame. The actor was a star by default because Raj Kapoor is his father. Then he appeared in Mera Naam Joker and everybody found him cute. Yet, he would come to Anubhav. Speaking along the same lines, the director stated:
" 'Ji Anubhav Ji, bataiye’. I convinced him so much to not call me Ji. I don’t like it. And he was like, ‘You are my director, what else do I call you?’ He even used to call me ‘Sir’, and eventually he started to call me ‘Sinha sahab’. So we agreed to Sinha Sahab.”
Ranbir Kapoor mentioned in an interview with Peeping Moon that his late father, Rishi Kapoor, was always a big bully who tested his directors. He explained that Rishi would take over a project if the director wouldn't stand his ground and accept everything he said. Ranbir explained:
"My father was always a big bully and he used to test his directors." He knows he must take over the project if he comes on too strong and the director doesn't stand his ground and accepts everything he says. So he always did this testing."
What do you think about Anubhav Sinha's revelations about Rishi Kapoor's bullying nature?
Also Read: Ranbir Kapoor's 42nd Birthday: He Once Demanded A Gift From His Ex-GF, Deepika Padukone On B'day
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