Nandita Das remembers Rishi Kapoor: ‘He generously agreed to do guest appearance in Manto of a sleazy producer’

Actor-director Nandita Das was among the many Bollywood celebrities who expressed grief at the passing away of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor. Taking to Instagram, she spoke of the time when Rishi and she made Manto together and spoke of his generosity at accepting a guest appearance in her film.

Expressing her feelings, Nandita wrote, “I am still unable to fathom, let alone express the loss I feel at the sudden demise of Irrfan and Rishiji. Just too shocking and sad.”

She mentioned how Rishi’s humour and warmth were still fresh in her mind. She also quoted a few lines on Rishi, she had written in her book on Manto. She said: “And Rishiji’s generosity, humour and warmth are still so fresh in my mind. I am sharing a short excerpt about him that I wrote in my book, Manto and I.”

“I have enjoyed many performances by Rishi Kapoor over the years, but while casting, there was no character that I instinctively felt would befit him. I reached out to him at the behest of one of the producers, as they felt his presence would attract more audiences. So, they fixed a meeting with Rishiji. It was strange to meet him without knowing which role I was going to request him to do. The minute I entered, he warned me, ‘I don’t do guest appearances anymore’,” she had continued.

Nandita wrote how she had only a guest appearance for him to play. “But I only had a guest appearance to offer. I candidly confessed that my reason for wanting his support was that his talent and popularity would help the film reach a wider audience. As I began reading out part after part, I was hoping to find the one that would be the right fit. He must have been shocked by my audacity,” she wrote.

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She then mentioned how he agreed to play the role of a sleazy producer, the kinds he must have seen in his long career. “To my surprise, he generously agreed to do the ‘guest appearance’ of a sleazy producer. He had seen many of them in his earlier days and was happy to recreate the character with me. So, there he was on the sets of Manto. A seasoned actor, he gave his all, even for the six-hour shoot.”

She expressed her regret about how she had hoped to do a film with him one day, but that was never to be. “I hope to do more justice to his talent and stature in a future film.’ When I wrote that, I didn’t imagine that there would never be another film with him. I will treasure both their messages, and of course their memories.”

They may have come from different schools of cinema, but when it came to talent each acknowledged the other. Nandita’s note only reaffirms that reality.

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