Smriti Irani recalls Rishi Kapoor’s words: ‘Khannas, Kapoors and Malhotras will always make the heavens happy’

“Bhag jaldi Dilli pagal,” were the words of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor to Union minister Smriti Irani in 2014 when he came to know that she had been summoned to the national capital to take oath after formation of a new government.

Paying a moving tribute to Kapoor, Irani remembered her last meeting with the actor on a movie set.

“In 2014 he told me ‘bhag jaldi Dilli pagal ‘ for he knew I’ve been summoned to take oath. The last I saw him was on a set and that’s how I will remember him. Prodding you to do your best, caring for the little things, teaching you the craft no matter how old you were on the job,” she said in a tweet.

“Khannas, Kapoors and Malhotras he said will always love the good life, will always laugh gregariously ... make the heavens happy Rishi Sir. Will miss you,” she said in another tweet, sharing a picture of herself with the actor. Malhotra is the minister’s maiden name.

Kapoor died in a Mumbai hospital on Thursday, his brother Randhir Kapoor said. He was 67. Kapoor, who was suffering from cancer, was taken to the H N Reliance hospital by his family on Wednesday. The actor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year. In February, he was admitted in hospital twice.

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Rishi, the third generation of the Kapoor dynasty that defined stardom, is survived by his wife Neetu, actor son Ranbir and daughter Ridhima. “He is no more. He has passed away,” his elder brother Randhir told PTI. The actor was familiar to generations of film goers for his many roles, right from Bobby to Kapoor & Sons.

The end came at 8.45 am, the family said in a statement, requesting fans and friends to respect the restrictions in place in view of the lockdown. His death comes a day after his D-Day co-star Irrfan Khan passed away, also of cancer. Three months ago, the disease claimed his sister Ritu Nanda.