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Renowned Bollywood director-editor Rahul Rawail made his debut as a filmmaker in 1980 by helming the film Gunehgaar, starring Parveen Babi, Rishi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Asha Parekh in key roles. As the son of filmmaker HS Rawail and mentee of actor-director Raj Kapoor, Rahul shared a close bond with veteran actor and Raj’s son Rishi Kapoor. Recently, the yesteryear director opened up about his relationship with Rishi and what Raj Kapoor said when he first approached the filmmaker to join him as an assistant.
“I started working as an assistant director at the age of 15. Though my father was a filmmaker and the atmosphere was always there, I never paid attention to it initially. Since my school days, I wanted to do nuclear physics and for that, I was planning to go to Canada. When my exams were over, Rishi, my childhood friend, called me and said, ‘Papa (Raj Kapoor) is starting the shooting of Mera Naam Joker’s next part,’ which was about the Russian circus. He said, ‘The girls with the Russian circus are very pretty. They are small and young and wear short skirts.’ I found the idea very exciting. So, I went there with Chintu (Rishi’s pet name). Upon reaching the set, I saw Raj saab working. This one man was controlling a unit of 5,000 people, including Russian and Indian circus artistes and crowds, whilst sitting in one spot. Even amidst this, he knew what he wanted, there was no confusion in his mind, and he paid attention to even the minute details,” Rahul recalled during a chat with Friday Talkies.
“I kept looking at him for the entire day. By the time I noticed, the girls had left. The next day, I went to the shooting site alone and then started going there every day. I came back and told my mother, ‘It is December now and I have to go to Canada only in July. So, I was thinking of assisting Raj uncle during these 6-7 months.’ Mom agreed and said that Papa would be very happy. So, he went and talked to Raj saab, who said yes,” he added.
“Then he called me and welcomed me. I informed him about my plan to go to Canada, hearing which he started laughing and said, ‘Look son, you can go when you want to. But let me tell you one thing: once you enter this industry, it’s very difficult to leave it.’ That’s exactly what happened. I went there for six months, which became one year, and eventually, I forgot about nuclear physics,” Rahul mentioned.
Reflecting on his friendship with Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Rawail said, “We had been together since kindergarten and shared a 60-year-long friendship. We talked every single day, no matter where we were in the world. Even when we fought, we still talked to each other.”
Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30, 2020, at the age of 67.
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