When Simi Garewal confronted Rishi Kapoor about developing starry airs and he admitted, ‘I got polluted’

Rishi Kapoor admitted that newfound stardom ‘polluted’ his mind, when talk show host (and his old co-star) Simi Garewal asked him about the changes she’d noticed in his personality. Rishi appeared as a guest on her show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, in 2016.

She recalled their first film together, Mera Naam Joker, and how enjoyable it was to work with him. Rishi Kapoor gave all the credit to her and Raj Kapoor, his father and director.

“I adored you, but I want to ask you, what happened when we did Karz and Kabhi Kabhie?” she asked. He replied, “I got polluted. I truly feel that I got polluted. But then, it’s a very natural process for anyone to mature.”

Simi said, “Maturity I understand, but you were professional, you were polite, you were diplomatic, but you were aloof. You were Rishi Kapoor the star.” Rishi replied, “Let me put it this way, it wasn’t deliberate.” Simi asked, “Was it success?”

Rishi responded, “To be honest, Simi, after Bobby, I was flying. I didn’t have my feet on the ground. I took so much credit in the film because Dimple got married. I mean to say, the credit for the film was taken by just me, because she’d left films by then. I was in my 20s, a little kid, brash, being paid so much money, so popular. I had a lifestyle that had gone absolutely awry.”

He admitted that it took the flop of his next film for him to realise what he’d been taking for granted, as he got swept up in ‘fame and glory’. Simi lauded his honesty and said that after witnessing those two phases of his career, she was happy to notice that he’d found his ‘voice’ again in the third phase, when he started appearing in character roles.

Also read: When Raj Kapoor shouted at Rishi Kapoor for not giving Dilip Kumar’s intense look: ‘Mujhe Yousuf chahiye’

Rishi Kapoor died in 2020, after a two-year battle with cancer. His wife Neetu said that she was inspired to return to acting after her children, Ranbir and Riddhima, encouraged her to do so.