They say fragrance, talent and goodness can transcend beyond boundaries and such were the realisation for all of us when a couple of days back Bollywood lost two of its gems in form of Irrfan khan and Rishi Kapoor and almost none of us was scared of the pain of losing such legends.
For many of us, the sudden demise of Irrfan came more as a personal loss, the agony only multiplied as the next day marked the end of the Rishi Kapoor who carry forward the legacy of the first family of Bollywood, 'The Kapoors'.
Although these actors came from different generations, yet both of them proved their acting prowess time and again to audiences. Rishi Kapoor aka 'Chintu Ji' changed the image of stereotypical 'romantic' hero of Bollywood from a mature, aged man to a teenager oozing with cuteness and childlike innocence.
Irrfan on the other hand with his deep eyes and persuasive dialogue delivery changed the way moviegoers were used to be expecting 'masala' and 'naach gaana' from the 70mm screen.
Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor: Lost gems of Bollywood
From 'Bobby' to 'Salaam Bombay', 'Kapoor and Sons' to 'Paan Singh Tomar' both these artists continued making ripples of changes in Bollywood, all the while leaving us amazed with their talent. One can only wonder of what amazing experiences audiences could have had if only these powerful performers would have stayed with us for a little longer.
Sharing one such tale of having these two legendary actors together for a film, 'Kal Ho Na Ho' director Nikhil Advani revealed to film critic Rajeev Masand in an interview that while shooting for a scene of his 2013 thriller/action 'D-day' which had both Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan in the star cast, the senior actor said Irrfan doesn't know how to act.
'Irrfan ko samjhao, usko acting nahi aati hai': Rishi Kapoor
Nikhil revealed this big secret and said "Luckily for me, they were doing this one scene where Irrfan chose to improvise. And Irrfan never ever gives the same cue again. So Rishi Kapoor called me and stated, 'Usko samjhao, usko acting nahi aati hai. He needs to stick to the cue otherwise I won't get how to do it and what to state."
Replying to Rishi Kapoor, Nikhil said "Sir you don't need to stress over Irrfan. You start speaking whenever you need to speak, just don't worry about him. They were very different from each other however they were exceptionally extraordinary when they came together. The film has become even more special for me now."
True as it is, Bollywood is never going to be the same without these two legendary actors and the way they changed not only the cinema but also the audience preferences are going to be felt for years to come.
Irrfan's last outing was Homi Adjania's 'Angrezi Medium' while Rishi Kapoor was last seen in '102 not out' along with AB senior.