Bollywood, which was already facing widespread disruption in film making and distribution due to the lockdown, has now been hit by a double whammy of another kind - deaths of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor.
Both had diametrically opposite career trajectories. Khan was a rank outsider, while Kapoor was born into Bollywood's first family. For Kapoor, the entry into the tinsel town was a stroll in the park, but for Khan, it began with a hard landing.
Kapoor gained instant stardom with his debut film Bobby, but Khan had to move heaven and earth to be recognized. His was a gritty tale of an aspiring actor saddled with bit roles, who finally emerges out of the shadows through his talent and commitment.
Though I had seen Salaam Bombay way back in the late eighties, I only recently discovered that Khan was there in that film. Back then the only recognizable face in that Mira Nair's in-your-face peek into the Mumbai's red-light area was Anita Kanwar. She had become a well-known face because of her role in TV soap opera Buniyaad. Doordarshan was ruling the tube and satellite television was still a few more years away.
For Khan, the nineties was almost a washout - the mainstream cinema was under the stranglehold of David Dhawan-Govinda horseplay with double entendre ditties and wafer-thin plots. And people were more than willing to suspend their disbelief to cheer Govinda's gyrations. It even forced many established names to dumb down and fall in line.
On the other hand, offbeat film circuit was lorded over by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, who had by then carved out a niche audience after a long struggle.
Khan remained confined to the small screen and sundry TV serials. It was only in post-2000 he began finding his place under the sun. The tearing down of single-screen cinema theatres to multiplexes also worked in his favour.
He made a splash in the international film circuit by appearing in Life of Pi, Namesake and later Slumdog Millionaire. In the mainstream cinema, he made an impression by figuring in Life In a Metro, opposite Konkana Sen Sharma. His small-town naivete endeared him to the masses. Another film that won the critical, as well as mass acclaim, was Maqbool and Haider.
Soon the mainstream directors found him bankable as the multiplex cine-goers warmed up to the versatility of his acting prowess. Whether it was a light comedy, a crime thriller or tragedy, Khan assayed those roles in many shades with ease that soon became his trademark.
Movies like Hindi Medium, Qarib Qarib Single and others followed. However, the most talked-about film on social media turns out to be Lunchbox. Though I didn't like the ending, Khan, along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur successfully present a slice of Mumbai's suburban middle-class life.
The news of his ailment began doing rounds from last year, though the details were a closely guarded secret. His mother's death a few days ago made news for the fact that he was not able to go to Jaipur due to the travel restriction caused by the lockdown. Khan's end surprised many, and it came quite early - he definitely had much more of cinema left in him.
Rishi Kapoor
He was the youngest member of Bollywood's first family, and the first film Bobby was a dream launch. Soon he emerged as the archetypal lover boy with cherubic looks and happy-go-lucky demeanor. He was the original disco dancer of Bollywood and soon became the favourite pin-up boy in women's hostel rooms.
To his credit Kapoor stuck to his lover boy roles even when the anti-establishment angry young man hero, popularized by Amitabh Bachchan, was a rage. He continued to churn out reasonable returns to the box office through his movies like Sargam, Khel Khel Mein and later Chandini.
However, it was in the fag end of his career Kapoor got roles in which he could stand out. Whether it was playing a nonagenarian in Kapoor & Sons or the patriarch of a Muslim family branded as terrorists in Mulk, Kapoor assayed those roles with dexterity that was not on display during the early part of his career.
But my all-time favourite happens to be Do Dooni Chaar where he plays a harried Maths teacher who aspires to buy a car from his meagre savings. His wife, played by real life spouse Neetu Singh, provides an able supporting cast.
Also Read: Bangalore Short Takes
Both had diametrically opposite career trajectories. Khan was a rank outsider, while Kapoor was born into Bollywood's first family. For Kapoor, the entry into the tinsel town was a stroll in the park, but for Khan, it began with a hard landing.
Kapoor gained instant stardom with his debut film Bobby, but Khan had to move heaven and earth to be recognized. His was a gritty tale of an aspiring actor saddled with bit roles, who finally emerges out of the shadows through his talent and commitment.
Though I had seen Salaam Bombay way back in the late eighties, I only recently discovered that Khan was there in that film. Back then the only recognizable face in that Mira Nair's in-your-face peek into the Mumbai's red-light area was Anita Kanwar. She had become a well-known face because of her role in TV soap opera Buniyaad. Doordarshan was ruling the tube and satellite television was still a few more years away.
For Khan, the nineties was almost a washout - the mainstream cinema was under the stranglehold of David Dhawan-Govinda horseplay with double entendre ditties and wafer-thin plots. And people were more than willing to suspend their disbelief to cheer Govinda's gyrations. It even forced many established names to dumb down and fall in line.
On the other hand, offbeat film circuit was lorded over by Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, who had by then carved out a niche audience after a long struggle.
Khan remained confined to the small screen and sundry TV serials. It was only in post-2000 he began finding his place under the sun. The tearing down of single-screen cinema theatres to multiplexes also worked in his favour.
He made a splash in the international film circuit by appearing in Life of Pi, Namesake and later Slumdog Millionaire. In the mainstream cinema, he made an impression by figuring in Life In a Metro, opposite Konkana Sen Sharma. His small-town naivete endeared him to the masses. Another film that won the critical, as well as mass acclaim, was Maqbool and Haider.
Soon the mainstream directors found him bankable as the multiplex cine-goers warmed up to the versatility of his acting prowess. Whether it was a light comedy, a crime thriller or tragedy, Khan assayed those roles in many shades with ease that soon became his trademark.
Movies like Hindi Medium, Qarib Qarib Single and others followed. However, the most talked-about film on social media turns out to be Lunchbox. Though I didn't like the ending, Khan, along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur successfully present a slice of Mumbai's suburban middle-class life.
The news of his ailment began doing rounds from last year, though the details were a closely guarded secret. His mother's death a few days ago made news for the fact that he was not able to go to Jaipur due to the travel restriction caused by the lockdown. Khan's end surprised many, and it came quite early - he definitely had much more of cinema left in him.
Rishi Kapoor
He was the youngest member of Bollywood's first family, and the first film Bobby was a dream launch. Soon he emerged as the archetypal lover boy with cherubic looks and happy-go-lucky demeanor. He was the original disco dancer of Bollywood and soon became the favourite pin-up boy in women's hostel rooms.
To his credit Kapoor stuck to his lover boy roles even when the anti-establishment angry young man hero, popularized by Amitabh Bachchan, was a rage. He continued to churn out reasonable returns to the box office through his movies like Sargam, Khel Khel Mein and later Chandini.
However, it was in the fag end of his career Kapoor got roles in which he could stand out. Whether it was playing a nonagenarian in Kapoor & Sons or the patriarch of a Muslim family branded as terrorists in Mulk, Kapoor assayed those roles with dexterity that was not on display during the early part of his career.
But my all-time favourite happens to be Do Dooni Chaar where he plays a harried Maths teacher who aspires to buy a car from his meagre savings. His wife, played by real life spouse Neetu Singh, provides an able supporting cast.
Also Read: Bangalore Short Takes
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