How Rishi Kapoor Helped His Father Raj Kapoor Pay Off Huge Debt

Raj Kapoor Rishi Kapoor because he could not afford any other star.

The custom of stars providing launching pads for their kids is age-old and the different generations of Bollywood’s famed Kapoor family is an example. Raj Kapoor launched the careers of his sons Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv Kapoor but only Rishi Kapoor was able to achieve the level of stardom that he did.

Raj Kapoor provided Rishi Kapoor with a launching platform with the film Bobby that set off his career but in actuality, Raj Kapoor had already cast a teenage Rishi Kapoor in the film Mera Naam Joker before that. Did you know that Rishi Kapoor helped his father out of a very tight spot with the film Bobby?

Raj Kapoor’s ambitious project Mera Naam Joker was a high-budget film that failed miserably at the box office, Rishi Kapoor played the younger version of his father Raj Kapoor in the film in an extended cameo and was his first exposure to the camera. The failure of Mera Naam Joker put Raj Kapoor in huge debt and he envisioned Bobby as a way to redeem his losses from his previous project.

He cast his own son Rishi Kapoor only because he could not afford any other star. It was a big gamble at that time since it was an era of action films and Rajesh Khanna was the only accepted romantic hero of those times. However, the romance of 20-year old Rishi Kapoor and a 15-year old debutante Dimple Kapadia was much liked by the audience and Bobby became a massive hit. Rishi Kapoor won the hearts of people with his romantic style and became a star overnight. He soon appeared in many more films in the romantic genre and came to be known as the King of Romance.

Rishi Kapoor delivered numerous hits and superhits throughout his career. However, there was a pivotal moment when he walked away from the industry at its peak for love. In an interview with News24, he revealed that at one point, his wife Neetu Kapoor persuaded him to take a break from films, despite having many projects lined up.