Birthday Special: Remembring Actor Rajiv Kapoor on his birth Anniversary... BY LT. ALI PETER JOHN By Team Bollyy 25 Aug 2022 | Updated On 25 Aug 2022 05:40 IST in Ali Peter John Golden Memories New Update Follow Us Share Sometimes I feel , no , I believe that death is like a drug that keeps grabbing weak victims and gradually becomes an addict when he finds victims without any effort. I have seen this dangerous drug playing havoc with many and I have just received the painful news about a very old and lovable friend Rajiv Kapoor being the lattest victim of the drug called death. Death could have waited a little longer for Rajiv to fulfill some of his best ambitions and dreams, but how can we helpless human beings make a drug like death understand? The drug called death took a break for a while and then stuck with a vengeance when Raj Kapoor This drug called death has been continuously been playing its nasty games with the Kapoor khandaan. It started with the death of the head of the family , Prithviraj Kapoor which was followed by his wife within a week. The drug called death took a break for a while and then stuck with a vengeance when Raj Kapoor , Shammi and Shashi and followed it's attack with the snatching away of Ritu Nanda ( the eldest daughter of Raj Kapoor.), Rishi Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor. And now comes the drug called death to establish its mighty power over life with the passing away of the youngest son of the showman Raj Kapoor after the handsome man who lived a tumultuous life died of a heart attack when he was only 58 , which I think was an age too early to leave. Rajiv died in Loni , the farmhouse where he had been living almost alone for the last many years. He shot video films with himself as the hero and Padmini Kolhapure I knew Chimpu (his pet name like Randhir Kapoor was Dabbu and Rishi was Chintu ) since the time he was running around the R K Studio and looking for ways to assist his father or his brothers. He shot video films with himself as the hero and Padmini Kolhapure who was still a child artist as his heroine and sometimes with a girl called Nazee who grew up and finally married the villain Ranjeet. There were a lot of friends of Raj Kapoor who saw a striking resemblance to Shammi Kapoor and asked him to launch his son Rajiv as a hero, but the father was too busy to take notice of his son and Rajiv was launched by Rajiv Mehra in his debut -making film , "Ek Jaan Hai Hum". His resemblance to Shammi Kapoor paid off for Rajiv and he was flooded with offers . He however could make an impact only in films like "Lover Boy" and "Aasmaan" (he played double roles in both these films) , Zabartast and a few other films till he did two films , "Aag Ka Dariya" and "Zimmedar" which brought his career to a halt till Raj Kapoor gave him the beggest hit with his cult film "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" and it was perhaps for the first time that the grand success of a film couldn't do anything for the hero , wheres it shot the heroine Mandakini to stardom. He vowed not to direct a film again Rajiv now took to some serious work and was involved in the making of Randhir Kapoor's "Henna" which was left incomplete by Raj Kapoor. He was also the producer of Rishi Kapoor's first and only film as a director ," Aa Ab Laut Chale" which was a major set back for R K Films and to Rishi Kapoor . He vowed not to direct a film again. Chimpu then switched over to television and made some big serials directed by known T V directors, but this adventure of his also failed and broke him He was now living a reckless life , things got worse for him when his marriage with Aarti Sabharwal ended in a separation . He had for reasons unknown got away from his family and there was a lot of bitterness in him which he desperately tried to drown in more and more liquor and would only damage his health. He put on weight and could not even walk and it was a sad sight to see the scion of the Kapoor Khandaan go down like this . He seemed to have given up before he could even put up any kind of fight . He was very happy to know that he was still recognised and wanted by people who knew about his work The last time I had interacted with him was when I wanted him as the chief guest for a function organised by women in Pune . He was very happy to know that he was still recognised and wanted by people who knew about his work . But he opted out at the last minute and I was very angry with him even though he kept apologising to me . The last time I saw him was when the three brothers were celebrating the Ganpati festival at R. K. Studio. And now R K Studio is gone , Raj Kapoor is gone, Rishi Kapoor is gone and Rajiv Kapoor has just left for a place about which neither he knew nor anybody else who has gone knows . And I wish like Dev Anand that all those who leave land in a place which can offer them a better life than the life they lived in the life in this world . BAHUT JALD THI KYA MERE DOST ? KYA ISS ZINDAGI SE NARAAZ THE KYA? TUM TOH CHALE GAYE, LEKIN UNKA KYA JO TUMSE BEHAD PREM KARTE THE ? Related Articles Advertisment Latest Stories Read the Next Article