When we think of Rishi Kapoor , we think of not just one of the great romantic heroes of Indian cinema, but also of lovely songs as well. He belonged to a time when Hindi cinema was awash with melodies – original ones, that is.
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The quality of the mainstream Bollywood may have improved unrecognisably since the heydays of Rishi, but the same cannot be said of the music. The most popular songs these days are often the rehashed versions of hits from the past.
Rewinding to some of the unforgettable songs brought alive on screen by Rishi Kapoor:
Main shayar to nahin
Bobby was Rishi’s first film as a hero and was directed by his father Raj Kapoor. This song, rendered by Shailendra Singh, who was making his debut, is among the most popular ones picturised on the actor.
The lovely lines penned by Anand Bakshi – meaning I am no poet/ But beautiful girl/ Having seen you/ I have learnt to write poetry – found an unforgettable tune from the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo.
The 21-year-old Rishi looked refreshingly handsome as he lip-synched the song, even as a young Aruna Irani danced away in greenish-blue, sequined evening dress.
Bachna ae haseeno
Dressed in white as a disco-dancer, Rishi jived energetically on the stage, with a corded microphone in his hand. Kishore Kumar's foot-tapping hit was composed by R.D. Burman, for Nasir Hussain's 1977 film Hum Kisise Kum Naheen , and had lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri ( Oh beauties/ You better take care/ For, I have arrived ).
Saagar kinaare
The Kishore-Lata duet from Saagar is one of undoubtedly the finest songs shot on Rishi. It is from the 1985 love triangle – also featuring Kamal Haasan and Dimple Kapadia – directed by Ramesh Sippy. It may not be the most original tune from R.D. Burman, but it is a terrific song nevertheless. It is actually one of the several songs inspired by R.D.'s father S.D. Burman's 1951 song Thandi hawayein.. . (Naujawan) .
Mere qismet mein tu
If Bobby unearthed a fresh voice in Shailendra Singh, Prem Rog , also directed by Raj Kapoor, helped Bollywood rediscover one of its most original voices after the Rafi-Kishore-Mukesh triumvirate – Suresh Wadkar. It is doubtful whether Bollywood fully exploited the potential of this gifted singer, but his career turned for the better after this 1982 film, in which he had four hits tuned by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
In this poignant song of separation, Rishi Kapoor, covered in a black blanket, gave expression to the lyrics of Amir Qazalbash, along with Padmini Kolhapuri, dressed in a widow's white saree.
Tu tu hai wahi
Rishi and Poonam Dhillon – one of the most natural beauties ever to grace the Indian screen – looked great together in this gorgeous song composed by R.D. Burman for the 1982 film Yeh Vaada Raha , directed by Kapil Kapoor . Terrific singing by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar helped, too.
Dard-e-dil
I remember watching Karz from the Jaithra Talkies in my hometown of Kalpetta, in north Kerala. It was the inaugural film of what was the third theatre of our hilly town. From that 1980 film about reincarnation, directed by Subhash Ghai, the most vivid memories are about the songs – especially this one, which had Rishi playing guitar too.
Ek main ek aur ek tu
Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh made a lovely pair on screen (off it too, it would prove). One of the biggest hit songs picturised on them was this R.D. Burman composition, a Kishore-Asha duet, for the 1975 film Khel Khel Mein , directed by Ravi Tandon.
Tum ko mere dil ne
This Kalyanji-Anandji composition, sung by Shailendra Singh and Kanchan, for Rafoo Chakkar , a 1975 laugh-riot directed by Narendar Bedi, is very soothing on the ear. The unofficial adaptation of the Hollywood classic Some Like It Hot, which featured unforgettable performances from Marilyn Monroe Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, is of course remembered more for how beautiful Rishi looked as a woman for much of the duration. No Indian actor could appear as pretty in drag, until Ritesh Deshmukh came along decades later. Who would have thought Rishi would give a run for her money for the film's heroine and would-be wife Neetu Singh in the looks department?
Tere mere honton pe
Few songs have looked as beautiful on an Indian screen as this one from the 1989 film Chandni. That isn't surprising when the director is the eternal romantic Yash Chopra, the locale is Switzerland and it is shot on Rishi and a stunning Sridevi in chiffon sarees. This melody is composed by Shiv-Hari and sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Babla Mehta, who never fails to remind you of Mukesh.
Teri ummeed tera intazar
The golden period of Hindi film music may have long ended before the 1990s dawned. Yet, composers like Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin-Lalit and Anand-Milind came up with some memorable songs which we could now look back only wishfully. This song for the 1992 film Deewana , which saw a young actor named Shah Rukh Khan making his debut, was tuned by Nadeem-Shravan and rendered by Kumar Sanu and Sadhana Sargam. It was one of the biggest hit songs of the latter part of Rishi's career.
