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Bollywood director-editor Rahul Rawail made his feature film debut in 1980 with ‘Gunehgaar’, which starred Asha Parekh, Parveen Babi, Rishi Kapoor, and Rajendra Kumar in important parts. Rahul had a special relationship with legendary actor and Raj Kapoor‘s son Rishi Kapoor because he was the son of filmmaker HS Rawail and mentor of actor-director Raj Kapoor.
Recently, the yesteryear director talked about his friendship with Rishi and what Raj Kapoor told him when he first asked the actor to work as an assistant. During a conversation with Friday Talkies, Rahul said he started working as an assistant director at the age of 15. He revealed that although his father was a filmmaker, he initially did not take any interest in it. Since his school days, he had a desire to pursue nuclear physics and was planning to go to Canada for that purpose.
He further revealed that he received a call from Rishi Kapoor, who asked him to accompany him to the sets of Raj Kapoor’s cult film ‘Mera Naam Joker’. He said, “When my exams were over, Rishi, my childhood friend, called me and said, ‘Papa (Raj Kapoor) is starting the shooting of Mera Naam Joker’s next part,’ which was about the Russian circus. He said, ‘The girls with the Russian circus are very pretty. They are small and young and wear short skirts.’ I found the idea very exciting. So, I went there with Chintu.”
The filmmaker stated that after reaching the set, he saw Raj Kapoor’s work and observed that he was controlling a unit of 5,000 people, including Russian and Indian circus artistes and crowds by sitting in just one spot. He praised Raj Kapoor and said that amidst all the chaos on set, he knew what he wanted, there was no confusion in his mind, and he paid attention even to the small details.
Rahul further added that he went to the sets next and thought about assisting Raj Kapoor for the film. “The next day, I went to the shooting site alone and then started going there every day. I came back and told my mother, ‘It is December now and I have to go to Canada only in July. So, I was thinking of assisting Raj uncle during these 6-7 months.’ Mom agreed and said that Papa would be very happy. So, he went and talked to Raj saab, who said yes,” he stated.
“Then he called me and welcomed me. I informed him about my plan to go to Canada, hearing which he started laughing and said, ‘Look son, you can go when you want to. But let me tell you one thing: once you enter this industry, it’s very difficult to leave it.’ That’s exactly what happened. I went there for six months, which became one year, and eventually, I forgot about nuclear physics,” Rahul said.
Rahul Rawail also talked about the close bond and friendship he shared with Rishi Kapoor and said, “We had been together since kindergarten and shared a 60-year-long friendship. We talked every single day, no matter where we were in the world. Even when we fought, we still talked to each other.”
Rishi Kapoor passed away at the age of 67 on April 30, 2020.
Recently, the yesteryear director talked about his friendship with Rishi and what Raj Kapoor told him when he first asked the actor to work as an assistant. During a conversation with Friday Talkies, Rahul said he started working as an assistant director at the age of 15. He revealed that although his father was a filmmaker, he initially did not take any interest in it. Since his school days, he had a desire to pursue nuclear physics and was planning to go to Canada for that purpose.
He further revealed that he received a call from Rishi Kapoor, who asked him to accompany him to the sets of Raj Kapoor’s cult film ‘Mera Naam Joker’. He said, “When my exams were over, Rishi, my childhood friend, called me and said, ‘Papa (Raj Kapoor) is starting the shooting of Mera Naam Joker’s next part,’ which was about the Russian circus. He said, ‘The girls with the Russian circus are very pretty. They are small and young and wear short skirts.’ I found the idea very exciting. So, I went there with Chintu.”
The filmmaker stated that after reaching the set, he saw Raj Kapoor’s work and observed that he was controlling a unit of 5,000 people, including Russian and Indian circus artistes and crowds by sitting in just one spot. He praised Raj Kapoor and said that amidst all the chaos on set, he knew what he wanted, there was no confusion in his mind, and he paid attention even to the small details.
Rahul further added that he went to the sets next and thought about assisting Raj Kapoor for the film. “The next day, I went to the shooting site alone and then started going there every day. I came back and told my mother, ‘It is December now and I have to go to Canada only in July. So, I was thinking of assisting Raj uncle during these 6-7 months.’ Mom agreed and said that Papa would be very happy. So, he went and talked to Raj saab, who said yes,” he stated.
“Then he called me and welcomed me. I informed him about my plan to go to Canada, hearing which he started laughing and said, ‘Look son, you can go when you want to. But let me tell you one thing: once you enter this industry, it’s very difficult to leave it.’ That’s exactly what happened. I went there for six months, which became one year, and eventually, I forgot about nuclear physics,” Rahul said.
Rahul Rawail also talked about the close bond and friendship he shared with Rishi Kapoor and said, “We had been together since kindergarten and shared a 60-year-long friendship. We talked every single day, no matter where we were in the world. Even when we fought, we still talked to each other.”
Rishi Kapoor passed away at the age of 67 on April 30, 2020.
Amol Palekar hated ‘Court’, says Rahul Rawail
