Second innings in films gave me a chance to act

Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor says he is enjoying his second innings in movies as he now gets a chance to actually act and win awards on merit. Kapoor was speaking at the Vadodara Literature Festival, which is being held at Sevasi village on the city outskirts in collaboration with Navrachna University.

"For the first 25 years of my career, I did nothing but sing and dance. In my second innings, I have got the chance to act," he said. Breaking from his boy next-door romantic image, Kapoor in his silver years has won acclaim for his mature and unusual performances in Agneepath, D-Day and Kapoor and Sons. 

Speaking on his tweets, which have often landed him in trouble, the 64-year-old actor, said, "every one has right to express his views on any subject and I am a common man, a tax payer and part of the society...So I use to share my views on Twitter with people which may be liked or opposed, but it should be debated."

However, he refrained from commenting on the Twitter controversy around his outburst on naming the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai after Rajiv Gandhi and only offered," I have no enmity with anyone."

On his tell-all book Khullam Khulla Kapoor said, "In the book, I write openly about how I survived in the industry through my hard work and the love of my fans despite being a romantic hero in an action-films era."

The initial golden run that started with Mera Naam Joker (1970) and then Bobby (1973) ended soon, he said. "My head was in the clouds after Bobby, but my struggle had only begun because at the age of 21, I had become a hero. But then I had realised that I have to keep my feet on ground. The first thing I did when I heard that I would be acting in my father's film was to go to my room and practise my autograph," he said.

Also, Rishi Kapoor's debut as a child artist in his father's film Mera Naam Joker, got him a National Award. Recalling an incident from those days, he said, "After receiving this National award, I went to meet my grand father Prithviraj Kapoor and sought his blessings. My grand father kissed me for winning the award and said Raj (Raj Kapoor) ne karja utar diya hai. I did not realise then what he meant. Several years later, now I realise what my grand father had meant."

Source :Times Of Oman