Hyderabad: Hindi cinema's original showman Raj Kapoor’s youngest son Rajiv Kapoor passed away on Tuesday. Being a member of Hindi cinema's first family, acting aside, Rajiv had tried his hands at production and direction. He, however, had never shied away from accepting the fact that his career did not pan out as expected.
Rajiv with brothers Randhir and Rishi Known by his nickname Chimpu in Bollywood, Rajiv shot to fame with his starring role in Raj Kapoor's 1985 blockbuster Ram Teri Ganga Maili co-starring Mandakini. His other notable works include Lava, Zalzala and Zabardast. In 1997, he tried his hand at direction with the Rishi Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit starrer Prem Granth, produced under the RK Films banner. Dealing with the subject of rape and its social stigma, the film was a commercial flop.
While talking to a tabloid, Rajiv was once asked if he thinks that he fell prey to the clichéd subjects of the 80s, the actor spoke candidly about what went wrong in his career and personal life.
Rajiv Kapoor once said everybody wanted to project me like Shammi Kapoor READ |Sanjay Dutt, Rajiv Kapoor in Ashutosh Gowariker's Toolsidas Junior
"As far as my career is concerned, Ram Teri Ganga Maili is the best film I did. The other films didn’t do well, but not all were bad. The sad part was that everybody wanted to project me like Shammi Kapoor, because I looked like him. To summarise in simple language – hit is fit. If your movies did well things would be on a different tangent. I did some nice films which had good music, but not many did well," Rajiv had said.
Rajiv Kapoor with Randhir Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor at RK Studio's famous Ganeshotsav The actor got married in his 40s and parted ways with his architect wife named Aarti Sabharwal in a short time. When asked about his failed marriage, Rajiv had said, "Yes, I was married, but it didn’t even last for a couple of months. I then got divorced, remained single, but I was happy with my life. However, I now have my partner with me and I’m happy."
The actor was set to make a return to the big screen after 28 years with Ashutosh Gowariker's Toolsidas Junior. The film was announced in December 2020 with actor Sanjay Dutt in the lead role.
