Five times Rishi Kapoor essayed Muslim roles and wowed us

From 'Amar Akbar Anthony' to 'Agneepath', here's a look-back at five of his most memorable roles as a Muslim

Even though Rishi Kapoor had a tendency to strike a negative chord with many Pakistanis thanks to his Twitter rants, the actor was one of the few who had a command over our national language, Urdu.

Thanks to his remarkable acting chops, coupled with his Urdu-speaking skills, he essayed a number of Muslim roles, and did them justice.

In light of the Kapoor & Sons actor passing away on Wednesday, here's a look-back at five of his most memorable roles where he played a Muslim.

1) Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)


This 1977 classic starred Rishi Kapoor as Akbar Ilahbadi, alongside two other Bollywood legends, Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan and Amar and Anthony, respectively. This character is etched in the minds of people even after decades.

2) Fanaa (2006) 


Although he did other Muslim roles from the '80s well into '00s, this one marked his transition into more senior roles. Rishi played a Kashmiri Muslim father to Kajol's character and this Kunal Kohli directorial went on to be a huge hit.

3) Delhi-6 (2009) 


Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6 was not only a landmark film for Sonam Kapoor, but it also garnered praise for Rishi Kapoor's casting as Ali Beg, the head of a Delhi family. Once again, his perfectly honed Delhi-Urdu accent was the shining grace.

4) Agneepath (2012) 


He then showed a more fierce side of his talent - as the formidable Rauf Lala in this remake. Needless to say, his portrayal still manages to chill people to the bone, even with Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena in the same frame!

5) D-Day (2013)


This thriller based on Indo-Pak relations and chronicling the happenings of the underworld had Rishi portraying the underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim. Once again, a performance par excellence.

Which one was your favourite?

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