Rishi Kapoor on the difference between reel and real life

Actor says it’s not vanity, but sanity, to pick non-stereotypical roles for himself.

MUMBAI: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who will be seen as Sonam Kapoor’s father in debutant director Nupur Asthana’s Bewakoofiyaan, said he isn’t likely to be seen in any “stereotypical” fatherly roles as he finds them “too unexciting.”

“If you notice, I didn’t play my own son’s (Ranbir) father in Besharam. It is not vanity, just sanity. I can’t do the stereotypical father’s role. They don’t challenge me as an actor at all. They’re just too unexciting,” said the 61-year-old. “To my good fortune, I am getting roles that do not require me to be the so-called father,” he added.

Bewakoofiyaan, he says, offered him a rare chance to further a father’s role. “In Bewakoofiyaan, there are only three main characters: Sonam’s, Ayushmann’s (Khurrana) and mine. The film gave me a chance to do something more than what we generally see fathers do in our films. Not that there is anything revolutionary or path-breaking about a father frowning over a daughter getting married,” he said.

The versatile actor sees Bewakoofiyaan as a sign of the changing times. “If you remember, in Bobby (1973), I had to flee on the mobike with [my onscreen lover] Dimple Kapadia. In Bewakoofiyaan, my daughter says, ‘This is the guy for me. You better accept it.’”

Rishi finds his transition from the rebellious lover-on-the-run in Bobby to the disapproving father in Bewakoofiyaan interesting. “I’ve been working for the last 42 years. And look at how much has changed,” reminisced the actor.

“In Bewakoofiyaan, the father has to accept the fact that his daughter is an adult and can take her own decision, no matter how concerned he may be about his daughter’s lifestyle.”

Rishi doesn’t interfere in his own children’s life in his real life. He has two children, daughter Riddhima and son Ranbir. “They are independent individuals with minds of their own. Today, parental intervention is permissible only to the point where the kids respect your opinion,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2014.

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