When Bollywood was just too engrossed into gangster dramas, crime thrillers, slapstick comedies and angry young man films, Rishi Kapoor started a trend of drama-romances in the '70s. Incredible music, emotional dialogues, beautiful locations, dramatic storylines and romance that will melt your heart were a staple in almost every Rishi Kapoor romance. He created a space not only for his films but also for his romantic-chocolate boy image in the minds of the Indian audience. The actor was a delight to watch on screen and his romance, even better! Unfortunately, after giving the Indian cinema almost 50 years of his good work, the veteran actor passed away on Thursday after his two-year-long battle with cancer. 

But his journey in the Hindi film industry especially in the romantic genre will be cherished forever. Rishi started winning hearts of the audience right from his debut film Bobby (1973), which remains one of his most successful films even today. An icon among romantic films, Bobby was directed by his father late Raj Kapoor, and also marked the debut of another legendary actress Dimple Kapadia. The film was a huge hit and a trendsetter in its time. It not only introduced Bollywood to the genre of teenage romance with a rich-versus-poor clash as a backdrop, but also became a trend back then. Bollywood then had a number of films in the following years and decades that were inspired by this plot. A 20-year-old Rishi started off as this cute, chubby chocolate boy and was never really able to shed off that romantic image for almost three decades. His sweet innocent lovey-dovey roles kept stealing the audience's hearts and from then on there was no turning back. 

His charm was magical - handsome looks, dreamy face, and a persona that appealed to many. He went on to star in many more romantic-dramas like Prem Rog, Saagar, Henna, and several others. But his 1975 film Khel Khel Mein with Neetu Singh (Kapoor) made a lot of buzz for their on-screen chemistry which soon turned into off-screen as well. Rishi and Neetu ended up starring in 12 romantic films together, giving the audience the best reel jodi of their times. Even after getting married to his frequent heroine Neetu in 1980 Rishi's 'romantic hero' image did not fade away.

Time and again, the actor has had new actresses cast opposite him, to match his charming good looks. The actor romanced with a long list of 50 actresses, giving super hits, one romantic-drama at a time. But his breakthrough performance came in 1989 film Chandni opposite late Sridevi. The film also starred the late legendary actor Vinod Khanna but the film gained attention for Rishi's romantic scenes and songs with Sridevi. 

The actor continued being Bollywood's heartthrob with iconic films like Karz, Deewana, Aap Ke Deewane, and Sargam to his credit. 

Rishi impressed with his performance in 1992 hit Deewana. Even though he was only present in the first half of the film, he was unmissable. The film also featured Shah Rukh Khan, who then established himself as the king of romance with multiple films. Although Rishi then moved on to more age-appropriate and relevant roles in his later years, he was always be remembered as the delightful actor whose dreamy eyes, curly hair, and charming smile made many women's hearts skip a beat. 

Known for his good looks and charm, Rishi once said, "I was scared to do a negative role because people always watched me as a romantic hero".

Well, he will be Bollywood's romantic hero, forever!