Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor breathed his last on Thursday, April 30, 2020. He succumbed to cancer with which he was diagnosed two and a half years back. The Kapoor Family released an official statement reminding his fans that he'd want them to remember him with a smile and not a tear. The actor was forever remembered as a jovial man who was full of life, zest and zeal. However, little did anyone know that he got his inspiration and strength from his wife of 40 years and a partner for almost 50 years Neetu Kapoor who stood by him like The Rock of Gibraltar through thick-and-thin and in sickness-and-in-health.
It was because of Neetu's constant support that the actor managed to stay in high spirits during his cancer treatment in New York. He often got dejected in the foreign land and wanted to come back to India. His social media posts often rued the fact that he was away from home for a long time but Neetu never let him get dejected. She managed to capture the thrill and excitement of even mundane things like sipping a cup of coffee at a cafe in NYC a big thing and shared adorable pictures on social media spreading positivity and joy in Rishi's life and his well-wishers. She left everything in Mumbai to shift base to New York while Rishi was undergoing treatment. It must have been tough for her to see her husband go through rigorous and painful chemotherapy treatments but she ensured that he would see her smiling and provide the much-needed hope and support to him.
Rishi's and Neetu's love story was not love at first sight. In fact, Neetu had gone on record saying that she did not like Rishi as he was a bully and remarked on her clothes and makeup when they worked together on films. However, they soon became good friends and while Rishi took her help to coax his then-girlfriend he realized that it was Neetu whom he missed the most. He had sent a telegram to Neetu when he had gone for a shoot in Europe stating, "yeh Sikhni badi yaad aati hai." He even told her that he will only date her and not marry her. However, Neetu never gave up on him and he eventually did propose marriage.
They got married in 1980 and their wedding was the talk-of-the-town as Neetu was at the peak of her career and had delivered several hits to her name. Rishi did not want her to pursue acting after marriage and hence had told her to wrap her projects. Recalling his words, Neetu had said, "And then my husband told me to finish everything, so we could eventually start a family. It wasn't that women couldn't work (after marriage) but I was tired of working for 15 years continuously. I wanted a simple life."
However, their marriage was not a bed of roses. Rishi was known to be very temperamental with a love of food and drink. He was also an absent father and a strict one at that since he did several films at the same time. The decision of Neetu not continuing with films after marriage was taken to be Rishi's but Neetu said it was totally her decision. Neetu had become a part of this industry when she was just 5, so by the time she got engaged and was 21, she had already been working non-stop for 15 years and hence decided to give it all up. According to Neetu, she had seen it all. She had become a superstar, she had seen success and she had worked a lot. So Neetu decided to move ahead in life and get married. Months before the wedding, Neetu sent letters to all her directors and co-actors that soon she would not be a part of the fraternity.
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In an interview, Rishi and Neetu had spoken about the slight rough patch in their married life. Talking about that phase Rishi said, "Every relationship goes through such turmoils but eventually comes out of it, our relationship was no different." He further added, "I was being very difficult then, but Neetu absorbed all the shocks I gave her really well. And held onto me." Neetu in the same interview said, "Rishi has always been a very good husband and a very good father, so no matter what happened I knew what I wanted from him and held onto him." Their son actor Ranbir Kapoor had revealed talking about the humongous fights the two had, "In Ranbir's words, "I have seen them fight, but my mother is a rock. She is the one who has kept us all together."
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When Neetu and Rishi appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show their fun and loving banter made the headlines. One such adorable moment was when Neetu called Rishi 'pefect' enough to be left alone. She said, "It has been 37 years to our wedding and everyday there is a moment when I feel I have had enough and want to leave. But imagine how many good qualities he (Rishi Kapoor) has that I have never left him."
When Rishi was first diagnosed with cancer he was devastated. In an interview to a portal, Neetu had detailed how they reacted to the formidable news. She said, "My first reaction was, obviously very bad, I was devastated, my kids were devastated. We didn’t know what to do. But then we thought to ourselves that this is it, we have to deal with it. Where he (Rishi) is concerned, he was in denial. For 4-5 months, he was not himself. I think when you start accepting that this is your issue, then you are stronger. I feel he is much stronger for the past, maybe 5-6 months.”
Neetu said that she began looking at him as if he was her child. She said, “Mujhe laga, I became his mother. Like, like he was my third child…khana, sona, dawaiyaan…jaise bacche ko look after karte hain. I just became a mother. A mother wants to do the best.”
Rishi admitted much later in life that it was Neetu who kept him going and toiled hard for their family and the marriage to succeed and be a happy one. Now, that the love of Neetu's life has gone where nothing will ever disturb and faze him we wish her strength in this tough times to emerge the strong lady that she is.
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