'Once an actor, always an actor'

When India was struggling for Independence, the Kapoor clan welcomed its third generation. It was February of 1947 when Randhir Kapoor was born to add another feather (in acting) to the oldest family of the Indian film industry.

As Rishi Kapoor starrer D-Day releases this Friday, his older sibling Randhir Kapoor plays father of Girish Kumar in Prabhu Deva’s Ramaiya Vastavaiya; which is incidently releasing on the same day.

 “A father is a father,” said Randhir when recently in the City to promote the film where he plays a dad. “There is hardly any difference between your father and my father. He loves you and my father loved me. So, the character is not different but I liked the film when Prabhuji showed me the Telugu version. It was a sensible story so I agreed to do it.”

More than the character it was his desire to work with Prabhu Deva. “I am a fan of Prabhu Deva,” he exclaims adding “the way he dances, it seems he has no bones in his body.”

Now, even Prabhu’s direction has impressed the actor.

From Kal Aaj Aur Kal to Ramaiya Vastavaiya, the experienced actor has enjoyed two innings in his Bollywood journey. Looking back he feels, “I should have directed more films but I am a lazy man. Now the audiences have changed. The new generation has arrived and I have taken a back seat.”

Having enjoyed both his innings equally, Randhir says, “Once an actor, always an actor. God has been kind and blessed me with wonderful children who are doing well. I am grateful to the audiences who have accepted my grandfather, my father, my uncles, my brothers and my children Kareena and Karisma and now Ranbir. Out of 100 years of Indian cinema, the Kapoors have contributed for more than 80. Assi saalon se to hum aapka mann behla rahe hain aur aap bhi hamare ko kandhon pe leke chal rahe hain.”

He alone has been in the industry for four decades and feels that it has been a “wonderful life - from being a hero to being father of the hero.” he says sounding happy about the characters coming his way and admits that, “I don’t do a lot of work because God has blessed me with children who are doing well. I’m not doing badly either,” he adds tongue-in-cheek, “Mujhe ghar chalane ke liye kaam nahin karna padta. If I like a role and I get good respect, I do the film.”

Yet, he decided to make a comeback. “Sajid Khan was instrumental in bringing me back. He insisted that I work in his film, so I worked in Housefull. In the second part he said that he has a better role. And I too got a chance to work with my younger brother Rishi Kapoor.”

He feels glad that, “at the fag end of my career, I have worked with my brother.
I wonder why nobody thought of taking both of us in one film?”

So strong is his desire to work with his off-screen relatives that when asked about playing an on-screen father to Kareena, the actor exclaimed, “I am game for it. Bhejo na mereko koi aisi picture.” Are the directors listening?