“Khullam Khulla”: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored: A Study

Abstract

Human Resource as a HR generalist Suhani Singh says, “Rishi Kapoor is not one to mince words, and this has kept the buzz surrounding his autobiography, Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, super-high. Here are ten big revelations from his memoir”

Son of a famous father. Father of a famous son. I am the hyphen between them.

But Rishi Kapoor was and is much more than that. Few actors in Hindi cinema have had such a career. From a lanky teenager admiring his schoolteacher to a mischievous 90-year-old old man, Rishi Kapoor has captivated audiences for nearly five decades. He won a National Award for his debut, became an overnight sensation with his first feature film, and produced a series of romantic musical blockbusters in an era known for anxiety-filled movies. He was a symbol of youth and still remains a star of the satellite TV scene. The songs he lip-synced are still the biggest and final of all radio stations today. Then there was the second coming after a brief hiatus in the 1990s - as one of the finest actors in mainstream Hindi cinema with powerhouse performances in films like Do Dooni Chaar, D-Day, Agneepath and others. Characteristically candid, Rishi Kapoor brings Punjabi brio to the writing of Khullam Khulla. This is as up close and personal a biography as any fan could have hoped for. He writes about growing up in the shadow of a legendary father, skipping school to act in Mera Naam Joker, the workings of the musical hits of the era, an encounter with Dawood Ibrahim, his heroines (their working relationship, the gossip and the frisson that was sometimes real), his approach to his craft, his tryst with clinical depression, and more. A foreword by Ranbir Kapoor and a stirring afterword by Neetu Singh bookend the warmest, most dil se biography an Indian star have ever penned. This paper describes the analysis of the autobiography of film star Rishi Kapoor.