Anubhav Sinha recently reflected on his collaboration with Rishi Kapoor during the making of Mulk in 2018. The director recalled his experiences with the late actor, and humorously referred to Sinha as a ‘Punjabi badmaash’ for his insistence on reciting his lines. He added, “He would suddenly come to me and say, ‘What have you written here? I don’t understand’.”
In a recent interview with Mashable India, Anubhav Sinha revealed how Rishi Kapoor enjoyed listening to scene descriptions from him. Given that Rishi was a Punjabi playing a character from Banaras, he often requested Sinha to read the lines out loud. Sinha said that after watching Rishi closely, he felt unable to act and asked the actor, “So whenever I am narrating the scene to you, please listen to me. I don’t know more than that.” Due to this, Rishi Kapoor had to look for opportunities to join the discussion about various scenes.
He further added, “Later, I realized that he was bullying me by narrating the scenes and lines to me. He was a Punjabi crook. He would suddenly come to me and say, ‘What have you written here? I don’t know’ How do I say this line?’ And I used to be stunned. I used to ask, ‘Why sir, what’s wrong?'” When he performed a line like ‘I can’t go without you’, Rishi humorously joined in the conversation and imitated it. The director said, laughing, remembering these conversations.
In the same interview, Anubhav expressed his admiration for the respectful nature of the great actor. Reflecting on Rishi Kapoor’s remarkable journey, Sinha said that Rishi was a born star, having shot to fame at the age of 12 as Raj Kapoor’s son. He recalled how Rishi had first enthralled the audience in Mera Naam Joker, yet he approached Sinha with utmost politeness and asked, ‘Jee Anubhav ji, tell me’.
Despite Sinha’s attempts to discourage formal address, Rishi insisted on showing respect, even calling him ‘Sir’. Ultimately, he chose the title ‘Sinha Saheb’, which reflected his professional relationship.
The 2018 legal drama Mulk centers around a family struggling to exonerate themselves when a member is implicated in terrorism. The film, with a compelling narrative and strong acting, also stars Taapsee Pannu, Rajat Kapoor and Manoj Pahwa.
Meanwhile, Anubhav Sinha’s most recent directorial venture is IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.
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