Actor Rishi Kapoor, after a two-year-long battle with cancer, passed away at a Mumbai hospital today morning. A legend in true sense and an entertainer for decades, the actor fought his battle bravely and the dreadful disease never got the better of him, during the testing times.Kapoor was last seen in Jeetu Joseph’s The Body, a co-starring thriller Emraan Hashmi. And as we write this, his unfinished film Sharmaji Namkeen lies on the table. Helmed by Hitesh Bhatia, the film starring Juhi Chawla alongside him rolled in December last year. The actor, post his return from New York after a year-long treatment, was eager to return to work, and began shooting with full vigor. A handful of delightful photos from the sets also made their way to the internet. However, with Kapoor’s demise, one can’t be certain as to what’s in the film’s fate.

Later, in February this year, a Hindi remake of The Intern was announced, with Rishi Kapoor and Deepika Padukone as the lead actors. In a statement, Kapoor described the film as a relevant one for the “present-day Indian workplace milieu”. The adaptation was supposed to release in 2021.

As an era of Indian cinema ends with Rishi Kapoor’s passing, all we can do is to seek solace in the legacy he has left behind. May his soul rest in peace! V