‘There was never a dull moment with Rishi Ji around’, says Sharmaji Namkeen director Hitesh Bhatia

Sheetal

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Sharmaji Namkeen, the last project of actor Rishi Kapoor whom we lost in 2020 to cancer, will release on Amazon Prime Video on March 31. The film is special for many reasons. It is Hitesh Bhatia’s directorial debut and it has two actors playing the same character. After the death of Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal stepped in to complete the film. Rishi’s son Ranbir Kapoor shared a heart-felt message before the trailer release last Thursday.

The trailer shows the two actors playing a retired man, who wishes to do something meaningful to keep himself busy. Hitesh did not want Paresh to imitate Rishi Kapoor but rather take the character as it came to him. Was his approach a bit different as a director? Answers Hitesh, “The process remains the same. Paresh ji came in. We didn’t want him to imitate but embrace the spirit of the character. We got lucky that he just fell in love with the script.”

Despite the hiccups, the lockdown and Rishi’s health, the director’s zeal to tell the story remained intact and producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani tried every possible permutation and combination to bring this last project of Rishi Kapoor back to life. While Ranbir playing his father’s part with the help of prosthetics or VFX was one option, it was later decided to bring in Paresh Rawal. He adds, “We are eagerly waiting for March 31 to complete the journey of this film.”

All praise for the cast of Sharmaji Namkeen, Hitesh says, “It was one legendary cast, each a powerhouse performer, be it Rishi Kapoor, Paresh or Juhi. A great learning for me as a director to see them perform as all three had a different way of approaching their craft. Rishi came with a certain kind of personality and it was complicated to deal with him. Juhi wanted to do lot of reading and discussions while Rishi ji never wanted to discuss anything.”

And how will he remember Rishi Kapoor? Hitesh quips, “Fondly. It took a little time to understand how he operated but we had a great chemistry. Juhi used to call us Tom and Jerry. We used to fight continuously, but all fights would end up with discussions about the dinner menu. Food helped us bond. He also cared for us. He was fond of me and I was fond of him. I would not box that relationship but it was really special. I saw him falling sick right in front of my eyes and coming back. So many things happened which made it emotional that I would always remember him fondly.”

Hitesh also shares how Rishi and Juhi were their first choice for the film which made it a dream-come true moment when they both said yes. He adds, “Right, when it was two-three page story I and my co-writer, Supratik Sen had kept Rishi and Juhi in our minds as the characters of the project.” Having seen him through his last phase, the director says, “There was never a dull moment when Rishi ji was around. We never shot when he was unwell and when he was fine he was more energetic than any younger person on the sets. He had this gregarious personality that there was no question of feeling sad about his health. The news of his death came as a shock because we had talked few days before and exchanged memes. He couldn’t wait to get back on the sets. He was full of life and stories. I am happy it is the only way I remember him and glad that I had a chance to work with him.”