Bollywood director and editor Rahul Rawail, who was mentored by Raj Kapoor, made his directorial debut in 1980 with Gunehgaar, starring Parveen Babi, Rajendra Kumar, Asha Parekh, and Rishi Kapoor. In a recent chat with Friday Talkies, Rawail reminisced about his close friendship with Raj Kapoor’s son, Rishi Kapoor and shared a fun story about how Rishi, his childhood friend, once asked him to assist Raj Kapoor on the film Mera Naam Joker.
Rahul shared that he started working as an assistant director at 15. His friend Rishi convinced him to help with Mera Naam Joker, saying the Russian circus girls were pretty, young, and wore short skirts. “I started working as an assistant director at the age of 15. Though my father was a filmmaker and the atmosphere was always there, I never paid attention to it initially. Since my school days, I wanted to do nuclear physics and for that, I was planning to go to Canada. When my exams were over, Rishi, my childhood friend, called me and said, ‘Papa (Raj Kapoor) is starting the shooting of Mera Naam Joker’s next part,’ which was about the Russian circus. He said, ‘The girls with the Russian circus are very pretty. They are small and young and wear short skirts.’ I found the idea very exciting. So, I went there with Chintu (Rishi’s pet name). Upon reaching the set, I saw Raj saab working. This one man was controlling a unit of 5,000 people, including Russian and Indian circus artistes and crowds, whilst sitting in one spot. Even amidst this, he knew what he wanted, there was no confusion in his mind, and he paid attention to even the minute details,” he recalled.
“I kept looking at him for the entire day. By the time I noticed, the girls had left. The next day, I went to the shooting site alone and then started going there every day. I came back and told my mother, ‘It is December now and I have to go to Canada only in July. So, I was thinking of assisting Raj uncle during these 6-7 months.’ Mom agreed and said that Papa would be very happy. So, he went and talked to Raj saab, who said yes,” he added.
Rahul said he watched Raj Kapoor at work all day but missed the girls leaving. The next day, he went to the shooting site alone and kept going every day. At home, he told his mother he wanted to help Raj Kapoor until July, since he wasn’t going to Canada until then.
Looking back at his friendship with the late Rishi Kapoor, he said, “We had been together since kindergarten and shared a 60-year-long friendship. We talked every single day, no matter where we were in the world. Even when we fought, we still talked to each other.”
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