Rishi Kapoor cremated in the presence of family, Alia, Anil Ambani; kin recall actor’s love for ‘friends, food & films’ in final months

NEW DELHI: Rishi Kapoor, Bollywood’s evergreen romantic hero, passed away on Thursday morning after battling cancer for two years. The 67-year-old actor was cremated at 4pm at the Chandawadi crematorium in south Mumbai in the presence of family and close friends.

His body was brought to the crematorium in an ambulance at around 3.45 pm directly from the H N Reliance Hospital - where he had been admitted on Wednesday after complaining of uneasiness - amid tight police security.

Present at the cremation were his wife Neetu Singh, son Ranbir, elder brother Randhir and industrialist Anil Ambani - whose wife Tina had shared screen space with the actor in the early ‘80s. His niece, Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan, along with her husband Saif Ali Khan, was also seen attending the last rites. Actor Abhishek Bachchan and Ranbir's rumoured girlfriend Alia Bhatt were among the non-family members present at the cremation.

Meanwhile earlier on Thursday, his daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, who is based in Delhi, sought special permission from Delhi Police to travel 1400 km to be with the family in Mumbai.

"Along with Riddhima, four other people -- Bharat Sahni, Samara Sahni, Akshay Sahni and Drigalakshmi Rai -- got permission to travel to Mumbai," Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said.

Kapoor was admitted to the H N Reliance hospital in south Mumbai on Wednesday after he complained of uneasiness. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2018, he underwent treatment in New York for almost a year. In September 2019, he returned to India but was seen rarely in public.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who tweeted condolences for the third-generation actor, “an evergreen personality with an always smiling face” of the famous Kapoor clan. The PM called the ‘Chandni’ star a “Multifaceted, endearing and lively...this was Rishi Kapoor Ji. He was a powerhouse of talent.



In a statement, the Kapoors said that the actor remained "jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents".

"Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him," the family said in a statement, adding the actor would like to be "remembered with a smile and not with tears".

The actor returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year.