‘He loved mustard fish’

Shiboprosad Mukherjee, along with co-director Nandita Roy, was supposed to begin a film with Rishi Kapoor. Raghuvendra Singh takes down his story

"Before the first quarter of 2018 drew to a close, it was decided that Rishi Kapoor would play the lead in our Hindi directorial launchpad. The production house in Mumbai had sent across the DVD of our popular Bengali film to him, which he immediately agreed to do in Hindi. The script was ready and we were about to begin our meetings when the disastrous news of him having taken ill surfaced. He left for New York for his treatment and the project was pushed back by a good couple of months.

“In February, 2019, when he was slowly getting better, I texted him after a long gap. He took no time to reply. His answer was, ‘Both Neetu and I have seen the film, not once, but twice. We had tears in our eyes’. He told me as per the doctors treating him, he could return well by end-July or August (2019). We immediately got in touch with the production house, who said we shouldn’t delay the project any further. It was mutually decided upon that we would get things finalised in New York itself. Rishiji was more than happy with the idea.

“Priya Aven, representative of the production house, Nandita Roy, my co-director and I boarded a flight to NY on July 2. Upon reaching NY, I called up to say we were there. He said he should be meeting us at our hotel and not the other way round, as that is what an actor usually does with his directors. We met at Hotel Sofitel on July 5. He was a bundle of energy that afternoon. His loud guffaws still ring in my ears. He laughed and said since he underwent blood transfusion, he wasn’t sure if all his actor’s blood was gone! He was excited like a child and said if the role demanded him to learn something new, he was game, as he had a lot of free time. I could feel that he was dying to get back to what he loved the most - acting. 

“After the work-related conversation was almost over, Rishiji asked what we were doing that evening. He took no time to invite us over to his place and even asked what drink we preferred. He pronounced that his favourite was Black Label. We had taken with us two handwoven shawls for them and they were happy to accept them at their home in New York. He admired the kantha stitches and said all the raw talent came from Bengal. Meanwhile, he had poured me and the rest a drink. I had asked for a smaller one and he snapped at me for that. There was nothing called a small drink, he said. We then went to an Asian-Chinese restaurant, where Rishiji ordered food for 10 though we were just five people. All the while, I noticed how concerned Neetuji was. Her eyes were always fixed on him, what he was eating, on which side of the road he was… it was as if someone was protecting a child. I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful relationship they shared. 

“That evening, the conversation mostly revolved around Kolkata, Santiniketan and of course, Bengali food. Rishiji wanted to shoot in Kolkata and was yearning to be in Tagore’s abode in Santiniketan. For the first time, I learnt that he was a lover of the famed mustard fish that Bengal is known for. He said we must work out what to eat during the shoot and I told him about my production boy, Ganesh, who is a cook par excellence. Before leaving NY, I had called him as per his wish. He suggested that we could shoot one part of the film at a Mumbai studio upon his return and the rest by winter as he wasn’t comfortable shooting in the summer months.

“Once he returned to India, we resumed talks regarding the rest of the cast. He once told me that during the press meet of a film, a Bengali journalist had suggested that Neetuji and he should work in the Hindi version of Belaseshe. He asked me for the film and said he was just not into the OTT platforms. He didn’t know how to browse through them and that I should set it up for him, even though the film is available on digital platforms. 

“Every time I was in Mumbai, he would ask me to come over. Once, during a conversation on food, he expressed the desire to savour some mustard fish. He wanted to meet my wife, Zinia, who is a good cook. He invited us over to their residence, Krishna Raj and asked us to cook a Bengal rice-fish meal for them. I had packed Bekti fillets and a big hilsa cut into pieces in an ice box. Since it was inconvenient to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen, Zinia made fish fries and mustard ilish at our sister, Indrani’s place in Worli. Even before we were done with cooking, calls started coming in by the dozens. Rishiji was very punctual about time and also a complete foodie. Once we reached their home, Rishiji was excited like a child and Neetuji said she was hoping to learn the Bengali way of cooking fish for the man of the house. That was not to be. Soon, we settled in for an adda. That evening, Kunal Kapoor, son of Shashi Kapoor, joined in. The conversation revolved around the Calcutta of Raj Kapoor and of Shashi Kapoor. The family had immense respect for the city for and the connection that Raj Kapoorji shared with it. Neetuji also spoke about shooting for Yaraana at Netaji Indore Stadium and the excited Kolkata crowd that lined the streets to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. They were surprised to learn from us that Fairlawn Hotel in Kolkata where Shashiji would put up during his long stays in the city still had a room named after him. It was an evening of discoveries, and more discoveries.

“We have since been talking about movies and more and I was concerned about his health after I read that he had taken ill in Delhi. Every time I would hear such news, I would leave him a message and he would reply much to my relief. After a bout of Rishiji’s illness, the film got pushed back further as he was already shooting for one. On March 26, we last spoke when he said he would like to begin the shoot fast. On April 21, I texted him saying I wanted to speak to him. That was for the first time he didn’t reply. I would be lying if I wrote that I wasn’t worried. Some stories are destined to remain incomplete; ours is one. "