Hrishikesh Mukherjee on Anand: There are many stories of Bollywood which keep coming up from time to time. There have been many such friendships, some stories of which you may have heard, many remained untold. One of them was the friendship between Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor. Hrishikesh Mukherjee had told about this during an interview in 1997. Hrishikesh Mukherjee produced and directed many brilliant films, one of them was ‘Anand’ which was released in the year 1971.
The film Anand was Amitabh Bachchan’s first superhit film. Hrishikesh Mukherjee told in an interview that the idea of making this film came to him after seeing one of his friends. Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna were in the lead roles in the film and the role of its lead actor ‘Anand’ was of a lively person who was completely inspired by Raj Kapoor.
Friendship of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor
According to Indian Express, in an interview with Rediff in the year 1998, Hrishikesh Mukherjee had narrated many stories while mentioning the film Anand. He had told that the film Anand was based on the friendship between him and Raj Kapoor. Hrishikesh Mukherjee had said, ‘The idea of making this film came to me after befriending Raj Kapoor. To be honest, this is his biography in a way. I wrote Anand’s story when Raad Kapoor’s health was not good.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee had further said, ‘Even during illness, Raj Kapoor was always full of enthusiasm, used to make films and go to parties. Seeing him, people asked him to take rest but Raj Kapoor used to say that live happily as long as you have life, you have to die tomorrow. I incorporated all these things of his in the film Anand.
If you have watched the film Anand thoroughly and felt the character of Rajesh Khanna, then you will see the truth in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s words. Rajesh Khanna played the role of Anand who is on the verge of death but has a lot of positivity in him. According to Hrishikesh Mukherjee, in real sense Raj Kapoor was exactly like ‘Anand’.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee had said that Amitabh Bachchan’s role in the film was based on his life. A friend whom you are always afraid of losing and explain to him that even knowing the disease you have does not worry you. So Raj Kapoor used to explain exactly like Anand. Raj Kapoor was a very lively person and he was excellent in every aspect, be it acting or getting someone to act.
How did Raj Kapoor die?
Raj Kapoor was a famous actor, director, writer and producer of Hindi cinema. He used to film stories from his life to add life to films. He was called ‘The Showman’ of Hindi cinema and is remembered even today.
According to media reports, Raj Kapoor was suffering from asthma, a disease that causes breathing problems. According to reports, on June 2, 1988, Raj Kapoor’s asthma started worsening and he had trouble breathing. Due to this reason, he died on the same day at the age of 63.