Rishi Kapoor: When people get unruly and start abusing, hitting each other, you have to turn them away

Actor Rishi Kapoor talks about shooting for his upcoming film, Rajma Chawal, in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, and how cooperative the locals were.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor wrapped up shooting in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area on December 23, after almost a month, for his next film Rajma Chawal. And the actor can’t stop gushing about how amazing people around the area were.

Actor Rishi Kapoor’s upcoming film, Rajma Chawal, deals with the issue of generation gap. (Yogen Shah)

“I felt absolutely thrilled to have shot there. Otherwise, I would never have gone there, and that’s because I come with my security that used to accompany me to the set. However, the people of Chandni Chowk were extremely cooperative and extended all their help. They never bothered us or created any trouble,” says Kapoor, adding that these people are very much a part of the Leena Yadav directorial. “They’re also acting in the film as extras, so, it’s been possible with their help and their assistance,” he shared.

While actors often face the brunt when they have to evade their fans on a shooting location, Kapoor states that no one does it unless absolutely required. “When public behaves well with you, you also extend yourself [to them]. Sometimes, when they become unruly and start abusing and hitting each other, then you have to, at times, turn them away, and it’s not your fault,” he maintains.

Kapoor, along with the film’s cast and crew, was shooting at Lachu Bhai Haveli which was converted into a modern house to suit the film’s theme. Asked how he managed to reach the sets, considering the narrow lanes that no car can maneuver, the actor quips, “Initially, I used to come by car till the main road and then I would walk to the set. But then, I started coming on a bike, as I didn’t feel I needed anyone to escort me.”

In the past, too, several films have had a feel of Chandni Chowk. So, what’s special about this film? Kapoor elaborates, “This real Chandni Chowk has not been seen in any Hindi film, as far as I can remember. Delhi-6 (2009) was shot near Jaipur and we had recreated that set. But this is inside Chandi Chowk. All those restaurants, mithai ki dukaan, khane ki jagah, all other small shops, rickshaws, crowd — this atmosphere has never been in films. And they are all an intrinsic part of the film.”

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