Close Encounters With Shammi Kapoor

Yahoo Star is no more. Shammi Kapoor, one of the most flamboyant stars of yesteryears breathed his last on Sunday the 14th of August. He was 79.

Shammi Kapoor potrayed romance with a spontaneous gay abandon which none could surpass. He spun, sang and danced his way into his tinsel paramour’s heart and into the very dreams of his ardent fans. Yours truly was one of them.

I had the privilege of crossing his path three or more times in my life. Those memories came back as a flash to haunt me as the news of his death sank in.

The first time I met him was in 1999 when I was had just started my career as a rookie TV journalist in Mumbai.
The then newly elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh had called a meeting of a crosssection of prominent personalities at his residence.Shammi Kapoor was there too.

I met him after the meeting and he talked at length about his passion of life at that time. The Internet. He was the founder-member of Internet Users Community of India and was also very much involved in the setting up of Ethical Hackers Association. His passion for the Net made him start and maintain a website for the 'Kapoor family’. http://junglee.org.in/.

My first personal interaction with him was unsettling. His rockstar persona had given way to an altogther ascetic figure. Long flowing robes, strings and strings of heavily- beaded malas, a prominent tilak and a pair of heavy-duty glasses had changed him, at least physically. But he talked with the same glint in his eyes, unleashed the same unexpected tilts of his neck as you saw in his movies and exuded a strong charisma. He still is a rockstar, I thought.

Years later I met him again at the Gold’s Gym, off Kemp’s Corner. He had a heart problem I guess and used to come at the gym to do the treadmill and some exercises. He had grown weak and lean since I last saw him. But his trademark energy and verve was very much there. We talked a bit about his golden years in moviedom and his nostaglic memories. He relished those years.

Few years later again I happened to cross his path, although in a different way. My Dubai-based friend Barkha Mulani happens to be quite close to Shammi Kapoor’s son Aditya Raj Kapoor. Barkha shared a daughter-like relationship with Shammi Kapoor. So when Kapoor senior fell seriously ill and was recuperating Barkha asked me to send a get-well-soon bouquet to the thespian at his South Mumbai residence. Shammi Kapoor greatly appreciated the gesture.

In fact whenever I happened to call him up for an telephonic or TV interview he was more than eager to talk. We last spoke on the death of actor Feroze Khan.

Today as the iconic star passes away into Infinity he leaves behind him not only his magnificent screen persona but short and sweet memories in the heart of many like me who lucikly happened to know him for that just little while.