Daily Times

Indian actor Rishi Kapoor passed away on the 30th of April, 2020. Owing to the fact that Bollywood movies are as much popular in Pakistan as in India, Pakistanis, all over the social media expressed sadness over the super-star’s demise.

When it comes to Pakistani playwright Haseena Moin, a connection of another kind, professionally justified, emerges between Rishi Kapoor and Pakistan.

Haseena Moin took up-to social media and posted the following status:

“Rishi Kapoor; a great actor, hero of Henna, so sweet and hospitable. God bless your soul and give Nitu the strength to bear this great loss.”

Although Haseena Moin’s name as the writer of ‘Henna’ wasn’t mentioned in the film’s credits owing to the on-going tussle between Pakistan and India, ‘Henna’ was an Indian film penned by Haseena Moin. It was released in 1991 and directed by Raj Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor

Although Haseena Moin’s name as the writer of “Henna” wasn’t mentioned in the film’s credits owing to the on-going tussle between Pakistan and India, “Henna” was an Indian film penned by Haseena Moin. It was released in 1991 and directed by Raj Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor. Raj Kapoor approached Haseena Moin after she rose to popularity in both Pakistan and India due to her blockbuster serials such as “Tanhaiyaan”, “Dhoop Kinare” and “Ankahi” and asked her to write a film for him, which she did. The film’s cast included Rishi Kapoor and Zeba Bakhtiyar in the lead roles. Initially, Shehnaz Sheikh, the heroine of Haseena Moin from “Tanhaiyaan” and “Ankahi” was offered the role, but when she refused, Zeba Bakhtiar was roped in as Rishi Kapoor’s heroine.

That is why Rishi Kapoor’s association with Pakistan, apart from being one related to fandom, is also based on professional work. He acted as a hero opposite Pakistan’s beautiful actress, Zeba Bakhtiar and in a film penned by Pakistan’s most popular and respectable playwright, Haseena Moin. Therefore, while some conservative people might find it problematic that an Indian celebrity’s death is being mourned by Pakistanis, Pakistani showbiz industry has done it for all the right reasons. Art, be it in any form, goes beyond borders to connect people with each other. It’s one of the reasons why a few days before his death, Rishi Kapoor had addressed Pakistan’s Prime Minister and had asked him to take precautionary measures against Covid-19. He had said this out of deep love for Pakistanis, which he believed are not separate from Indians because of their pre-Partition history of togetherness.

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at m.ali_aquarius85@yahoo.com. He Tweets at @MuhammadAli_DT