Legendary singer Mukesh’s son and actor Neil Nitin Mukesh’s father Nitin Mukesh cannot stop mourning for Rajiv Kapoor.
“My father and Rajiv’s father were very close friends. Raj saab openly used to say that Mukesh was his voice. The closeness was passed on to his children. The Kapoors are my own family. Now we’ve lost four members of that family within a year. First went Krishna Aunty (Mrs Raj Kapoor). Then her daughter Ritu, who was like my sister. Krishna Aunty and Ritu were like angels, hard to say who was more enlightened, maybe Krishna Aunty had the edge because of age and experience. Then I lost my dear friend and brother Chintu (Rishi) in April last year. Now, even before I’ve recovered from the shock, I’ve lost another brother.”
Rajiv Kapoor, says the veteran singer Nitin Mukesh, was an absolute favourite of all. “He was a charmer, he was kind, generous, warm, caring, and filled with love. All our conversations were about love, love, love, and more love. I must tell you, though, Chimpoo (Rajiv) was closer to my younger brother Mohnish, who is no more. I was closer to Chintu (Rishi). But Chimpoo and I also bonded really well.”
Recalls Nitin, “The last conversation we had was about three weeks before his death. Rajiv, who had built himself a beautiful bungalow in Pune, was in Mumbai visiting Daboo (elder brother Randhir Kapoor). He wanted to come and see me. I told him to come at once. ‘Let me work it out. When I come, I will stay for at least two days with you,’ he told me. I told him to come soonest; his room was ready. But before we could meet, he was gone forever.”
Nitinji recalls Rajiv’s visits with pleasure. “He would come with his live-in partner Sunita, whom he never married (for reasons best known to Chimpoo). But she was a lovely lady, a former airhostess, I think. She would keep telling me how handsome my son Neil was. A charming woman. Chimpoo was not very lucky in love. He had married a lady named Aarti, but that ended in divorce. He showered affection on my sons Neil and Naman and told me, ‘Yeh tere bete nahin, mere hain.’ At Neil’s wedding, Chimpoo stayed for all the three days. He was dancing, singing, entertaining everyone as though it was his own brother’s wedding. He had so much love to give. I miss him so much.”
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