Bollywood / Rishi's last film 'Sharmaji Namkeen' to be completed: Report

Bollywood Desk: Rishi Kapoor’s unfortunate death came as a shock for the entire Bollywood industry. The legendary actor, who was battling cancer for around two years now, breathed his last on April 30, 2020, in a Mumbai hospital. Needless to say, Rishi’s demise has created a void in the Indian cinema which can never be filled. The fans are certainly going to miss the superstar’s presence on the silver screen. But looks like, the cine buffs might get a chance to witness Rishi’s charm on the silver screen once again as the makers of his last movie Sharmaji Namkeen are planning to continue the production of the project.

According to media reports, Rishi had begun shooting for the movie before he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2018 and had flown to New York for medical treatment. And while his demise came as a shock to the team, there have been speculations if Sharmaji Namkeen will be pushed to the back burner. However, in an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, a source close to the production house Excel Entertainment has cleared the air and stated that they will finish the production of the movie. “Excel has no intention of abandoning the film or leaving it incomplete. Sharmaji Namkeen was Rishi sir’s last film and we will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the film is completed. It’s the least we can do to honour the memory of Rishi sir,” a source was quoted saying.

Talking about Rishi's cancer diagnosis, producer Honey Trehan had stated that while the had stopped the shooting of the movie post Rishi’s diagnosis, the veteran actor was eager to come back to the sets post his treatment. In fact, it was Rishi’s energy and high professionalism that got the things rolling. In fact, after Rishi had returned to India, he was scheduled to resume the shooting on January 15, 2020, in Delhi. Unfortunately, he lost his sister Ritu Nanda in January this year and had to travel to attend to his family amid emotional crisis. Keeping the situation in mind, the producers decided to reschedule the shooting.

"However Rishiji said, ‘bakwas maat karo, what happened is personal but work is my profession. I am equally responsible for both. The show must go on. This is what my father taught me'. You see, under such circumstances where he lost his sister, he did not forget the high professional value that he learnt from Raj Kapoor saab. Rishi sir knew that the responsibility of the film is on his shoulder as he played the title role of the film. He knew that the unit will suffer if we stop the shooting and there comes his spirit and energy to encourage us saying, ‘the show must go on, mujhe call time bataao'," Trehan recalled.

Well, Sharmaji Namkeen will indeed be a special film for all the cine buffs now.