There was a time Rishi Kapoor‘s job in movies was just to wear printed sweaters and dance in a garden, on a mountain, on roads and various other places. His first inning as an actor was nothing but a true blue Bollywood hero, one who dances, sings, romances heroine, beats the shit out of villains. Since his adult debut in 1972 blockbuster Bobby he continued to do so similar kind of  roles and in his own words those roles had not much of the acting performances. After successfully playing either a lead or mostly second lead in multi-starrers, started accepting roles of a main lead in heroine oriented films.

On the face of it, he was the hero, but if you watch those movies, he had very little to do in them. Be it Prem Rog, Chandini, Heena, Damini, Prem Granth, Yaarana, Anmol etc all these films had a woman in a pivotal character and Rishi Kapoor’s character was in a supporting role. After playing such characters he ventured into filmmaking and directed Aa Ab Laut Chalen  the film didn’t work at the box office but since then has been successful in terms of TV viewing. He took a sabbatical from acting and returned with character roles of a father with big budget bomb Raju Chacha and flop Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi. And, it was his second innings as a character artist which really fetched him all the accolades and critical acclaim, he had been vying for, since his debut in 1972, be it his roles in Fanaa, Namastey London, Chintu Ji etc. Also read: Sass, sarcasm and wit – here’s why Rishi Kapoor is the ultimate Twitter star

Here we take a look at five of his best performances, of course all are from his second innings:

Luck By Chance (2009)

This 2009 film was the directorial debut of Zoya Akhtar and starred Farhan Akhtar in the lead role. The film was based on the life of a struggling actor and how he reaches from rags to riches. Rishi Kapoor played the role of a producer Romy Rolly who signs Farhan Akhtar’s character. Though this highly underrated film performed badly at the box office. His role was appreciated and loved by one and all. His loud mouth unabashed producer character was termed as very authentic and funny. Despite the presence of multiple actors like Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Juhi Chawla, Dimple Kapadia, Konkona Sen Sharma, it is Rishi Kapoor who is still remembered for the film.

Do Dooni Chaar (2010)

This 2010 film was the directorial debut of Habib Faisal. The film saw Rishi Kapoor as a mathematics professor who wants to buy a four wheeler. The role of his wife was played by his real life wife, actress Neetu Kapoor. This slice of life film was critically acclaimed and Rishi Kapoor was praised for his realistic performance.

Agneepath (2012)

And this was the film that changed fortunes for Rishi Kapoor. He wasn’t the main antagonist in the film, that was Sanjay Dutt’s Kancha, but boy he made his presence felt and how. Despite the role of a supporting antagonist who was killed in pre-climax his role is still remembered in this remake of 1990 cult classic. Contrary to the popular belief this wasn’t the first time he played a villain on the big screen after the commencement of his second innings. He had played that role in 2002 dud Kucch To Hai and 2009 dud Kal Kissne Dekha but those characters were not as efficient as that of Rauf Lala. This was the first time his full potential was tapped. Rauf Lala was hedious, despicable, cheap and brutal. He won several awards that year for his portrayal.

D-Day (2013)

He repeated the performance of Agneepath, the very next year with D Day. In this espionage thriller he played Iqbal Seth Aka Goldman, the underworld don, inspired by real life underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Rishi Kapoor’s subtle performance as Goldman was talk of town. Watch out for the climax scene in the movie and you’ll know what I am talking about.

Kapoor & Sons (2016)

This movie by Shakun Batra, surprised me in a big way. The film that starred Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Fawad Khan and Rishi Kapoor was so heartwarming and emotional. The humour in this heavy drama was brought by Rishi Kapoor he played the role of cheerful grandfather whose only wish is to get a family picture clicked before he dies. Rishi Kapoor’s fixation with Mandakini from Ram Teri Ganga Maili or his fixation with porn films or the pranks he played about dying Rishi Kapoor was actually the one who holds the film together.

Happy Birthday Rishi Kapoor…