Indo Asian News Service
New Delhi: Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, in a candid confession in his book ‘Khullam Khulla’, has opened up about a meeting with India’s most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim.
In an interview on India Today TV, Rishi was asked by anchor Rajdeep Sardesai about his meeting with Ibrahim in Dubai in 1988.
‘‘What was regretful about it,’’ Rishi retorted.
He narrated how he had landed in Dubai, for a show with RD Burman, Asha Bhosle and Bittu Anand, where a person came to him with a phone and said ‘‘Bhai baat karenge’’.
‘‘He invited me for tea… I went to his house, thinking there was nothing wrong because he just is a fugitive, he had not done the menace…,’’ Rishi said.
Sardesai interrupted, ‘‘but he (Dawood) was still a criminal’’, Rishi said: ‘‘So what? I meet so many criminals in my life… Maybe I am also a criminal, but I may have not committed any serious crime. But yes, as an actor I thought I would like to know his story.’’
‘‘I did so much of him in ‘D-Day’, I was inspired by him for playing that role.’’
Rishi said he had a ‘‘couple of cups of tea’’ with the don during their four-hour-long meeting.
‘‘He also said he didn’t think he would get justice in India.’’
The meeting happened before the 1993 Mumbai blasts. But he was still a criminal wanted by the law.
Rishi said there was ‘‘nothing wrong at all’’ in meeting Dawood as he feels he can ‘‘derive inspiration from these kind of people for films sometimes’’.
‘‘He just asked me for tea, and even said, ‘Sorry I didn’t call you in the evening for a drink because I don’t drink’.’’
Asked if he is still in touch with the don, Rishi said: ‘‘No, there is no contact.’’The actor, who belongs to famed Kapoor family, also ruled out any underworld connection with the present-day film industry.
‘‘I don’t think we have any connect with underworld… We are a clean system, with corporate money and bank finances now.’’ But Bollywood had strong underworld links in the 1990s? ‘‘Maybe so…’’ he said, and then narrated how Dawood had sent one representative to his Mumbai house to pay condolence a day after his father Raj Kapoor had died in June 1988.
He said Dawood was a great admirer of his father, a legendary actor and filmmaker.
Did Dawood buy him any gifts? ‘‘Never… But he offered me and asked me, ‘‘Can I get you something?’’ I said ‘No, why would you get me anything? I can afford what I want’.’’
Rishi said: ‘‘I am not a hypocrite – there’s nothing wrong meeting him. People go to prisons to meet criminals.. I met him in a foreign country. By that time, he had not gone against our country – at least not done something as grave as he did later.’’
