Shashi Kapoor's heroines remember 'the Gentleman'

From Sharmila Tagore and Asha Parekh to Hema Malini Zeenat Aman Mumtaz Shabana Azmi and of course Raakhee Gulzar with whom Shashi Kapoor did the maximum number of films the demise of the veteran actor has left his heroines shattered Shabana who is in Sydney is too grieved to speak on the actor whom she names among the biggest influences in her life along with Shashis wife Jennifer Kendal filmmaker Shyam Benegal and her parents Kaifi and Shaukat Azmi He was the most handsome man Ive ever come across says ShabanaShashi Kapoor and Zeenat AmanRaakhee Gulzar wept as she recalled all the meals she cooked on outdoor locations with Shashi during their spectacularly successful stints for Sharmilee Kabhi Kabhie and a slew of films some of them like Trishna and Jaanwar Aur Insaan forgotten todayHema Malini remembers Shashi as a through gentleman When he did Abhinetri with me I was new and he was established Still he didnt mind doing a film that revolved around my characterShashi Kapoor was Hrishikesh Mukherjees Anand after Kishore Kumar said no But when the reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna showed an interest in playing Anand Shashi was shown the doorKhanna and Kapoor didnt work together for many years when Raj Khosla cast them together in Prem Kahani as the two men in Mumtazs lifeOne of his top heroines told me Id recommend Shashiji for many films But producers would refuse saying he was a flop actor As blunt as that Flop actorthey said I was appalled by the crassness of it But there was little I could do about itIn the 1970s Shashi did come into his own with solo hits like Chor Machaye Shor Chori Mera Kaam and Fakira But he chose to play the second lead in Amitabh Bachchan starrers That finished off his career as a leading man in commercial filmsSharmila Tagore for some strange reason blanks out her stupendously successful pairing with Rajesh Khanna and focuses on her resoundingly flop combination with Shashi KapoorShe once told me I really enjoyed working with Shashi He had a wonderful sense of humour and he was an exceptional husband We did many films together after our successful pairing in Waqt I enjoyed Aa Gale Lag Jaa Paap Aur Punya Anari Suhana Safar His work as an actor and then as a producer of important offmainstream cinema makes him uniqueHe was the first Indian actor to work abroad and that too with an eminent director like James Ivory Together they did exemplary work Shashi worked really hard to achieve what he did as an actor and producer He was an exceptionally softspoken costar and also a very considerate team player on the sets He was very kind to all the technicians He generated tremendous goodwill in cinema and theatre He was an extraordinarily versatile artisteActress Shabana Azmi who did Fakira with Shashi Kapoor said He has been a trailblazer in so many ways He was the first Indian actor to work in Hollywood He was the first mainstream actor who when he turned producer did so with artistic cinema like 36 Chowringhee Lane and JunoonShashi would often joke that since all the films he produced bombed at the box office he had no choice but to do any and every film offered to him Hence his brother Raj Kapoors jibe about Shashi being a taxi on hire didnt stickENTERTAINMENTCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go