For nearly six decades, since he began his career as an actor in Hindi films in the late 1960s, Amitabh Bachchan he has worked alongside numerous talented actors of various generations, forming strong on-screen bonds with several of them, one of them being the late actor Mukri. The two shared screen space in films like ‘Laawaris’, ‘Sharaabi’ and ‘Coolie’ among others. However, when Mukri died in 2000, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan were absent from his funeral. Recalling this period in a recent interview, Mukri’s daughter Naseem Mukri revealed this Rishi Kapoor he turned up at 7am and was “crying like a baby” on hearing the news of Mukri’s death.
Amitabh Bachchan ‘never visited’ after Mukri’s death, daughter says
During a conversation with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Naseem was asked if Amitabh had continued his friendship with Mukri’s family after his death, to which he replied that he had not. He further mentioned that he never visited his house after Mukri’s death. He recalled that during Amitabh’s early days of struggle, when he was living in Mehmood’s house along with his younger brother Anwar, Amitabh would drop by every now and then, but that changed with the passage of time. “Filmo ki dosti aisi hi hoti hai (That’s how friendship is in films),” he said, adding, “As long as you are a hit jodi, be it a heroine, a comedian or a villain or whoever, as long as you make the film a hit, till then friendship is great, but then, if it doesn’t work anymore. you?'”
Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan also skipped the funeral
Naseem was also asked if Bachchan attended the funeral, to which she simply replied, “No.” He added that Mukri also shared a close bond with Jaya Bachchan, having worked with her in one of her previous films, Piya Ka Ghar. “Jaya Bachchan was a close friend of my father because of Piya Ka Ghar. Then, during the outdoor shoots in the villages, they would all stay together. But she didn’t come either. He didn’t even call. We didn’t even realize who they all came from,” he said.
Rishi Kapoor was quick to pay tribute
Rishi Kapoor, on the other hand, learned of Mukri’s death through a television news broadcast at 2 in the morning, and by 7 in the morning, he had already arrived to pay his respects. “Rishi Kapoor came at 7 am. He saw it at 2 am on TV. It aired immediately. At 7 am, the doorbell rang, we opened the door and he was there crying like a baby. Because my father had worked a lot with Rishi,” she shared.
The On Screen Legacy of Rishi Kapoor and Mukri
Rishi and Mukri had collaborated in several films together, including ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, in which Mukri played Neetu Kapoor’s on-screen father. “The song ‘Tayyab Ali’ worked because of Rishi and Mukri’s performance,” he said.
Mukri’s death and legacy
Mukri died in 2000 of a heart attack in Mumbai at the age of 78. He was widely recognized for his comic roles in films like ‘Mother India’ and ‘Bombay to Goa’ among others.