Film maker Habib Faisal made his big Bollywood debut with Do Dooni Chaar, fifteen years ago with real-life couple Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor. He recently recalled how Neetu played a crucial role in balancing Rishi’s dynamic nature.
Rishi Kapoor’s initial reaction to the role
In conversation with SCREEN, Habib shared reaction of Rishi Kapoor when he was first offered the script. He said, “He was very honest about one thing, he said he didn’t know this space at all and had never performed such a role before. But what he connected with were the relationships and emotions. For instance, his bond with his sister, which drives him to borrow a car and travel all the way to Meerut to please her. And more broadly, the simple journey of buying a car, that challenge intrigued him. Until then, most of his narratives were driven by romance, falling in love and its conflicts. But here, the need and want were different: the happiness of the family. Finding joy for himself through his family’s happiness, that’s what truly connected with him.”
Embracing the challenge
Elaborating further, he added, “In terms of performance, this new kind of character became a challenge he completely surrendered to the script, me, and the entire process. After the film, some fellow directors asked how it went so smoothly with him, and I believe it was because he embraced that challenge fully. And he also really enjoyed being in Delhi. Most of our ADs, crew, and cast were from Delhi, except him and Neetu Singh. Everyone spoke pure Delhi lingo, which he loved. The actor in him was thrilled by the local cadence. Often, just before a take, he’d ask our AD, Sumit Tyagi, to say his lines in that Delhi tone, and then he’d deliver them exactly like that in the shot. “At the same time, he did have some anxiety, wondering how audiences would react to seeing him and Neetu Singh together again, and whether people would come to the theaters. But that didn’t deter him; if anything, it made him more excited about the film,” he said.
Neetu Kapoor’s grounding influence
Talking about working with the very talented Neetu Kapoor and how she managed to balance her husband’s dynamic nature, Faisal shared, “Her presence was phenomenal. She was instrumental in providing balance and reining him in because he could be a bit bratty at times. For instance, before shooting began, I went to their house and suggested they come two days early so we could do readings on set. I thought it would help break the ice with the rest of the cast, especially the kids, and help everyone stop being “stars” and become their characters. He instantly refused, saying, “I don’t do readings and all.” But Neetu Singh said, “I’m going. You don’t want to, but I’ll go.” So he ended up coming with her.” He continued, “By nine in the morning, they were there while we were setting up. He walked around, looked at the fridge, the helmet, the table, the stove, the cooler, everything, and slowly got into the zone. We started reading, and since he’d refused, I began reading his part. After a while, he joined in and said, “Okay, now I’ll do it.” That was Neetu Singh’s influence, she always managed to rein in the brat in him. But I must say that I learned a lot about filmmaking from him.“Do Dooni Chaar also featured Supriya Shukla, Akhilendra Mishra, Archit Krishna and Several Other Roles.
