India's youngest superstar, made debut at 20, first film was blockbuster, revived director's career, he is..

There are many actors in the film industry who, despite belonging to a film family, had to work hard to establish themselves in the industry. While many star kids enter the film world and after a series of flop films, distance themselves. Many other star kids become superstars right after their first film and go on to rule the film industry for a long time. 

The star kid we are talking about today is Rishi Kapoor. Born in 1952, Rishi Kapoor is the son of superstar Raj Kapoor and Krishna Kapoor. 

As an adolescent, Rishi Kapoor made his debut in his father Raj Kapoor's film 'Mera Naam Joker' for which he won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. As an adult, Rishi Kapoor's debut film was 'Bobby' opposite Dimple Kapadia. 

Between 1973 and 2000, Kapoor starred as the romantic lead in 92 films.

Rishi Kapoor's film 'Bobby' was released in 1973 and was one of the decade's biggest hits in India. It starred Dimple Kapadia in the lead role and was directed by Raj Kapoor. 

In a 2012 interview, Rishi Kapoor said regarding the film, "There was a misconception that the film was made to launch me as an actor. The film was actually made to pay the debts of 'Mera Naam Joker'. Dad wanted to make a teenage love story and he did not have money to cast Rajesh Khanna in the film."

After 'Bobby' was released, Raj Kapoor's declining career also got a new lease of life. When 'Bobby' was released, it broke many records at the box office. The film became a trendsetter. It was wildly popular and widely imitated. 

In India, 'Bobby' was the highest-grossing film of 1973, earning Rs 11 crore. It was also the second-highest-grossing film at the Indian box office in the 1970s. 

Overseas, the film was highly successful in the Soviet Union when it was released there in 1975, due to Raj Kapoor's popularity there. 

'Bobby' drew 62.6 million admissions at the Soviet box office, making it the second-best-selling film on the Soviet box office charts in 1975, the most popular Indian film of the 1970s, the second-biggest foreign film of the decade. 

The success of 'Bobby' launched Rishi Kapoor as an overnight movie star in the Soviet Union.

As for his personal life, Rishi Kapoor married actress Neetu Singh in 1980. The couple had two children— a son, actor Ranbir Kapoor, and a daughter, Riddhima Kapoor.

Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 and went to New York City for treatment. He returned to India in 2019. Rishi Kapoor died on April 30, 2020, from a recurrence of leukemia.

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