Lesser Known Facts About Rishi Kapoor’s Bobby!

Bobby  began the  journey  of stardom for Rishi Kapoor.  It is the  ultimate  love story  for  many generations of  Indians. Here  are some  facts about this  romantic  musical blockbuster  that would tickle some torment  others.

1. Raj Kapoor did not make  Bobby to  launch his  son Rishi  Kapoor. From the outset  the film’s focus  was  on  the film’s leading lady  and  ,well, Rishi was welcome to  climb on board.  But he got no  special treatment . His dad was  busy focusing on  the female  lead.
2. 15-year  old  Dimple Kapadia  was  Raj Kapoor’s friend Chunnilal Kapadia’s daughter. He  chose her after auditioning numerous  other  girls  including  Rishi’s future wife Neetu Singh and Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan.
3. Shailendra Singh who was  chosen to be Rishi Kapoor’s  voice was  Raj Kapoor’s choice.He wanted  a  completely new  voice  for Rishi. But  it  was Lata Mangeshkar  all the way  for  Dimple.
4. Lataji  was 40 when she sang for 15-year old Dimple. Before Bobby she had  stopped all communication with Raj Kapoor and she had not sung for him at all  in  his  previous film Mera Naam  Joker. One  of the factors  for  its failure  according to Raj Kapoor was the absence  of his  muse’s voice. Bobby had  to be made with Lataji’s voice, or not at all.It was  music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal  who  brought about  a reconciliation between  Raj Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar .
5. The  role that Aruna Irani paid  of the virgin-boy  Rishi Kapoor’s  seductive  sexually savvy friend  was  written for Rekha . She  didn’t do the role as she found it secondary.  Later after many years Rekha  got  a chance to be  directed  by Raj Kapoor  in Dharam Karam .
6. There  is  a scene in Bobby where Aroona Irani catches  Rishi  emerging  from  the bathroom naked. He was actually nude while doing the  scene. Ranbir Kapoor too did a nude shot in his debut film Saawariya.
7. Bobby had a tragic ending with the  lovers drowning themselves. But distributors threatened  to drown themselves if RK didn’t change the ending.  Thus  a blissful  finale  was   forced  on  Raj Kapoor’s version of   Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare  must have rolled his eyes.