Randhir Kapoor’s  Bloomer On Indian Idol Is An Embarrassment To The Entire Kapoor Clan

Last week on Indian  Idol  star-guest Randhir Kapoor made what is possibly the worst  gaffe  in the  history  of  Indian television.

The  episode  was devoted to Randhir Kapoor’s illustrious  father Raj Kapoor. Contestant  Arunita   Kanjilal  sang the  incomparable Lata Mangeshkar’s Ek Radha Ek Meera  from  Randhir Kapoor’s father Raj Kapoor’s last directorial the blockbuster Ram  Teri Ganga Maili in 1985.

The girl did  a competent job of imitating Lataji. But as  usual judges Himesh Rashmiyya and Annu Mallik  jumped  out of their seats  and behaved as though they had just witnessed the Second Coming.

Randhir Kapoor , in all his pre-paid enthusiasm, went even further. He  extolled, “This  is  among the best compositions  of Laxmikant–Pyarelal.”

Errrr….fact-check, google-search? Or better  still a quick look at the credits in his home productions  would have informed  Randhir Saab that  Ek radha ek meera  is  composed not by Laxmikant–Pyarelal,  but by Ravindra  Jain.

How  could  the son of the distinguished  director of Ram Teri Ganga Maili come up with such a ghastly  bloomer, and that too in  full public view with two so-called music composers Himesh Reshamiya and Anu Malik cheering Randhir Kapoor’s statement as  though they had just heard  the Indian constitution  being  read  out in the parliament.

When a mistake  as  grave  as this  goes uncorrected the entire history of  Indian cinema is distorted.  You are  taking away  credit from a  very talented  music composer(who is  no more and therefore  unable to  protest)   and giving it to the wrong  people.

Of course Laxmikant–Pyarelal were  great  composers who gave  outstanding music  in Raj Kapoor’s Bobby and Satyam Shivum  Sunderam.  But after these back-to-back colossal  musicals, Raj Saab took a break from  Laxmikant–Pyarelal and  signed Ravindra  Jain to do the music  in his next two films Ram Teri Ganga Maili and Heena. The latter was eventually directed  by  Randhir Kapoor  after his father passed away.

He  should  have been better informed.

But the worst was yet to come. After crediting the wrong composers for Ek radha ek meera, Randhir Kapoor went on to rave, “So what if Lataji is  not here, Anurita is here.”

What do  we say to this?  There can  never be  another Lataji in the  history  of human  civilization. Even Raj Kapoor acknowledged that. Just because  one is paid to  praise  a contestant  one can’t  go  overboard  to the extent  of losing all objectivity and  credibility.

 Incidentally, Ek Radha Ek Meera which Ravindra  Jain wrote and  composed ,has a history. Raj Kapoor heard Jain performing the song live on  stage at a function. Raj Saab was  so bowled over by  the words and  tune  that he  went up on stage gave  a token amount of Rs 10 in Jain’s hand and said, “This  song is mine.”

Little  did Raj Saab know that some day  in the distant  future his  son would make such a mockery  of  the classic.