In the nearly sixty years since he began acting in Hindi films in the late 1960s, Amitabh Bachchan Having worked with many talented actors of all generations and developed strong on-screen bonds with several of them, one of them being the late actor Mukri. The two have shared screen space in films like “Laawaris”, “Sharaabi” and “Coolie”. However, when Mukri died in 2000, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan Missed his funeral. Recalling that period in a recent interview, Mukri’s daughter Naseem Mukri revealed, Rishi Kapoor Showed up at 7am and “cryed like a baby” after hearing the news of Mukri’s death.
Amitabh Bachchan ‘never came’ after Mukri’s death, daughter says
While talking to Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, Naseem was asked if he continued his friendship with Mukri’s family after Amitabh’s death, to which she replied that this was not the case. She further mentioned that after Mukri’s death, he never visited their home again. She recalled Amitabh’s early struggling years, when he and his brother Anwar lived at Mohammad’s house. Amitabh would come over occasionally, but that changed over time. “Filmo ki dosti aisi hi hoti hai (That’s friendship in movies),” she added, “As long as you’re a hot character, whether it’s the heroine, the comedian, the villain or whatever, as long as you make the movie a hit, friendship is great until then, but after that, if it doesn’t work, then bye. Then it’s, ‘Who are you?'”
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan also missed the funeral
Naseem was further asked if Bachchan attended the funeral, to which she simply replied: “No.” She added that Mukri was also close to Jaya Bachchan, having worked with her in one of her earlier films, Piya Ka Ghar. “Jaya Bachchan and my father became good friends because of Piya Ka Ghar. They would stay together during outdoor shoots in villages. But she didn’t come either. Not even a phone call. We didn’t even notice who was coming,” she said.
Rishi Kapoor rushed to pay his respects
Rishi Kapoor learned of Mukri’s death through a TV news broadcast at 2 a.m., and he had already arrived to express his condolences at 7 a.m. “Rishi Kapoor came at 7 am. He saw it on TV at 2 am. It was broadcast immediately. At 7 am, the doorbell rang and we opened the door and there he was, crying like a baby. Because my father and Rishi worked a lot together,” she shared.
Rishi Kapoor and Mukri’s screen legacy
Rishi and Mukri have worked together in several films, including Amar Akbar Anthony, in which Mukri played Neetu Kapoor’s on-screen father. “The song ‘Tayyab Ali’ was successful because of Rishi and Mukri’s performance,” she said.
Mukri’s death and legacy
Mukri died of a heart attack in Mumbai in 2000 at the age of 78. He is widely recognized for his comedy roles in films like Mother India and Mumbai to Goa.