Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has left everyone for his heavenly abode. The actor succumbed to leukemia after a two-year long battle with the disease, in Mumbai on Thursday morning. The Kapoors are at the hospital during this time of grief. Rishi Kapoor’s daughter Ridhima Kapoor Sahni, who was in Delhi at the time of his death, finally got permission from the higher authorities to travel 1400 kms from Delhi to Mumbai for the actor’s last rites.

Rishi Kapoor was touted to be the most romantic hero of his time and had gone on to do many versatile roles in the last decade. A few years ago, Rishi launched his biography which was titled ‘Khullam Khulla’ where he made some startling revelations about his career. Son Ranbir Kapoor had written an interesting foreword for the book which we remember today as the actor is no more with us.

He wrote, “I am closer to my mother. I feel that Dad modelled his relationship with me on the one he shared with his own father. And it is true that I have never crossed a certain line with him. But there is no sense of loss or vacuum here. I do wish sometimes that I could be friendlier with him or even spend more time with him.”

Ranbir had also mentioned that though his relationship with his father was formal, he would change it if he ever becomes a “father.” “I wish I could just pick up the phone and ask him, ‘Dad, how are you doing?’ But we do not have that. We do not have a phone relationship. When I get married and have children, I would want to change that dynamic with them. I don’t want my relationship with my children to be as formal as the one I have with my father. I want to be friendlier, be more connected, spend more time with them than he did with me.”

He further wrote about his love for his father and expressed, “I love my father dearly and have immense respect for him. I’m inspired by him and never want to let him down. I know he has only my best interests at heart. He also takes care of the financial side of my work. So we are more connected now. His confidence in me and my work makes me take pride in it. I persevere that much harder because of this. His belief and his encouragement are important to me.”

Rishi Kapoor is survived by his son, actor Ranbir Kapoor, daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and wife Neetu Singh.