Mumbai: With moist eyes and prayers, Shammi Kapoor’s family members and friends bid goodbye to the veteran actor at his funeral at the Ban Ganga cremation ground here Monday morning.
The 79-year-old actor, who was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital, Aug 7, breathed his last Sunday morning after suffering kidney failure.
Shammi’s body was brought to the cremation ground around 10.30 in the morning and the last rites were performed by his son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, who was wearing his father’s beads around his neck. The late actor’s brother, Shashi Kapoor, who is himself unwell, attended the cremation on a wheelchair.
His nephews Randhir and Rishi Kapoor and his grandnephew Ranbir were also present for the last rites.
Apart from the family, many Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Prakash Jha, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ketan Desai, Satish Kaushik, Subhash Ghai, Jug Mundhra, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Yash Chopra, Nikhil Advani and Sudhir Mishra also came to the cremation ground.
Danny Denzongpa, Ranjeet, Fardeen Khan, Vinod Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tom Alter, Shatrughan Sinha, Tinu Anand and Kabir Bedi were also there.
Actor Hrithik Roshan, an ardent Shammi Kapoor fan, says he will introduce the magic of the late actor, who passed away Sunday, to his two sons – Hrehaan, five, and Hridhaan, three.
Among the actress who came for the funeral were Priyanka Chopra and Madhuri Dixit.
Madhuri Dixit, said: “It’s always very sad when such a great person and such a great star passes away. I met him last many years ago and it was always so nice meeting him. I’ve been a fan of his and have seen almost all his films.”
Stringent security measures were taken and the entire area was full of police personnel.
There will never be another Shammi Kapoor: Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, who attended late actor Shammi Kapoor’s funeral Monday, said there will never be anyone who can come even close to the 79-year-old actor.
“I am so sad that I don’t even feel like talking right now. He was a great actor. His style and his way of acting is cult and it will remain forever. We will never have another Shammi Kapoor in our lives,” the 78-year-old director told reporters at the Ban Ganga cremation ground. (IANS)