Ranbir Kapoor recalls Raj Kapoor’s ‘telegram’ to Vyjayanthimala led to creation of ‘Bol Radha Bol Sangam Hoga Ki Nahi’

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor recalled how his grandfather, the legendary actor Raj Kapoor, sent a telegram to veteran actress Vyjayanthimala, convincing her to join the 1964 romantic musical drama, ‘Sangam’.

He shared the making of the song. “I remember while making the music of ‘Sangam’, my grandfather Raj Kapoor wanted Vyjayanthimala to play the role of Radha, and she did not agree, I don’t know for what reason. Aur uus time phone call nahi hote the, telegram bheja jata tha. So, Mr. Raj Kapoor, being frustrated, sent a telegram to Vyjayanthimala. The film’s name was ‘Sangam’ and her character’s name was Radha and he said ‘Bol Radha Bol Sangam Hoga Ki Nahi?’ And the actress wrote back saying ‘Hoga, Hoga Hoga.’ And that became the lyrics of the song.”

He was speaking during a special session in Subhash Ghai’s annual ‘Celebrate Cinema’ festival at Whistling Woods International (WWI). The session, moderated by Subhash Ghai, featured Ranbir alongside noted director Rahul Rawail.

He also spoke about method acting and drawing inspiration from iconic filmmakers such as Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor.

Ranbir was born in the illustrious Kapoor family and is son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor and the grandson of legendary actor Raj Kapoor.

“I’m a product of nepotism and I got it very easy in my life but I always had to work hard because I realised that I come from a family like this and if I don’t have an individualistic approach, I’ll not succeed in the film industry.”

The Animal actor recalled assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the 2005 film Black, “From childhood, I started learning acting… I went to a film school, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, and spent a year there. When I came to Mumbai, I assisted Mr. Bhansali on Black. I think between these years, I got to know what it takes to be a working professional. “

He added, “The method keeps evolving. The method I learnt at Lee Strasberg, I didn’t quite really understand it. When I saw Mr Bhansali directing actors like Mr Bachchan and Rani, and saw him put a shot, I was taking notice and studying it. There is no fixed method; actors have to be flexible. You have to be an employee of the director’s vision. When I worked with different directors in my career, my method kept changing with them..”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Ranbir will play Lord Ram in Nitesh Tiwari’s much-awaited two-part epic Ramayana. He was most recently seen in the Netflix show The Ba*ds of Bollywood in a cameo role. (ANI)