Shashi Kapoor's son: Dad never gave much importance to awards

Dad never gave much importance to awards. For him the only two serious recognitions were the President's Golden Medal and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award which he's just received. When he heard the news he smiled, laughed a little.
READ: Shashi Kapoor to get Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2014
Dad never brought his work home but he'd try to schedule his outdoor schedules to coincide with our school holidays. Since most of the films then were shot in Kashmir, we went to the valley often.If he packed up early, we'd go out for lunches, long walks, shikara rides and even picnics. One of my earliest memories are of Jab Jab Phool Khile, though I was too young then to even know the name of the film. Dad plays a poor Kashmiri boatman who falls in love with a rich tourist. He dressed like a local in pathani salwar and a cap. His co-star, Nanda, was a top star. I met her during my first mainstream film, Ahista Ahista. She played Padmini Kolhapure's mother and we spoke fondly of dad.
My last trip to Kashmir was for Kabhie Kabhie. Yashji (Chopra) unit was like one big happy family. After pack-up every evening, there'd be badminton matches. Neetu (Singh) was there, it was just before she married Rishi (Kapoor), and Raakheeji who cooked her prawn curry.
After I became an actor and a producer, we often discussed cinema and theatre, but more of other people's work than our own. He admired his older brother Raj Kapoor and respected Satyajit Ray. I recall meeting Sohrab Modi whose Sikander he was impressed by, a couple of times.
Listen to the songs of Jab Jab Phool Khile on Gaana.com
We played father and son in Vijeta which he produced. I was really nervous but he made it easy for me, never saying, “Don't do this.“ On the contrary he'd say that if you don't fall down, how'd you learn to pick yourself up.
I visited the Junoon sets. When director Shyam Benegal learnt that I could ride a horse, he put me into a shot.The film released in '79, but when I was restoring it recently, I realised that over three decades later, it's still a good film, not at all dated.
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