The amazing amount of goodwill, respect and affection enjoyed by legendary ‘late’ Bollywood playback singer Mahendra Kapoor and his affable lead actor-turned-singer son Ruhan Kapoor was evident at the star-studded wedding reception of the latter’s suave singer-composer son, Sidhant Kapoor, who had tied the nuptial knot with singer-painter Nikitha.
From Anu Malik to Anup Jalota, from Shahid Rafi to Suresh Wadkar, from Ameen Sayani to Tabassum and from Anandji to Nitin Mukesh and from Johnny Lever to Sudesh Bhonsle and many more comprised the flowing stream of celeb guests. It was sentimentally heart-warming when former film heroine Farha Naaz clad in a glittering saree, came with her actor hubby, Sumeet Saigal, and sibling actress Tabu to bless the newly-weds.
It may be recalled that Farha Naaz was romantically paired opposite ‘hero’ Ruhan Kapoor in their 1985 debut film ‘Faasle’ and later in ‘Love ‘86’. Courteous Ruhan and his wife Neerja and their elder daughter Rishika Bahri played the ‘perfect hosts’. Enthused the 85 plus veteran Bollywood composer Anandji-bhai, “We have sound-alike clones of almost every legendary singer. But it’s near-impossible to find a singer who has the same full-throated vibrant voice and indefatigable stamina like Mahendra Kapoor . My elder brother Kalyanji and I recorded the iconic patriotic song ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’ (‘Upkaar’) with Mahendra non-stop from evening that continued overnight unto the wee hours. That was his exemplary passion for singing. It’s heartening to observe the same dedication inherited by his singer-son Ruhan and now his modest composer-singer grandson Sidhant, who is already earning accolades on the international music scene with his awesome talent,” shares Anandji.
Anup Jalota, Shahid Rafi and Anandji at the wedding reception