New Delhi: Actor Rishi Kapoor has confirmed that the Kapoor family, unanimously, has decided to sell off the iconic RK Studio, established by the legendary late actor Raj Kapoor some four decades ago at Chembur, Mumbai, The Indian Express said on Sunday.

In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Rishi said that while there is an emotional attachment to the place, the studio “had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses”.

“We brothers are strongly bonded. But who knows about our children and grand-children? What if differences crop up in the next generation? The studio would only end up in litigation as so many industrial and textile estates have. There would be family differences and only lawyers would end up charging heavy sums of fee. Do you think my father would have liked to see his labour of love become the subject of courtroom proceedings?” he said while talking about the decision to sell off RK Studio.

Last year, a fire broke out in a RK Studio building during the shoot of reality show Super Dancer 2, which destroyed invaluable RK Films memorabilia, the paper said

Reports revealed all the costumes worn by the RK leading ladies, from Nargis and Vyjayanthimala to Aishwarya Rai, costume jewellery, the clown mask of Mera Naam Joker, the guns used in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, publicity material, and the grand piano used ever so prominently in Awara, Sangam and Bobby, were burnt to cinders.

Popular films such as Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Mera Naam Joker (1970) and Bobby (1973) among others were shot in the studio.—BoC

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2018