'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' actor Rajiv Kapoor dies at 58
Mumbai: Actor-director Rajiv Kapoor, son of celebrated filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, died on Tuesday due to heart attack. He was 58.
Neetu Kapoor, wife of late actor Rishi Kapoor, was the first to confirm the news on Instagram. She wrote "RIP" alongside a picture of her brother-in-law.
Brother Randhir Kapoor said Rajiv Kapoor died due to heart attack. "He passed away about 1.30 pm due to heart attack," Randhir Kapoor told PTI.
Rajiv Kapoor made his acting debut with 1983 film "Ek Jaan Hain Hum", but made first appearance as a leading man in blockbuster "Ram Teri Ganga Maili" (1985), which was Raj Kapoor's last directorial venture.
He went on to feature in films like "Aasmaan", "Lover Boy", "Zabardast" and "Hum To Chale Pardes".
Rajiv Kapoor's last film as a leading man was 1990's "Zimmedaar". A lesser known face from the famous Kapoor film clan, he then made a switch to production and direction.
His first production was "Henna" (1991), directed by his brother Randhir Kapoor. In 1996, Rajiv Kapoor made his feature directorial debut with "PremGranth", starring Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit.
He also produced the Rishi Kapoor-directed 1999 romance drama "Aa Ab Laut Chalen".
In 2001, the married architect Aarti Sabharwal, but the couple divorced later.
Rajiv Kapoor was the youngest among three brothers and two sisters -- Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Ritu Nanda and Rima Jain. His eldest sister Ritu Nanda and brother Rishi Kapoor passed away in January and April last year.
The actor was set to make a comeback to the screen with sports drama "Toolsidas Junior", starring Sanjay Dutt in the lead.
Produced by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker and producer Bhushan Kumar and directed by Mridul, the movie was announced in December last year.
Mourning Rajiv Kapoor's death, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar said she is "deeply saddened".
"I just got to know about the passing away of the talented actor Rajiv Kapoor, the youngest son of Raj Kapoor Sahab. I'm deeply saddened by the news. May his soul rest in peace," Mangeshkar tweeted.
Director-producer Naved Jaffrey remembered Rajiv Kapoor as someone with "a pure heart and a very nice human being".
"May his soul rest in peace, deepest condolences to the family," Jaffery wrote on Twitter.
Actor-producer Tusshar Kapoor offered his deepest condolences to the Kapoor family. "Sad to hear of the passing away of Rajiv Kapoor! May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted.
Cine & TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), a trade union which looks after the rights and welfare of its members in the entertainment industry also expressed its deepest condolences on the demise of Rajiv Kapoor.
The late actor was a CINTAA member since October 1983, the association said on Twitter.
"Sad to hear of the passing away of #RajivKapoor (Chimpu) ji ! Deepest condolences to the family! RIP," producer Girish Johar tweeted.
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh said he was "devasted" with the news of Rajiv's demise.
"Devastated! Another big loss to the family Folded hands one of my most favourite people in the world. Love him so so dearly. Don't remember a Happy Moment without him. Chimpu uncle we will miss you," he wrote on the micrblogging site.
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid remembered Rajiv Kapoor as "one of the most versatile" actors of his time.
"My heartfelt condolences to the entire Kapoor family. #OmShanti," director Madhur Bhandarkar wrote.
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Baramati plane crash: Rohit Pawar alleges attempts to shield VSR Ventures
Mumbai (PTI): NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday alleged that someone was trying to save VSR Ventures in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and claimed that the AAIB preliminary probe vindicated the doubts earlier raised by him.
He also accused VSR company of indulging in several grave lapses in the past.
The Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures, crashed near the Baramati air strip in Pune district on January 28, killing Pawar and four others.
In its 22-page preliminary report on the VSR Venture's Learjet plane crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the visibility at the time of the crash was below the required level. It also flagged about fading marks on the runway and presence of loose gravels on the runway surface.
Pawar said, "I am not against VSR or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Ajitdada was travelling in a VSR aircraft. Unless we go into the depth of every aspect, we will not know the truth. But someone is trying to save this company. The doubts we had raised have been proven correct in the inquiry report."
He also claimed that the AAIB report contained discrepancies, including mentioning Baramati as a district, and questioned how seriously the probe had been conducted.
Pawar, who has been regularly holding press conferences to raise issues concerning the Baramati plane crash, also contested the report's conclusion that the aircraft hit trees before crashing.
"The report says the aircraft struck trees and then fell. But there are no trees at that spot. There is only a small bush which the aircraft did not even touch. What is stated in the report about hitting trees is incorrect," he said.
Pawar further alleged that VSR Ventures had displayed irresponsibility on multiple occasions, citing an incident involving the then chief minister Eknath Shinde's Davos visit on January 20, 2023.
He claimed that the aircraft carrying Shinde had entered Iranian and Iraqi airspace without overflight permission, following which fighter jets from the two countries allegedly warned of action, forcing a change in route from Bahrain to Zurich.
"There have been several such grave lapses by VSR," he said.
Pawar demanded to know from where VSR Ventures derived its "audacity", and sought details about its investors and officials, though he added that he was not personally concerned with who they were.
Drawing a comparison, he said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death within two days, whereas a month had passed since the Baramati crash without a similar action.
He claimed that VSR Ventures had two directors and three shareholders, and that there were eight common names across two related companies.
He further alleged that the owner of VSR was related to the Union Civil Aviation Minister and questioned why the company, though registered in Delhi, had made high-value investments in Jubilee Hills (upscale area in Hyderabad) at rates allegedly Rs 17 crore above the market price.
The MLA representing the Karjat-Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district also raised concerns about the legal and institutional framework of the AAIB under the 2017 rules, claiming it was neither a statutory nor an autonomous body and remained answerable to the secretary and the minister, besides being attached to the DGCA.
"There is no independent investigative agency," he alleged.
