Priyanka Chopra Jonas wrote a glowing tribute to her Agneepath 2010) co-star, the late Rishi Kapoor, for the Time magazine, where she described him as "a hero who could feel." Kapoor passed away in Mumbai on 30 April at 67 after a long battle with cancer. The actor's demise was mourned by several prominent industry members, who called it the end of an era.
Writing about Kapoor, Chopra described him as, ''the keeper of our hearts, ushering in a new era of romance in Hindi movies. His effervescence and flamboyance instantly set him apart. He was a hero who could feel without being maudlin. He was mischievous, rebellious, passionate — and he made falling in love seem so easy and so within our grasp. What made Rishi Kapoor's love so different? It had all the passion of a Shakespearean hero with a generous dollop of innocence added in."
One of the key characterístics of Kapoor's personality was his congeniality. Praising his joie de vivre, Chopra wrote, "His charisma was in his extraordinary smile, one that made his fans go weak in the knees. And when he danced, he made us all want to jump up and join him."
Chopra and Kapoor worked together in only one film, Agneepath (2010). "I had the privilege of working with him in Agneepath, in which he played a fierce, no-holds-barred character, someone to hate rather than love. The versatility of this genial man will never be experienced again," she said.
The actress maintained a close relationship with the family, even visiting Kapoor while he was in New York undergoing treatment. On his demise, the actress had shared a picture of herself with the actor and his wife Neetu Kapoor in New York.
Conveying her condolences, she wrote, "The loss of Rishi Kapoor is the end of an era for Hindi cinema but his contribution to the world of films has been, and will always be an inspiration for generations to come. To your beautiful family, Neetu Ma’am, Riddhima and Ranbir: the world grieves with you."