Ranbir Kapoor thanks Paresh Rawal for stepping into Rishi Kapoor's shoes for Sharmaji Namkeen

With the release of Hitesh Bhatia's directorial debut film Sharmaji Namkeen drawing closer, the absence of the late Rishi Kapoor is being felt more keenly.

The veteran died on 30 April 2020, leaving some portion of what turned out to be his final film project incomplete.

Bhatia's film is now headed straight for an OTT release on Amazon Prime Video on 31 March.

The makers shared a new video of actor Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor's son, sharing his memories and connection with the film.

Describing it as a 'personal' film for him, Ranbir said, "You must have heard ‘The show must go on’, but I have seen Papa live this.”

The actor revealed that his father's death left them all feeling the film would remain unfinished. The makers contemplated using VFX, or Ranbir Kapoor himself wearing prosthetics, to complete Rishi Kapoor's portions. However, when they proved unsuccessful, the crew thought the film might have to remain incomplete.

It was Paresh Rawal's willingness to step into Rishi Kapoor's role that ultimately helped the team complete the project, Ranbir said. Thanking the veteran, he said, "It was very generous of him to take up this challenge because for two actors to play one character in a film is rare in Hindi cinema.

"It will always be one of the fondest memories of my father, up there on the screen, bringing a smile to his countless fans," he said.

The short video comes on the eve of the film's trailer launch. Sharmaji Namkeen tells the story of a recently retired man who discovers his passion for cooking after joining a riotous women’s kitty circle.

Directed by Hitesh Bhatia and produced by Excel Entertainment in association with MacGuffin Pictures, the film stars the late Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal, both of whom play the titular character Sharmaji, alongside Juhi Chawla, Suhail Nayyar, Taaruk Raina, Satish Kaushik, Sheeba Chaddha and Isha Talwar.