If there was someone to whom Rajesh Khanna, the king of romance passed on the baton to, it was Rishi Kapoor. With his boyish charm and impeccable acting skills, Rishi Kapoor became the new face of romance in Hindi films after Rajesh Khanna. Rishi appeared in a slew of films, where he played a loverboy. In this regard, special mention needs to be made of the 1976 film Laila Majnu, where he was paired opposite Ranjeeta Kaur. Based on the legend of Layla and Majnun, an old story of Arabic origin, it tells the story of two star-crossed lovers – Laila, a princess and Qais aka Majnu, a common man. In this film, based on a poignant love story, Rishi Kapoor portrayed a lover whose romantic dedication remains a benchmark for ideal love. His character, Qais, sacrifices his life in his quest to win his beloved, but he continues to struggle for her until his last breath. Ranjeeta’s portrayal of Laila was also much appreciated. Laila Majnu gave considerable boosts to the careers of both the actors. The tremendous success of the film solidified Rishi Kapoor’s status as a reliable star.
After Rishi Kapoor’s debut in Bobby, he had not achieved significant success before Laila Majnu, except for Kabhi Kabhie, where the credit largely went to Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. Since its release in 1976, Laila Majnu has been celebrated as a cult classic.
You will be amazed to know that this 1976 classic is not the only adaptation of the 9th century Arabic story for the big screen. The story has been adapted 8 times on celluloid – right from 1922 to as recent as 2018. The first of these, Laila Majnu, was released in 1922. Subsequent versions were released in 1927, 1931, and 1945. Nunati’s Laila Majnu came out in 1953, followed by Rishi Kapoor and Ranjeeta’s Laila Majnu in 1976. The most recent adaptation, featuring Triptii Dimri, was released in 2018. It is to be noted that none of the other adaptations could match the success of the 1976 version.
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