Sharmaji Namkeen is all set to release on Amazon Prime Video on March 31. It is the last movie of late actor Rishi Kapoor. Recently, the film’s title track Ye Luthrey was released, which has been sung by Jasbir Jassi and already crossed 2 million views on YouTube. This was Jasbir Jassi’s second song for Rishi Kapoor. Prior to this, he had also sung Laung da Lashkara for the 2011 movie Patiala House. Now, in an exclusive conversation with News18.com, the Punjabi singer talked about the song and his memories with Rishi Kapoor.
“When I got to know that this song is for Rishi Ji, for his last movie, I was overwhelmed. The only sad part is that he is no more among us,” Jasbir Jassi said.
During the interaction, Jassi recalled the first time he spoke to Rishi Kapoor over a telephonic call and revealed how the late actor had asked him to sing ‘Ek Munda Punjabi’. The singer mentioned that it was late actor Vinod Khanna who had connected them over a call. “I had a great journey with Rishi ji. When I first spoke to him over a telephonic call, I remember it was via Vinod Khanna. He was in Jammu while I was in Mumbai. He said, ‘Jassi please sing Ek Munda Punjabi’. I remember this. I sang for him,” Jassi told News18.com.
While this was just a telephonic conversation, Jassi further talked about his first in-person meeting with Rishi Kapoor. He revealed how the late actor caught him in a hotel and requested him to sing Ek Munda Punjabi again, indicating how much he loved the song.
“When I met him for the first time, it was in JW Marriott. He was having his meal and I was passing by. Somebody had told me that he was there. He saw and waved toward me. He asked me to sing. I sang Ek Munda Punjabi and he cheered. The entire restaurant was watching us. It became a gala night. Neetu Ji told him that I had to go, but he did not let me leave. I sang two songs for him,” the singer shared.
Jassi also mentioned that he had met Rishi Kapoor months before his death for a movie screening. “Days before his death, I met him during a movie screening. I told him who I am and thanked him because my song (Laung Da Lashkara) was picturised on him,” he said.
Jassi was also asked about the decision of makers to get Paresh Rawal for the role after Rishi Kapoor’s demise. To this, the singer revealed how he was a little skeptical about it. He explained that even though it was a new idea, he was doubtful if it will work. However, Jassi further mentioned that once he saw the look test of Paresh Rawal, he became fully confident of the film’s success.
“Let me tell you, I was taken aback at first. I have never seen anything like this ever before. Some English films did it probably, but I thought how will something like this work. I questioned the makers, I asked them if this will look good or not. I was under the impression that when somebody dies while working on a film, that movie is either closed or cancelled. But when I saw Paresh Rawal’s look, they showed it to me over a phone. He looked exactly like Rishi Ji. Paresh Rawal is a great artist. In times like these, you discover how skilled a person is,” Jassi said.
Talking about what he learned from Rishi Kapoor, Jasbir Jassi said, “One thing which everyone must learn from him is that he was a very lively person. He used to live life in a real sense.”
