Raj Kapoor changed Bobby’s ending after suggestion from brother-in-law: ‘Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia’s characters were supposed to die but…’

Raj Kapoor belonged to that generation of filmmakers where one would put their life’s savings on the line to make a movie. Raj did so when he made Mera Naam Joker and after that film flopped at the box office, Raj had just enough money to make one more bet at the movies and so, he made Bobby with his son Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The film was seen as a game-changer for RK Films as they got back their fame and fortune but a key contributor in that film’s fate was actor Prem Nath. In a recent interview, Prem Nath’s son Monty shared that the film’s original ending had the protagonists jumping off a cliff but Prem Nath made a suggestion to Raj Kapoor to think about a happy ending.

Talking to Vickey Lalwani, Monty shared, “Bobby was basically a love story and like all love stories, Laila Majnu, Romeo Juliet, they both were to die. In the original script, Rishi and Dimple’s characters go up on the hill and then jump into the water, and they die. That was the original script.” Monty said that until the point that the two characters reach the cliff, the script was intact. “The change happened after that jump,” he said.

Monty shared that Prem Nath, who was playing the role of Dimple’s father in the film, suggested that the characters of the two fathers should save the two kids after they jump so they can have a happy ending. Prem was also Raj’s brother-in-law as Raj was married to Krishna, Prem’s sister. “My father suggested that don’t keep it as a sad ending. Make it a happy ending. Let my character save Chintu and let Pran saab save Dimple. They both swim into the water and save the kids. And in the end there is a reunion, on a happy note,” he said.

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Monty said that after making the suggestion, Prem Nath left it to Raj Kapoor to make his decision. “My father told him, you are the captain of the ship. You shoot it and keep it, we are already on location. The actors are here. Rest, you take a call while editing. That was his suggestion,” he said.

The decision did wonders for the film as it turned out to be one of the most successful films of 1973.