The late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor once wrote about meeting Dawood Ibrahim twice in Dubai in the late 1980s. The actor shared the account in his autobiography ‘Khullam Khulla’, in which he recalled an invitation to the underworld figure’s home, a long conversation over tea and a second-chance meeting at a shoe shop. The story is back in the public eye as Bollywood offers a rare glimpse into the underworld connections during that period.
Rishi Kapoor’s first meeting with Dawood Ibrahim
According to News18, Rishi Kapoor met Dawood Ibrahim in Dubai in 1988. The actor was there for a show when a stranger gave him a phone call at the airport. Dawood was on the line and invited him to his house for tea.Kapoor later wrote that he agreed to go because it happened before the 1993 Mumbai blasts, when Dawood had not yet become one of India’s most wanted fugitives. He and a friend were taken to Dawood’s house in a Rolls-Royce. As the route was apparently unclear, they could not identify the location.At home, Dawood served tea and biscuits. Kapoor wrote that Dawood did not drink or serve alcohol. The two talked for several hours. Before Kapoor left, Dawood offered her help, saying, “If you need anything, money, anything, feel free to ask.” Kapoor declined the offer.
Rishi Kapoor’s second meeting in Dubai
Kapoor met Dawood again in 1989 while shopping for shoes with Neetu Kapoor at a Lebanese store in Dubai. He recalled that Dawood entered with “eight to ten bodyguards” and had a cell phone, which was rare at the time.Dawood again offered to buy something for Kapoor, but the actor refused. He also gave Kapoor his number, but Kapoor could not share one because mobile phones were not common in India then.Kapoor later wrote that Dawood was “very nice” to her, although she could not understand what happened next. The actress said she had no further contact with Dawood after the shoe shop meeting. Kapoor later played a character inspired by Dawood in ‘D-Day’.
