Amitabh Bachchan was shocked to see Shashi Kapoor, his co-star of 'Trishul', 'Deewar' and so many other hits, confined to a wheelchair at the Filmfare awards last week.

 

Amitabh was supposed to present the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award to the 71-year-old actor, but did not attend owing to the protest over his daughter in law's false news publication.

 

However, Amitabh saw pictures of the event later and was shocked just like so many of Shashi Kapoor's fans.

 

"...the affable (Filmfare) editor Jitesh Pillai had asked me if I would give the Lifetime achievement Award to Shashi Kapoor and I had agreed. With great pleasure. I missed that more than the expectation of winning the best actor award. Seeing him confined to a wheel chair, was something I could never associate with Shashi ji," the 67-year-old said.

 

"Shashi Kapoor, that handsome gentle man. A smile on his face forever. A considerate calling on each meeting, now in this condition? Never," he added.

 

They were seen together in hits like 'Deewar', 'Trishul', 'Namak Halal' and 'Silsila'.

 

Remembering the times they spent together, Amitabh said, "Film after film we did together, Shashiji and I, shared some of my most memorable times together in the Industry. He is now my relative. His elder brother, the great Raj Kapoor's daughter Ritu's son Nikhil is married to (my daughter) Shweta.

 

"I spoke to him on his birthday some days ago and then again when I wanted to invite him to the premier of 'Paa'. He had sounded weak in voice and expressed his inability to come. “I am not well', he had whispered faintly and I told him I would arrange a special screening for him. But I had never expected him to be the way I saw him at the award function in the pictures a few days back," said Amitabh.

 

The lifetime achievement award to Shashi was finally given by Shabana Azmi.