Poonam Dhillon remembers Raj Kapoor's compliment to her when she was 16: 'If I have seen a beautiful face after Madhubala, it’s yours' - Exclusive

Poonam Dhillon, veteran actress and member of the CINTAA (Cine & TV Artists Association), recently spoke about the special tribute organised for Raj Kapoor, marking his centenary year.
In conversation with ETimes, she shared that the tribute event for Raj Kapoor will not involve ticket sales but will serve as a fundraiser for CINTAA. The raised funds will support members in need, including financial, medical, and posthumous assistance for families of deceased members.
Talking about the inception of the idea, Poonam said, "I have worked with RK Films. One day, while talking to Shammi Kapoor ji’s wife, she mentioned, ‘It’s a centenary year, and it’s very special for us.’ That made me think about doing something for him. Raj Kapoor has been one of our legendary actors, and as CINTAA is an artists’ association, we should honour him."

Elaborating further, she added, "I proposed this idea during our October meeting, and the team really liked it. Despite the time crunch, with only a few weeks left, I personally reached out to the singers, and they agreed without hesitation to perform for this tribute to the legendary Raj Kapoor."
Spilling some details about the event, Poonam added, "Nitin Mukesh, Suresh Wadkar, Shailendra Singh, Sudesh Bhosle, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Madhushree, Bela Solanki, and Padmini Kolhapure will perform, and Sudhanshu Pandey will host. Everyone is participating out of respect for Raj Kapoor and CINTAA, and we appreciate it. I feel indebted to them for volunteering so graciously."

She added, "We are not selling tickets for the event; instead, it will serve as a fundraiser for CINTAA. The funds will help support members in need of financial or medical assistance, including posthumous support for the families of deceased members. With healthcare expenses rising, it’s important to help. Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar supported us during the pandemic, and some artists continue to help during festivals like Diwali."
The veteran actress also took a trip down memory lane as she shared her memories of Raj Kapoor. "He was very close to Yash Chopra ji, and I met him during that time. Raj ji once told Yash Ji, who later told me, ‘You’re casting her in a film full of actors. Why not release her from the contract? Let me introduce her under the R.K. banner.’ I’ll never forget the compliment he gave me: ‘If I’ve seen a beautiful face after Madhubala, it is yours.’ At 15-16, I didn’t fully understand the importance of that compliment, but today, I cherish it," she averred.
Further, she took the opportunity to shed some light on the challenges that CINTAA members are facing. "Many of our small-time actor members face financial struggles because payments are often delayed by 90 days. This is cruel. We’ve raised this issue with the producers’ association and are trying to take it to the government. I’ve discussed this with the I&B Ministry in Delhi. The big stars get paid on time, but the small-time actors often don’t even have contracts for short-term work. Today’s shooting hours are 14-16 hours, and these actors don’t even have private transport. They rely on public transport, with no conveyance provided for these grueling hours," she concluded.