Anup Soni remembers Rituraj Singh: Ritz wasn’t just a senior, he was a guru

In the wake of the recent passing of veteran actor Rituraj Singh, actor Anup Soni, a close friend, fondly reminisced about their bond that spanned decades. “It’s really shocking that Rituraj is not there. It is really sad and shocking; I am still in disbelief. I didn’t know he had a pancreatic illness,” he expresses in a tearing voice.

“The connection with Ritz was pure. I first saw him when I was in my first year of National School of Drama. He was performing in a play at Shri Ram Centre with Barry John. Rituraj and Manoj Bajpayee were there, and I really loved the play; that’s how I remembered him first. When I came to Mumbai, he was already acting in Banegi Apni Baat and many others,” Soni reflects.

The actor’s journey with Singh blossomed in Mumbai, where they both embarked on their acting careers. “I got to do a show called Safar with him,” he continues, “Me, Irrfan bhai (late actor Irrfan), Ritz, Deepika Deshpande, Kitu Kitwani, and Karan Shah, we all were together. That’s where the friendship was initiated with him.”

Recalling Singh’s guidance and camaraderie during their collaboration, the 49-year-old expresses admiration for his mentorship. “I was just starting out and was very new during that time but the others were established by then. I was an absolute newcomer in front of him and he always guided me, never had an attitude of being a senior. We connected well because we both had theatre backgrounds from NSD. The bond was like a guru,” he shares and adds, “He used to tell me, ‘Keep working, kaam karoge toh log dekhenge’.”

Their friendship transcended professional hierarchies, evolving into a cherished companionship. “Senior junior ke baad hum dost hogye the. I never called him sir or anything, always Ritz. We had a really good time, and we used to keep meeting even after that as we had many common friends,” Soni tells us.

“Even recently, we had one scene in the film together in Satyamev Jayate. We were in Lucknow for two days and chatted about the good old days. He is someone whom I have known for years,” he ends.