100 Years of Showmen: The Kapoor family appeared in over 1100 films; Daughter-in-law and daughters were forbidden to act, RK studio was forcibly sold

In the last two episodes of our special series '100 Years of Showman', you read about Raj Kapoor's childhood and his film journey.

In the last episode of the series, we will talk about the legacy of the Kapoor family. It is in two chapters, first chapter is achievements and second chapter is controversies related to Kapoor family.

Chapter-1:- Achievement of Kapoor family A star has certainly emerged from the four generations of the Kapoor family. Prithviraj Kapoor was the first star of this family. Of Prithviraj's six children, Raj Kapoor continued the family legacy. In the third generation, Raj Kapoor's middle son Rishi Kapoor emerged as the biggest star.

The fourth generation included Randhir Kapoor's two daughters Karishma and Kareena among the top actresses. Ranbir Kapoor is counted among the best actors of this generation today.

From the first generation to the fourth generation, out of this family of 37 people, 19 people appeared in films. Out of which 18 people acted as actors in 1171 films. While 19 people worked as directors in 23 films, as producers in 47 films and as assistant directors in 21 films.

The family has won a total of 3 Padma Awards, 9 National Awards and 3 Dadasaheb Phalke Awards.

Before marriage, daughter-in-laws of the Kapoor family also had a good name in the film industry. However, many quit acting after marriage. Currently Ranbir Kapoor's wife Alia Bhatt is making a successful career even after marriage.

A monument to the legacy of the Kapoor family – RK Studios RK Studios in Chembur, Mumbai was a great monument to Raj Kapoor's legacy. Raj Kapoor produced 21 films under his banner. Inside the RK studio there was a discussion about Holi and Ganapati celebrations held every year. As Raj Kapoor built this studio, it was later owned by his sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev.

Growing up, Randhir Kapoor took over the management of the studio. There was a fire there in 2017. Everything was burnt to ashes. Everything from costumes to technical equipment and even photos were burnt.

Finally Raj Kapoor's three sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv decided to sell it by mutual consent.

RK Studios was founded by Raj Kapoor in 1948

RK Studios was forced to sell Randhir also explained the reason for selling the studio in an interview to BBC Hindi. He said, 'We wanted to renovate RK Studio, but one thing was bothering us. Actually, no one goes there for shooting anymore.'

'Almost all the shooting takes place in the film city. Even if we had rebuilt the studio, there was no guarantee that anyone would come. Also, a lot of money was spent in its maintenance. Finally, after taking the permission of Mata Krishna Raj, we decided to sell it with a heavy heart.'

Currently, Randhir Kapoor is the most senior member in the family. Both his younger brothers Rishi Kapoor and Rajeev are no more in this world.

Chapter-2:- 5 controversies related to the Kapoor family

1- Raj Kapoor's affair with Vyjayanthimala, wife Krishna leaves the house in anger Raj Kapoor and Vyjayanthimala starred in the film 'Sangam' (1964). The closeness between the two increased during the shooting. Raj Kapoor was already married.

Apparently, Krishna was completely devastated to see her husband Raj with another woman. He left home with the children. She moved to the Nataraj Hotel on Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Stayed there for a few days, then shifted to her second home in Mumbai itself. Krishna did not come home until Raj Kapoor ended his relationship with Vyjayanthimala.

2- Vyjayanthimala denies affair, calls Raj Kapoor publicity hungry Vyjayanthimala later denied reports of her affair with Raj Kapoor. He has written in his biography that, 'Raj Kapoor made the affair talk only for publicity.'

Expressing displeasure over this, Rishi Kapoor wrote, 'How can he deny the news of the affair. He has no right to say so. She is talking wrong about the man (Raj Kapoor), who is not in this world to represent her side. If papa were alive today, he (Vayjayantimala) would not have publicly called him publicity hungry.'

3- Kapoor family terms for daughters-in-law and daughters After Raj Kapoor, his three sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev carried forward the film legacy. Apart from three sons, Raj Kapoor also had two daughters (Ritu and Reema). It has not been seen in films. In fact, there was a strict rule in the Kapoor family that daughters-in-law and daughters would not act.

Raj Kapoor's elder daughter-in-law Babita's father was an actor. Babita also got a lot of success when she entered films. Babita, who has appeared in films like 'Ek Hasina Do Deewane', 'Pehchan', 'Dolly', quit acting after marrying Randhir.

Similarly, Neetu Singh, a top actress of her time, distanced herself from films after her marriage to Rishi Kapoor. However, Neetu said that she left films not for any tradition but for herself. After 29 years, Neetu made a comeback with her husband Rishi in the film 'Love Aaj Kal'.

Shammi Kapoor's first wife Geeta Bali was the first daughter-in-law of the family, who continued to work in films even after marriage. After marriage, Geeta worked in 8 films.

Raj Kapoor's granddaughter and Randhir Kapoor's elder daughter Karishma has truly broken this rule.

He made his debut in films in 1991 at the age of just 16. His father Randhir was against this decision. However, Karisma was supported by her mother Babita. It is said that Randhir and Babita had a rift due to Karishma joining the film. Due to which the divorce was also done.

Later, Randhir himself admitted that he had not been a good father to his daughters. Randhir said that he is proud of both his daughters (Karisma and Kareena). He has achieved the top position in the industry without anyone's support.

Kareena's (left) grandfather Raj Kapoor named her 'Siddima', but mother Babita named her Kareena after being inspired by a book 'Ena Karenina' that she read during pregnancy.

4- Rishi would have committed suicide if daughter Riddhima had appeared in films Raj Kapoor's younger son Rishi Kapoor also did not allow his daughter Riddhima to appear in films. This was revealed by his wife Neetu Kapoor in Rishi's autobiography 'Khullam-Khulla'. Neetu said that if her daughter had entered the industry, she would have left many actresses behind.

But she didn't want to hurt her father. She knew that Rishi (father) would commit suicide if she even talked about acting. It's not that they were conservative, they were just overly protective of their daughters.

Riddhima honored her father's wishes and pursued a career in fashion designing. Four years after her father's death, Riddhima made her screen debut with the show 'Bollywood Wives'.

Ranbir and Riddhima with mother Neetu Kapoor (centre). Ranbir and Riddhima were very close to their grandfather Raj Kapoor. Both used to visit Dada at his bungalow in Chembur every weekend.

5- Rajiv was angry with his father Among Raj Kapoor's three sons, Rajiv had the shortest career. To improve his career, Raj Kapoor made the film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili', but the film's actress Mandakini got more talk than Rajiv.

According to a report in Lahren Retro, Rajeev became upset with his father after the release of 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili'. Rajiv was of the opinion that the project was not done the way it should have been done. Despite being the lead actor, his role was not discussed.

His elder brother Rishi Kapoor wrote about Rajiv, 'Chimpu means Rajiv was the most talented of the three brothers. He had a good sense of music. He played the piano beautifully without learning. I'm sad he didn't realize his potential. Had he realized his potential, he would have gone a long way.'

Born on August 25, 1962, Rajeev Kapoor has acted in very few films

Context- Stories of the episode are taken from Rishi Kapoor's biography 'Khullam Khubala', BBC Hindi and Lehren Retro. Data taken from IMDB