Karan Johar's Koffee With Karan Season 8, this year promises a season filled with freshness and excitement. Episode after episode, the renowned chat show has presented exceptional pairings, starting with the dynamic duo Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone to the latest captivating episode featuring two timeless Bollywood divas, Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor.
In the latest episode, Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor graced the Koffee With Karan stage, bringing enchanting conversations to life. With coffee cups in hand and broad smiles on their faces, the yesteryear actresses delved into a wide range of topics. From discussions about their families, including children and grandchildren, to nostalgic reflections on how the film industry operated in their era, the episode offered a delightful blend of charm and insight.
During the candid chat, Neetu Kapoor opened up about aspects of her life that were perhaps unknown to the audience. From reminiscing about her dating days with Rishi Kapoor to sharing poignant moments spent together in New York during his treatment, the actress provided a glimpse into the more personal facets of her journey. Notably, Neetu Kapoor also revealed a lesser-known fact, stating, "Rishi Ji was never friends with children (Ranbir and Riddhima)," adding an intriguing layer to the revelations made on the show.
Neetu Kapoor revisited her “best year of my life”
The veteran actress recalled, “So, Karan, for me, I don't like to remember the sad part. I like to remember the good part of our relationship and of our time in New York. So New York was really sad but we had the best year. I had the best year of my life.”
Neetu: Rishi Ji would not openly show his affection
After hearing Neetu Ji's words about how Rishi Ji would not openly show his affection, especially towards their children, Ranbir and Riddhima, we felt that he was just like most Indian dads. They harbor immense love in their hearts but often refrain from openly showing it.
Talking on it, the ‘Do Dooni Chaar’ actress shared, “Chintuji (Rishi Kapoor) is a very loving person. He had a lot of love in him. But he never really showed his love. He always kept his distance and bully people, not show his love. Especially with me and my children, he was like a big thing. Respect. And with that, he lost out on a lot with his children. He was never a friend to them.”
And further added, “But that year, he opened up. He showed love, and went towards me also. He was so lovely. We had the best time.”
“I had Rishi Kapoor as a very strict boyfriend”
In a surprising twist, Neetu revisited the moments leading up to her marriage with the legendary Rishi Kapoor, revealing that he was a strict boyfriend who didn't permit her to engage in certain activities or party extensively.
During the conversation with host KJo, he stated about an intriguing anecdote from the sets of Yash Chopra's 1976 film Kabhi Kabhie, which featured the stellar cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and Shashi Kapoor. Reflecting on her experiences during the filming of the iconic movie, the 'Deewaar' actress shared saying, “We had a fabulous time, especially with Yashji. We would party whole night, play dumb charades, and all. That was like one picnic.”
“But you know, I had Rishi Kapoor as my boyfriend. So, I never 'partied partied' because he was always like, "Don't do this. Don't do that. Come home." So I never saw the wild side of partying those days. I was committed and had a very strict mother and a very strict boyfriend, so I was always torn between them.”
Just a few years before, a challenging chapter unfolded in their lives when Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with leukaemia. Over nearly two years, he underwent treatment in New York, where Neetu and Ranbir stood steadfastly by his side. Despite their return to India in 2019, the battle continued, and Rishi was rushed to a Mumbai hospital in April 2020, where he ultimately succumbed to the illness. The untimely departure marked the end of a legendary actor's journey and left a void in the hearts of his family and countless fans.
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Neetu Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor's love story began with dating, eventually culminating in their engagement on April 13, 1979, followed by a joyous wedding on January 22, 1980. After tying the knot, Neetu chose to step away from her illustrious acting career, entering a new phase of life as they welcomed two children, Riddhima and Ranbir Kapoor. This ushered in a period where Neetu took a backseat from the glamour of the film industry to focus on her family.
During the show, she also discussed her decision to exit the film industry at a young age, mentioning that she had accumulated substantial work experience before choosing to retire from her acting career.
“Karan, you see, I started working at a very young age. I was like five,” she said. “And when I did Do Kaliyan, I was so loved by everyone. Everybody was going crazy.
I had already seen fame at a very young age. After that, working became a job for me. It was nothing that I looked forward to. It was just that I had to go for a shoot. From age 5 to 21, I really worked a lot. I did around 70-80 movies in that period.”
Neetu Kapoor was last seen in the 2022 film ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’ where she starred opposite Anil Kapoor including Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Prajakta Koli and Manish Paul.