MID-DAY (January 17, 2017)

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has opened up about the colourful life of his father, filmmaker Raj Kapoor in his soon-to-be released autobiography, saying he loved his cinema, booze, and his leading ladies. Rishi, in his book titled Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, narrates his father’s affairs with co-actors and his passion for films. It also captures the evolution of his relationship with the superstar.

Rishi begins the book talking about his father’s affair with yesteryears’ actor Nargis Dutt, who together, continue to be widely acknowledged as the most iconic pair on screen. He writes, “My father, Raj Kapoor, was twenty-eight years old and had already been hailed as the ‘showman of Hindi cinema’ four years before. He was also a man in love at the time, unfortunately, with someone other than my mother. His girlfriend was the leading lady of some of his biggest hits of the time, including Aag (1948), Barsaat (1949) and Awara (1951).”

Rishi further writes that Nargis was Raj Kapoor’s “in-house heroine” and was understandably immortalised in the RK Studios emblem. The 64-year-old actor further highlighted the relationship his father shared with co-star Vyjayanthimala, who in the past had denied having an affair with the actor. Rishi also reveals his father’s fascination for a particular brand of whisky, which he refused to share.