(Clockwise from left) Pooja Desai, Bharat Sahni, Ranbir Kapoor, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Karisma Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Randhir Kapoor, Anissa Jain, Neetu Kapoor (in mustard), Armaan Jain, and Neila Devi in Dining With The Kapoors. Pic Courtesy /Netflix

Growing up in South Mumbai, Armaan Jain straddled two worlds: the cinematic legacy of his mother’s family, the Kapoors, and the finance-rooted pragmatism of his father’s. Armaan is the son of Rima Jain, Raj Kapoor’s daughter and sister to Rishi, Rajiv, Ritu and Randhir Kapoor, making him first cousin of Kareena, Karisma, and Ranbir.

“Although we had a film family, we didn’t grow up around film sets,” he recalls. “I first went on a shoot when I was 12, just because my friends wanted to see what it was like.”

Jain’s early twenties, however, were dominated by cinema. After deciding at 16 that acting was his path, he spent three to four years at Dharma Productions, learning production and direction. “Your first impression about cinema is the glamour — it’s all smoke. Once you start working, you realize all the hard work that goes into it, and learn to respect the craft.” The exposure to filmmaking proved invaluable later, as he established Aavashyak, a media company.

Jain recalls growing up surrounded by food and family. “My dad’s family is spread across Dubai, London, and other countries, so that meant a lot of travel and big reunions. My mom’s side was classic Kapoor — food, noise, endless get-togethers. For both, food was central.”

His earliest memories are steeped in kitchens. “Both my grandmothers cooked beautifully. From as young as five, I’d sit there for hours watching them. My dad would cook for the whole family — simple, home-style food. Weekends were spent shuttling between homes — some nights with my dadi, some nights with my nani. Those kitchens shaped who I am.”

On his maternal side, the scale was always grand. “Nani would feed everyone — carpenters, relatives, friends — who came home,” Jain recalls. “Food was never just sustenance; it was love, culture, a way to bring everyone together.” 

The pandemic gave him the push to bring those flavours to a broader audience. Encouraged by his wife, Anissa Malhotra, he turned to his first love: cooking. “People have always praised my food. Anissa said, ‘Let’s test it out. Take these home recipes and serve them to people.’”

By 2021, The Junglee Kitchen was born. Jain cooked and packaged orders while Anissa handled logistics.

Today, The brand has seven outlets, partnering with Bengaluru’s Dil Foods, with plans to scale to 200 outlets within the next two to three years. “I see it as feeding the world, starting with India. The cloud kitchen model offers a reach that a single restaurant never could achieve.”

For Jain, the philosophy is straightforward: authenticity above all. The menu is built on generational recipes of dishes made at his grandfather’s home, Deonar Cottage, in Chembur. From kebabs to butter chicken to Junglee Maas and fragrant pulavs, some of these are family’s classics; others are what he has improvised over time.

“We balance for vegetarians, health-conscious diners, and younger palates, but the core Kapoor recipes don’t change. The ghee, the richness, the love — that stays,” he adds.

Food isn’t just a business for Jain; it’s a legacy. In his latest project, Dining With The Kapoors, that released on Netflix on Friday, one can witness his emotional attachment to the recipes. The project is life coming a full-circle moment for him. It began as a conversation with his mother around Raj Kapoor’s 100th birthday.

“We were chatting about the old days and we spoke of how food always brought us together — it’s how Indian families connect. I wanted to celebrate him in a way that was intimate, real, and not a documentary, beyond the glamour of cinema, and over one intimate sit-down meal,” says Jain who has played multiple roles — conceptualizing, writing, shooting, and producing it. He even took a brief sabbatical from his food business to focus on the film.

“Food and cinema aren’t just work for me, they are a part of my DNA. I was born two years after Raj Kapoor died. You only hear stories about him and his love for food and life, projects like this help preserve memories and traditions,” he signs off.

The Kapoors know how to celebrate, no matter what the occasion. On Tuesday, the three Kapoor brothers - Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev - got together with sister Rima Kapoor Jain to bring in Bhai Dooj.

When contacted, Randhir Kapoor told Mirror, “The four of us had lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Our other sister, Ritu, is in the US and ailing so she could not join us. So Rima did the tika on behalf of Ritu too and we showered her with gifts.“

He went on to gush about how they had a lovely Diwali. “The first day was for a family celebration, the next day we attended close friend Jeetendra and Amitabh Bachchan's party and then it was Bhai Dooj. I'm sad that the festivities are coming to an end,“ Randhir sighed.

It is not everyday that A R Rahman jets down to Mumbai from Los Angeles to introduce a newcomer.
But he did exactly that for Armaan Jain, Raj Kapoor's grandson, who will make his showbiz debut with Lekar Hum Deewana Dil. The music of the film has been composed by the Oscar winner. The last time Rahman performed at a promotional concert was in 2011, for Rockstar, starring Armaan's cousin Ranbir Kapoor.

“Having Rahman sir score for, sing and promote my film is a huge honour. It can't get bigger than this. Till now, I had been stealing scratches of the songs to play at home, now I have them on the loop. This week's favourite is Mawalli Qawwali," admits the new Kapoor, or rather Jain on the block.

Isn't Kapoor a more saleable name in this business? Pat comes the reply, “I am very proud and comfortable being a Jain and wouldn't change my name for anything in the world. And if I'm accepted by the people, I don't think it makes a difference if you are a Kapoor or a Jain."

Armaan is Raj Kapoor's daughter Rima Jain's son. He grew up watching the stock market reports with his investment banker dad every morning, returning from school to play different sports, including football. It was his nanaji (Raj Kapoor) who introduced him to the magic of cinema with Mera Naam Joker. Since he was a fussy eater, his mother would replay the circus scenes from the film while he had his meals. “For years, I believed my grandfather was a joker in real life and I would do silly things to make people laugh. I even asked my parents if I could join a circus and be a joker. They told me to concentrate on my studies instead," he chuckles.

His naniji, Krishna Raj Kapoor, to whom he had once confided that he wanted to be a joker, left her home after almost a decade last Thursday to join his paternal grandparents, uncles Randhir, Rishi and Rajeev, and cousins Karisma and Kareena and root for him at the concert. “It was the greatest day of my life."

The Kapoors have been solidly supporting Armaan. In an interview to Mirror (May 12), director Arif Ali had revealed that Abhishek Varman, 2 States director, had recommended Armaan who was an assistant director on Student Of The Year. And Arif had asked Ranbir to convince his cousin to do the film. Later, Ranbir had given the debutant a pep talk over kebabs during a meeting with Arif, Arif's brother Imtiaz Ali and producer Dinesh Vijan. “It wasn't a pep talk, we were just hanging out and the kebabs were great," protests Armaan, pointing out that nobody in his family has every told him what to do or discussed movies with him. “When we get together, we just chill over food. Even with Ranbir bhaiya it's just food, football and video games." So is he prepared for the inevitable comparisions with Ranbir? “Yes,“ he quips. “That's only fair. But as mom told me, `Don't think too much, it's best to leave the future to God'."

Interestingly, it is not Karan Johar who he assisted for three years on three films, who's launching him, but brother-in-law Saif Ali Khan. “Saif was busy shooting when I was signed by Dinoo (Dinesh) and I was the one who called Kareena to inform her that I was doing a film for her company," he laughs, adding that it was KJo who suggested the name for the title - a song from Yaadon Ki Baraat. “Right now my only thought is to bag a second film once my contract ends on July 4. I am yet to get another offer."

And just when you wonder if there's a real love story going on, he guffaws, “Where's the time for love? I'm married to my work"