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The legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor’s romance with the actor Nargis is a part of Hindi cinema lore, a love story whose ripples were felt for years and impacted many lives. Raj Kapoor’s son, Rishi Kapoor, wrote about this chapter in his autobiography, Khullam Khulla, and addressed it as ‘a part of history’ in an interview some years before his death in 2020. He said that both families developed a cordial relationship eventually, and that affairs are bound to happen.
Appearing on Aap Ki Adalat, Rishi Kapoor was asked about his father’s affair with Nargis, and he said, “We respect that a filmmaker, while working, develops friendships. Sometimes, these friendships transform into something else. We work in the creative field, we seek inspiration from each other, we rely on each other. We are human beings, after all. And a human being will love only another human being. Kabhi kabhi shaadishuda logon ka aisa haadsa ho jaata hai. It is part of life, I guess.”
He continued, “We are not ashamed of this chapter in our lives. Both families are cordial with each other. But it happened. It’s history, and we respect that. It’s a part of history.” In his book, Rishi Kapoor had written that his mother put her foot down when Raj Kapoor became involved with Vyjayanthimala, because she’d already dealt with his affair with Nargis. “I was very young when my father had an affair with Nargis Ji, and so was not affected by it. I don’t remember feeling anything was amiss at home either. But I do remember moving into the Natraj Hotel on Marine Drive with my mom during the time Papa was involved with Vyjayanthimala,” he had written.
Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Bina Rai and Premnath. (Photo: Express Archive).
Raj Kapoor himself addressed these rumours in a documentary about his life made by Prasar Bharti. He said that neither Nargis nor his wife, Krishna, ‘felt cheated’ because both knew that they weren’t playing ‘second-fiddle’ to the other. “Right from the very beginning, from the word go, I drew a line. And it’s a very, very straight fact that my wife is not my actress, and my actress is not my wife. By my wife, I mean the mother of my children. So, my home life, somewhere or the other, was there. Krishna was the mother of my children. While here was my actress. She would share, and have that satisfaction of having contributed to my creativity. That is her satisfaction,” he said in the interview.
Nargis attended Rishi’s wedding with Neetu Singh, and was greeted warmly by Krishna. He wrote in his autobiography, “Nargis-ji had not set foot in RK Studios after she completed Jagte Raho in 1956. However, that day, she came with Sunil Dutt to attend the ceremony. She was apparently very nervous about attending a Kapoor event after twenty-four years. My mother, sensing her hesitation, reportedly took her aside and said, ‘My husband is a handsome man. He is also a romantic. I can understand the attraction. I know what you are thinking, but please don’t beat yourself up over the past. You have come to my home on a happy occasion and we are here today as friends’.”
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