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This is truly a celebration of Legacy, Laughter and Love! Hindi cinema’s first film family comes together to honor 100 years of Raj Kapoor and nearly a century of the Kapoors ruling the box office and our hearts.
On 15th November, the trailer for Dining with the Kapoors dropped on Netflix. “Saving you a seat at the table for the grand Kapoor lunch on November 21. Pull up a chair and tuck in, because this spread promises laughter, nostalgia, never-before-seen moments that await when the one-hour special premieres on November 21,” goes the press release.
For nearly a century, the Kapoors have ruled the box-office and our hearts. For this special, Hindi cinema’s first film family has come together to honor the legendary Raj Kapoor on his 100th birthday (which fell on 14th December, 2024), with a celebration of that legacy.
Created by Armaan Jain, and directed by Smriti Mundhra (Indian Matchmaking, The Romantics, Never Have I Ever), and produced by Aavashyak Media, Dining with the Kapoors serves up an intimate look at one of India’s most beloved film families. Shot in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style, the special invites viewers to share in the Kapoor family’s laughter, stories, and cherished memories, from playful banter to tender reflections, all tied together by their true passion: food.
Featuring Randhir Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Rima Jain, Ranbir Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Aadar Jain, and more, this is a once-in-a-generation gathering of film royalty.
Director Smriti Mundhra says,“I’ve been lucky to work with Netflix a few times before—on Indian Matchmaking, Never Have I Ever and The Romantics—so coming back to do this project is like a homecoming in more ways than one. Telling a story about the importance of family and the value of legacy in this time when the pace of life is taking us away from those things feels very special. The Kapoors are not just a dynasty, but the type of family we all want to be a part of: extremely tight, fun-loving, and absolutely obsessed with food. What I wanted to capture wasn’t just their story on the surface, but that feeling of being right there at the table with them—hearing the stories, the laughter, the unfiltered moments that happen when the performance drops away. I’m grateful to Armaan Jain and the entire Kapoor clan for allowing me to be a small part of their legacy.”
However, Hindustan Times reports that the Internet has not taken kindly to Alia Bhatt’s absence from the poster. Several asked why Alia Bhatt was missing. “Alia Bhatt should be there, she is the ‘Kapoor’ now,” read a comment. “If Neetu Kapoor is in there, shouldn’t Alia Bhatt be there too?” asked one. Another comment read, “I know their spouses are not in the photo and not a fan of Alia, but if you see the tags in the caption, Saif’s name is mentioned…then why not hers?” “Will not watch if no Alia,” commented an Instagram user.
The Kapoors
The patriarch of the clan was Prithviraj Kapoor, who began his film career in 1929, as an extra in his first film, Be Dhari Talwar. His first lead role was in his third film, Cinema Girl, which released in 1930. His father, Basheshwar Nath Kapoor, an officer in the Indian Imperial Police, later made a cameo appearance in Raj Kapoor’s Awara (1951). Prithviraj also founded the original Prithvi Theatres, where his sons Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, did their earliest work.
Prithviraj’s brother was actor Trilok Kapoor, while Surinder Kapoor, father to Boney, Anil and Sanjay Kapoor was his cousin as were actors Kamal Kapoor and Ravindra Kapoor. Kamal Kapoor’s son was filmmaker Ramesh Behl, whose children are producer Shristi Behl and filmmaker Goldie Behl. Raj’s maternal uncles were Vishwa Mehra, actor and Raj Kapoor’s production manager and Jugal Kishore Mehra, was a singer, whose step-granddaughter, Salma Agha, later became an actress and singer. His first cousin was director Vijay Kapoor, who was the son of Trilok Kapoor, and actor Subbiraj, who was his father’s sister’s son and married child star and actress Naaz.
Raj Kapoor soon gained worldwide iconic status as actor, producer, director and editor, besides being a playback singer and story writer in a film each. His sons Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor carried on his tradition, with all turning producers and directors as well. Rajiv also was a film editor twice, and both Rishi and Rajiv had provided vocals occasionally to songs.
Randhir married actress Babita, while Rishi wed Neetu Singh. Randhir’s daughters Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan (married to Saif Ali Khan, daughter of actress Sharmila Tagore) are stars of note and are the first female actors with the Kapoor blood in them. Ranbir, born to Rishi and Neetu, is a superstar today, and has married today’s Numero Uno actress Alia Bhatt, daughter to filmmaker-writer Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan and granddaughter of filmmaker Nanabhai Bhatt.
Through Raj’s younger daughter Rima have come her sons, actors Armaan and Aadar Jain, while elder daughter Rima’s grandson is actor Agastya Nanda, also grandson to Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan.
Actor Shammi Kapoor (who also directed two films) was married to the late actress Geeta Bali, and their son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, who was involved in working for RK Films, also tried becoming an actor late in the day. Shammi’s non-actress daughter, Kanchan, married filmmaker Ketan Desai, son of Manmohan Desai.
Shashi Kapoor (who also reinstated Prithvi Theatres and has also been producer and (once) a director, besides contributing his vocals to four songs) married British actor Jennifer Kendall and they had three children. Kunal Kapoor married filmmaker Ramesh Sippy’s daughter, Their son, Zahan Kapoor, recently made his acting debut. Kunal and Karan began as child stars. Both of them, along with Sanjana, could not make the grade in cinema.
From the Kapoors, Prithviraj, Raj and Shashi Kapoor have won India’s highest award in cinema—the Dadasaheb Phalke trophy. Prithviraj also was twice commemorated posthumously with postage stamps by the Indian Postal Service. He was also conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and later the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. He has acted in a Punjabi and Kannada film each. Shashi has acted in English films and produced and directed a Russian movie—the Soviet version of Ajooba.
