In the latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 18, Ranbir Kapoor opened up about what he believes is a generational tradition in the Kapoor family, where fathers have refrained from openly appreciating their sons’ work, choosing instead to push them towards greater dedication and excellence.
Recalling an interesting anecdote involving his grandfather Raj Kapoor and great-grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor, Ranbir revealed how the latter never readily praised his son’s achievements, even when Raj had become a celebrated star.
The actor shared the anecdote during a conversation with Amitabh Bachchan. He revealed that he had read about the incident in a book on Raj Kapoor written by his aunt, Ritu Nanda. According to the story, Raj once approached his father and questioned why he never appreciated his achievements or patted him on the back despite his success.
Recalling the conversation, Ranbir said, “Maine ek kahani suni thi mere dadaji Shri Raj Kapoor ki kitaab mein jo Ritu bua, Mrs. Ritu Nanda ne likhi thi, ke woh gaye the Prithviraj Kapoor ke paas aur unse unhone poocha ki aaj aapka beta star hai, itna kuch kar raha hai, aap kabhi meri tareef nahi karte, mere peeth pe thapthapate nahin. To unhone ek kahani sunai thi Shri Raj Kapoor ko ki ek chhota balak tha raste par ekbalancing act karta tha ek rope par aur roz bahut saari janata aati thi, taaliyan maarti thi, paise dete the, bahut wah-wah hoti thi.”
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Translated for readers, it goes, “I think I once heard a story in a book about my grandfather, Shri Raj Kapoor, written by my aunt, Ritu bua, Mrs. Ritu Nanda. He had gone to Prithviraj Kapoor and asked him, ‘Your son is a star today and is achieving so much, but you never praise me or pat me on the back.’ Prithviraj Kapoor then narrated a story to Shri Raj Kapoor about a little boy who performed a balancing act on a rope by the roadside. Every day, large crowds would gather, applaud him, give him money and shower him with praise.)
Elaborating on the story, Ranbir recalled how the young boy would approach his father after every performance, hoping to hear words of appreciation, but would receive the same response every single time. The father would tell him that there was still room for improvement, despite the applause and admiration the boy received from the audience.
He added, “And his father would always give the same response. It was always the same: ‘There was still room for improvement.’ Many years later, the boy finally asked his father, ‘I perform so well, people appreciate me so much and shower me with praise. Why do you always say this?’ His father replied, ‘Son, the day I start praising you, your goal and your focus will shift away from what you are trying to achieve, and you will get lost in the praise.’”
The Kapoor family is the most influential film dynasty in Indian cinema. Generations of the family went on to become stalwarts, beginning with Prithviraj Kapoor, who laid the foundation for the family’s contribution to Indian theatre and cinema.
But Ranbir omitted what Rishi Kapoor, his father, told me. “Ranbir was watching one of his early songs and did not know that I had come into the room. I was not to happy about the way he was enacting it, until I told him, ‘Ranbir, you must FEEL any song!’ Over time, my son did learn to do that.”
Here was one Kapoor father, known to be exceptional at enacting songs, correcting his son openly.
