All posts tagged: raj kapoor

Raj Kapoor’s mortgaged wife’s gold bangles for Mera Naam Joker; film bankrupted him | Bollywood News

Raj Kapoor’s mortgaged wife’s gold bangles for Mera Naam Joker; film bankrupted him | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 24, 2026 03:43 PM IST It is famously known that Raj Kapoor was on the verge of losing all of his wealth when his dream project, Mera Naam Joker, released in 1970, tanked at the box office. He was under a lot of debt for years after the film’s failure and at one point, he had to even mortgage his studio, RK Studios, so he could pay off the creditors. Even during the making of Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor was struggling with the finances, and in a recent interview, his nephew Monty Premnath revealed that Raj had mortgaged his wife’s gold bangles to finish the film. In a chat with Vickey Lalwani, Monty, who is the son of late actor Premnath, recalled the making of Mera Naam Joker. Monty assisted actor Manoj Kumar on many of his films, and recalled that Manoj even offered to edit Mera Naam Joker as he too felt that the film was a little too lengthy. Mera Naam Joker released with two intervals and …

Tamasha legend turned down Raj Kapoor; inspired Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha

Tamasha legend turned down Raj Kapoor; inspired Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha

Published by Parlour News

A heavily pregnant performer walks off stage in the middle of a tamasha show. Moments later, she gives birth backstage, cuts the umbilical cord with a stone, and prepares to return before the audience. It sounds like a scene written for the movies, but it is one of the most famous stories associated with legendary lavani and tamasha artiste Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar. That remarkable episode has now found its way to the big screen in Eetha, the upcoming biopic starring Shraddha Kapoor. The teaser, released on Tuesday, shows Kapoor transformed into the folk icon whose life was marked by artistic brilliance, personal suffering, fierce dedication to tamasha and, ultimately, heartbreaking poverty. Born into Maharashtra’s Tamasha tradition Born on July 1, 1935, in Pandharpur in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, Vithabai grew up in a family where performance was a way of life. Her grandfather, Narayan Khude, had established a travelling tamasha troupe, while her father Bhau Bapu Narayangaonkar and other family members carried the tradition forward. From childhood, she was exposed to lavani, gavlan and other …

How Kapoors came together to finish Raj Kapoor’s last film, an India-Pak love story | Bollywood News

How Kapoors came together to finish Raj Kapoor’s last film, an India-Pak love story | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

Raj Kapoor was in the middle of making his film Henna when he tragically passed away in 1988. After his death, Randhir Kapoor took over the directorial duties as the world around him was waiting with bated breath to watch how RK Films would prosper after the death of its showman. The film was an India-Pakistan love story starring Rishi Kapoor and Zeba Bakhtiyar, and a pivotal role in the film was played by the Marathi actor Ashwini Bhave. In a recent interview, Ashwini recalled how Neetu Kapoor, Rishi’s wife, would accompany her to the dress designers, and how the RK family supported her in her biggest film until then. ‘Henna changed my life’ In a chat with Filmfare, Ashwini recalled, “Henna changed my life as well as people’s perception towards me. The way I saw myself, I could never have imagined that I could be presented in such a glamorous way. But the thing is, I would proudly say that the content of Marathi theatre and films is so strong and the criteria for …

Pune bakery owner yelled at Raj Kapoor over a loaf of bread: ‘You want it or not?’ | Bollywood News

Pune bakery owner yelled at Raj Kapoor over a loaf of bread: ‘You want it or not?’ | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiJun 11, 2026 04:34 PM IST It is well known that Raj Kapoor loved delicious food, and over the years, his family has reiterated that Raj loved to eat and feed everyone around him. Even though Raj was a well-known celebrity, it did not deter him from visiting local bakeries in town and buying his own bread, and on one such occasion, an old bakery owner once abused and yelled at the famous filmmaker. On Kunal Vijaykar’s YouTube channel Khaane Mein Kya Hai, he visited the City Bakery in Pune, where the owner, Salamat, recalled an incident between his grandfather and Raj Kapoor. “When my grandfather was alive, Raj Kapoor used to come to Loni and he used to come to us to buy bread. He used to buy brun pav. My grandfather was a crazy guy,” he recalled with a laugh. ALSO READ | ‘Salman Khan brings kitchen van to set, it’s 7-star food, feeds everyone’: Choreographer ‘My grandfather started abusing Raj Kapoor’ Raj famously owned a farmhouse in Loni, which …

Russian cab driver refused money from Raj Kapoor’s grandson Nikhil Nanda amid snow storm: ‘Realised his impact’

Russian cab driver refused money from Raj Kapoor’s grandson Nikhil Nanda amid snow storm: ‘Realised his impact’

Published by Parlour News

Raj Kapoor’s fame knew no boundaries. Apart from being a superstar in India, the legendary actor-filmmaker enjoyed immense popularity in Russia, something that his grandson experienced during his time in the United States. Recently, Nikhil Nanda, son of Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu Nanda, spoke about the moment he realised his maternal grandfather’s popularity overseas. Nikhil Nanda recalled his memories of grandfather Raj Kapoor. Nikhil on bond with Raj Kapoor Speaking on Shrishti Sahu’s podcast, Nikhil recalled his bond with Raj Kapoor and how his mother would take him to Mumbai during summer breaks to meet his maternal side of the family. Nikhil admitted that while growing up, he never saw Raj Kapoor as a star, but simply as his grandfather. Raj Kapoor fan refused to take cab fare Nikhil Nanda recalled that he truly understood the magnitude of Raj Kapoor’s popularity when he was studying at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. Recalling the incident, he said, “I realised who Raj Kapoor was when I was in college. When I went to the …

‘So many years of misery

‘So many years of misery

Published by Webster

Nargis was all of 16 when she met Raj Kapoor, a 22-year-old budding filmmaker who was still trying to put together the first film of his newly built RK Studios. As is well documented, they fell in love, even though Raj was married to Krishna Raj Kapoor. Their relationship existed in their utopian world but the bubble burst when Nargis realised that this relationship was a lost cause. For a star of her stature, she found that her opportunities were starting to decrease dramatically in the mid-1950s, and even at RK Studios, she wasn’t getting the kind of work that had first gotten her recognition. Other banners often looked to Raj, as if to seek his permission, before casting Nargis. She had also come to the difficult realisation that Raj was never going to leave his wife, and while this broke her heart, she had snapped out of the lovesick state that she had been locked in for almost a decade. This was right around the time when Mehboob Khan offered her Mother India, a …

Ancestral homes of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor in Peshawar can collapse: heritage lovers warn

Ancestral homes of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor in Peshawar can collapse: heritage lovers warn

Published by Parlour News

Peshawar, The ancestral homes of legendary Indian actors Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar can collapse any time, heritage experts and locals said Sunday, after the rain-battered buildings became vulnerable due to a recent earthquake in Pakistan. Ancestral homes of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor in Peshawar can collapse: heritage lovers warn Both houses in the capital city of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were declared national heritage by the government of Pakistan in 2016. With the pre-monsoon showers and the rainy season barely weeks away, experts have drawn the government’s attention to the neglected condition of the buildings and demanded immediate preservation of the landmark edifices. Once an architectural jewel of Peshawar, the century-old Kapoor Haveli in Dhaki Nalbandi of Qissa Khwani Bazar neighbourhood suffered structural damage after continuous rains weakened the building, while tremors on April 3 further destabilised its already dilapidated structure. Dilip Kumar’s house, a typical Peshawari building that once echoed with life and festivity but now resembles a deserted ruin, is located in the Mohallah Khudadad area. The building is in …

Dilip Kumar set a condition to work with Raj Kapoor in Sangam, hurt Raj refused: ‘It’s my baby’ | Bollywood News

Dilip Kumar set a condition to work with Raj Kapoor in Sangam, hurt Raj refused: ‘It’s my baby’ | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

5 min readNew DelhiMay 6, 2026 06:12 PM IST Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, two of the pillars of the Indian film industry, who helped establish the movie business after India’s independence, were great friends. Raj and Dilip had known each other from their childhood in Peshawar, and had found each other in Mumbai (then Bombay), even before they started their career in films. The two only collaborated once in their career, in Mehboob Khan’s Andaz, but apparently, they had discussed another film, which was eventually made as Sangam. Raj was making the film with the title Gharonda, and wanted to cast Dilip and Nargis in the film but Dilip put forth a condition that Raj refused to entertain. Dilip Kumar had a condition for Raj Kapoor In a recent interview, actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar shared this story on Vaibhav Munjal Podcast’s YouTube channel and shared that Raj wanted to make this love triangle with Dilip Kumar and Nargis. Nargis was a frequent collaborator of Raj’s in those days, and he imagined this to be a …

‘I take full responsibility’: When Randhir Kapoor opened up on his separation from Babita and his ‘mistakes’ | Bollywood News

‘I take full responsibility’: When Randhir Kapoor opened up on his separation from Babita and his ‘mistakes’ | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

3 min readMumbaiApr 26, 2026 04:48 PM IST Veteran actor Randhir Kapoor, the eldest son of Raj Kapoor and father to Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor, has witnessed his share of highs and lows in his film career. On the personal front, his marriage to Babita also faced challenges. In an old interview, Randhir reflected on not taking his career too seriously and spoke candidly about the turmoil in his married life. Randhir Kapoor on his separation from Babita Talking about the ‘turmoil’ in his marriage on the Javed Jafferi-hosted show Yaadein BTown Ki – Is Duniya Ke Sitaray, Randhir said, “I take full responsibility for everything. Whatever happened was in the spur of the moment. Even today, Babita is my wife, and will always be. Karisma and Kareena are my daughters, and only they will be my kids. I am a human, I do make mistakes, and I am working on it. We are together.” Randhir also spoke candidly about his equation with his co-stars, including Babita. “I married my first time heroine. I …

‘Take Bus 93 to Chembur’: When Raj Kapoor kicked son Rajiv out of his car, told Rishi he lacked the ‘stature’ to sit with him | Bollywood News

‘Take Bus 93 to Chembur’: When Raj Kapoor kicked son Rajiv out of his car, told Rishi he lacked the ‘stature’ to sit with him | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

Veteran music director Amar Haldipur, who has worked closely with legends like Laxmikant Pyarelal, Khayyam, Rajesh Roshan and Shankar Jaikishan, recently revisited memories from Hindi cinema’s golden era, sharing anecdotes about icons like Raj Kapoor, K Asif and Dilip Kumar. Haldipur recalled an incident from the time Satyam Shivam Sundaram was being worked on. “The background music of Satyam Shivam Sundaram was being recorded. Raj Kapoor saab’s younger son, Rajiv Kapoor, got into his Ambassador car. I had just taken my payment and was leaving when I saw this. Raj Kapoor came out, opened the car door and saw his son sitting inside. He asked him, ‘Why are you sitting in this car?’ Rajiv said, ‘We are going home, right?’” What followed, he says, was a moment of firm parenting. “Raj Kapoor told him, ‘This is Raj Kapoor’s car. The day you become Raj Kapoor, you can sit in it.’ He made him get down and said, ‘Bus number 93 goes to Chembur, take that and go home.’ And he actually had to get down.” …