Commitment-phobic Rishi Kapoor didn’t want to marry Neetu Singh, she happily gave up her career: Inside Rishi-Neetu’s ‘Khullam Khulla’ pyaar

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor were married for four decades (Express Archive Photo)

Their love story was not one of love at first sight. Rishi Kapoor was known as a notorious ‘playboy’ during his early years in the film industry, with a reputation for breaking the hearts of many women. Neetu Singh, as she was then known, was initially wary of his advances, but Rishi’s persistence eventually won her over. As they worked together on multiple films, their bond grew stronger, and they soon became inseparable.

In an interview with Simi Garewal in 1997, Rishi Kapoor revealed that he would often get drunk and ask her to call his ex-girlfriend Yasmin to talk her into getting back with him. It was this brazen honesty and vulnerability that drew Neetu to Rishi, and their love story began to blossom. “I remember I had an argument with my girlfriend at the time and I was very heartbroken. Trying to win her back, I had taken Neetu’s help in writing telegrams to my girlfriend while the two of us were shooting for ‘Zehreela Insaan’,” Rishi said during his appearance on Anupam Kher’s chat show, Kuch Hi Ho Sakta Hai.

Rishi also revealed that as time passed, he began to realise that Neetu was the one for him and missed her when he had gone to Europe for a shoot. “Ironically, I sent her a telegram from Europe to Kashmir saying that I was thinking of her,” he added.

The couple tied the knot in 1980 (Express Archive Photo)

After the late actor’s demise four years ago, Neetu, who appeared on a dance reality show, said she was indeed his wingwoman before they started dating each other. “After chasing every girl, one day he came up to me and said that he likes me. He added that he finds me very simple and genuine,” Neetu added.

An emotional Neetu also recounted a touching incident that made her realize she was in love with her co-star, Chintu ji, as he was fondly called. During a time when the two actors were filming in different cities, Rishi sent a heartfelt telegram to Neetu that simply read, “Sikhni yaad aayi (remembered you),” the JugJugg actor said.

Rishi and Neetu’s courtship was filled with romantic gestures and grand expressions of love; after all, it is the Kapoors that we are talking about. Neetu makes no bones about Rishi being a “strict boyfriend” who would get jealous and possessive, but she found his protective nature endearing. Dating the Bobby star meant a young Neetu couldn’t party or socialize much. “I had this Rishi Kapoor as my boyfriend so I never partied. It was always like don’t do this, don’t do that, come home, so I never saw the wild side of partying in those days. I was committed, and I had a very strict mother and a very strict boyfriend. So I was torn between both of them,” Neetu shared on Koffee With Karan.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54)

Shabana Azmi, who worked with both Neetu and Rishi Kapoor in Amar Akbar Anthony, called Neetu “intrinsically a fun person” who was ‘devoted to Chintu’. “He wouldn’t let her move a finger without asking what she was doing. As an actor she was capable of much more than she allowed herself to do. All she wanted was to spend time with Chintu while working. I am so glad she is working again after Chintu. A woman’s life must not end after her husband,” the veteran actress told Firstpost in a 2022 interview.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54)

A “commitment-phobic” Rishi, despite being head over heels in love with Neetu, wasn’t willing to pop the question as he feared his career taking a backseat after marrying at the young age of 27. In his biography, Khullam Khulla, Rishi devoted an entire chapter to his beloved wife Neetu, detailing the whirlwind of emotions and obstacles that preceded their marriage. Although their love was no secret to friends, family, and even the public, Kapoor grappled with uncertainties about his career and the longevity of a married actor’s success in Bollywood. At 27, still living with his parents in Chembur, Kapoor admitted that “I wasn’t even sure if I was ready for marriage.” The Chandani actor explained how he struggled with “a million demons” in his head, making it difficult to express his intentions to Neetu or his family. He acknowledged that without his sister Ritu’s intervention, their relationship may not have progressed to the next stage: “Left to myself, I may never have taken our relationship to the next level” or “married much later.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54) 

Ritu’s intuition and secret plotting with friends Gogi and Ravi Malhotra led to a memorable encounter with Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar at Mumbai airport. As he shared his plans to attend an engagement in Delhi, Dilip saab prophetically joked, “Don’t pull a fast one on me. Aren’t you going there to get engaged yourself?” Little did Kapoor know that Ritu had orchestrated an engagement celebration in Delhi, setting the stage for the next chapter in his love story with Neetu.

After years of courtship, Rishi and Neetu tied the knot on January 22, 1980, in a lavish ceremony attended by the who’s who of Bollywood. Their marriage was far from perfect, as they weathered their fair share of storms, including rumours of infidelity and career challenges. But through it all, their love only grew stronger.

The Do Kaliyaan actor shocked the industry when she decided to leave acting when she was at the top of her game. But she says she has no regrets. “I had worked for 15 years, so you get tired. My kids were born and I just wanted to dedicate myself to my children, and my house, and my husband was very possessive. He wanted me all the time to just be around and be there. So that’s the way my life was and I was very happy.” Decades later, the couple starred in Do Dooni Chaar and Besharam, which also featured their son, Ranbir.

Although Rishi Kapoor passed away due to cancer on April 30, 2020, he spent his final days ensuring that his wife and children would have cherished memories of him as a loving husband and father. Breaking free from his reserved demeanour and occasional bouts of bullying, the Karz actor transformed into a warm, affectionate person in the time he had left with his family during his time in New York where he was being treated. “Chintu Ji was a very loving person with a lot of love in him, but he never really showed it. He always kept his distance and bullied people rather than showing his love, especially with me and my children. He was more about respect and missed out on building close relationships with them. He was never a friend to them,” Neetu said on Karan’s show.

However, as his time grew shorter, Rishi made a conscious effort to open up and embrace his loved ones, showering them with the affection he had previously held back. Neetu recounted the transformation, saying, “That year, he opened up. He showed love, went towards me also he was so lovely. We had the best time.”

It has been four years since the actor passed away, leaving a void in the lives of his loved ones. Despite losing a partner and friend, a more confident Neetu, who admits that now she has the time to work in films as her children are grown up and the “demanding” husband isn’t around, has been ever graceful and resilient and continues to cherish and celebrate the love she shared with her husband.

Coming back to Shah Rukh in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, sure he did fall for Tina (Rani Mukherji), but deep down, he always loved his best friend, Anjali (Kajol) whom he married later. In the case of Neetu, Rishi knew it was his friendship with her that kept him and the relationship going despite all the ups and downs and his “bratty” behaviour, as Neetu would call it. In an Instagram post, he expressed how much she missed her husband. “Miss your noise. It is too quiet,” she captioned a black-and-white photo of her beloved Chintu ji.