Ranbir Kapoor on never having any ‘eye contact’ with father Rishi Kapoor: ‘My dad was strict, but…’

Ranbir Kapoor spoke lovingly about his late father Rishi Kapoor in a new interview, and said that he wishes he would've spent more time with him when he was alive.

Ranbir Kapoor is the son of late actor Rishi Kapoor (Photo: Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)

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Actor Ranbir Kapoor expressed regret at not having spent enough time with his father, the late actor Rishi Kapoor. In a new interview, Ranbir also reflected on the lessons and values that he has imbibed from his father, and said that now appreciates his parents more after becoming a parent himself.

In an interview with the Free Press Journal, Ranbir was asked if he has inherited ‘religious beliefs’ from his father. He said, “I’m an intense human being and I believe in God. My father was very religious and pious. He would pray twice a day. While travelling by car, whenever he saw any small mandir, he would say, ‘jai’. Such things are instilled in you from your childhood days so you carry these traditions forward. We love our traditions, love our Gods and I’m like that only. I’m intense, but my personality is very chilled out.”

Also read | ‘When you lose one of your parents…’: Ranbir Kapoor on how his life changed after Rishi Kapoor’s death

Rishi Kapoor died in 2020 after a two-year battle with cancer. Ranbir has often spoken about how strict his father was, and how there was always a barrier between them. But they grew close while Rishi underwent treatment for cancer in New York. Ranbir spoke about this as well in the new interview. When it was pointed out that he never had ‘eye contact’ with his father, he said, “Papa was very strict, but he was wonderful. It was because of him I got exposure to the world. He was the one who sent me abroad for further education thus I have received a huge learning both practical and education wise. Thanks to dad, I could learn the worldly things to a certain extent at least subconsciously.” Asked if he had any advice for younger Ranbir, the actor said, “I will tell him to spend more time with his father.”

Ranbir, who was last seen in the film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, made his debut with the 2007 film Saawariya. In 2022, he tied the knot with Alia Bhatt. The couple welcomed their first daughter later the same year.

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