4 min readNew DelhiJul 1, 2026 08:41 PM IST
Rishi Kapoor was known to be a hard taskmaster and a tough actor to shoot with. It was known that the veteran actor could be short-tempered. In a recent interview, the line producer of Habib Faisal’s Do Dooni Chaar, which starred Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, shared that everyone would be scared of Rishi Kapoor on set, so much so that when Ranbir once visited the set, he only met his mother, and not his father. Describing Rishi could be a “bully” at times, line producer Sumit Tyagi said that Neetu was just the opposite as she would care for everyone, and treat them with respect.
‘He blasted when he heard about Ranbir’s marijuana use’
In a chat shared on the YouTube channel of The Shivam Podcast, Sumit recalled shooting Do Dooni Chaar and shared, “Everyone was scared of Rishi ji. He would put on his moustache with great difficulty, then would keep saying ‘moochein utar dunga (I will take off my moustache)’.”
“He was such an experienced man, and he would talk about a lot of things but the youngsters were not interested in listening to him,” he said.
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Sumit then recalled that one day, while he was just reading lines with Rishi, he happened to watch Ranbir’s interview that was playing on TV. “He saw Ranbir saying that he once tried marijuana. He called Ranbir up and asked me to leave, and he started yelling,” he recalled.
‘Rishi Kapoor was a bully, Neetu Kapoor was the opposite’
Recalling Neetu’s sweet nature, he said, “She was so sweet. She would get cookies for everyone, call everyone by their names, take care of everyone, love them, listen to everyone.” He then added that Rishi too “was a genuine man, there was no pretence.” He remembered taking pictures with Neetu on the last day of the shoot, and said that he wasn’t too keen on getting a picture with Rishi.
“He called me and asked, ‘Don’t you want a picture?’ He is a big man so I couldn’t say anything but he understood what I was feeling. I still have that photo too. Then he told me something valuable. He said scheduling and other jobs, anyone can do that. But I have taught you how to handle an actor and that is the biggest thing. He said, ‘You have handled Rishi Kapoor, you can handle anyone’,“ he recalled and said that this was the most valuable part of the experience. “Even the director wouldn’t go and talk to him, even he would get nervous. Even Neetu ji and Ranbir would get nervous in front of him,” he said.
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‘Ranbir just met his mother and left, didn’t meet his father’
Sumit claimed that at one point Ranbir visited the set but didn’t see his father. He just met his mother and left. “Once Ranbir came to the set, he just met his mother and left, didn’t meet his father. He had this terror. Neetu ji would say that when he drinks at night, then he turns into a typical Punjabi. He was a good man. When he spoke to me on that last day, all my grudges melted away,” he said.
Rishi was known for being tough with his directors and his collaborators like Imtiaz Ali and Shakun Batra, who have discussed the same in the past. Rishi passed away in 2020 after a long battle with cancer. He was 67.
DISCLAIMER: This article contains anecdotal references to past substance use and alcohol consumption shared within an entertainment context. These personal accounts are intended solely for informational purposes and do not constitute professional advice or endorsement.
Rishi Kapoor was a rather strict father to Ranbir Kapoor. (Photo: Express Archives)