Young Raj Kapoor had a weakness for red light areas, was slapped by man tasked with bringing him back in line: ‘Prithviraj Kapoor was very disappointed in him’

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The 89-year-old said, “Prithvi used to respect me a lot. I noticed that he was very downbeat one day, almost on the verge of tears. As a friend, I told him with folded hands, ‘I don’t know what the problem is, but if I can be of help, please tell me’. He told me, ‘Raj is being disturbed by his adolescence. Instead of concentrating on his studies, he frequents red light areas and meets women’. I told him not to worry about it any more, and that I would get him back in line.”

Raj Kapoor and Nargis in film Awara. (Express Archive Photo)

Kedar Sharma took on the responsibility of training a young Raj Kapoor, and he made it a point to get him started at ‘the lowest rung of the ladder’. He continued, “Raj came to work with me as an assistant, and whenever I would ask him if he was ready, he would say, ‘Yes, uncle, I’m ready’. He would then look into the lens of the camera and comb his hair. Why in the world would he need to set his hair to give a clap? I didn’t say anything; he was a child, after all. One day, we were shooting on location. In those days, there was no rear projection technology; we had to actually shoot backgrounds. I called him over, and he said, ‘Yes, uncle, I’m your child, tell me’. I told him that he mustn’t fix his hair while looking into the camera, it’s disrespectful.”

But despite the warning, young Raj did it again. “I got so angry. I called him over again and gave him a tight slap on the face. There was a mark on his face. I couldn’t sleep that night. The next morning, he came to meet me. The mark was still there. I realised that the boy wanted to face the camera; he wanted to be an actor, but I was trying to make him a director. I gave him Rs 5,000 as a signing amount and Rs 25,000 for Neel Kamal,” Kedar Sharma recalled.

Raj Kapoor went on to become one of the greatest figures in Hindi cinema, with performances and films that are still held in high regard even today. He is also credited with having taken Hindi cinema across the globe, and is considered the patriarch of the Kapoor family, which continues to work in Bollywood to this day.