Happy Ever After

Over 31 years,as star marriages and relationships in Bollywood rusted and crumbled,the Kapoors had rational and irrational fights,brought up two children and survived as just another couple. How hard was it?

We are both fighters and we hate giving up. Be it for our work or marriage,we will walk to the end of the world to make it possible, says Neetu.

For Indian moviegoers in the 70s,Rishi and Neetu were their own Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. With youthful exuberance,they lit up breezy musicals and dance numbers. I am a trained dancer. I loved to dance, says Neetu of the numbers that made them famous. Rishi adds,She was very good,but I hated dancing. However,Neetu feels that his expressions were so overpowering that he often appeared the better dancer. They ended up acting in 11 films.

Three decades later,they shared screen space in two recent films Imtiaz Alis Love Aaj Kal and Habib Faisals Do Dooni Chaar.

I was the one who asked her to do the film, says Rishi. For 30 years,she had decided to be the homemaker while I was the breadwinner of the family. Although scripts were offered to us,she had decided on not acting at all. But when I heard the story of Do Dooni Chaar,I felt Neetu must do the film. Neetu agreed to listen to the script only because she was experiencing the empty nest syndrome daughter Ridhima was married and Ranbir busy with his work. But I loved the script, she says. During the shoot,the Kapoors say,they discovered each others acting talents,which they had not paid much attention to in the 70s.

The couple first met on the sets of Bobby. Neetu Singh then was only 15 but famous as an actor. Soon after Bobby released,Rishi too became a star. There was no one to act opposite him then. Dimple Kapadia got married and quit films,while the other actresses were much older. I was the only option, says Neetu,who first acted with him in Zehreela Insaan.

Soon after,the two were flooded with offers to work together. It was the success of Rafoo Chakkar and Khel Khel Main that made them a hit jodi. We were both young and natural. Rishi has always been a natural performer. I was so naive that I had no clue what I was doing. I think we clicked because we reflected the youth of that era. We were just ourselves, says Neetu. Rishi adds that Khel Khel Main was to a large extent responsible in making their pairing popular. It became such a cult film. People continue to watch it,and they are somewhere responsible in keeping our pairing alive till date.

Although the two started out as friends,it was during the shoot of Kabhi Kabhie that they fell for each other. I remember we were shooting in Kashmir,when I got a telegram saying,Sikhni,badi yaad aa rahi hai, says Neetu. She accepted his proposal and they married in 1981.

Today,Rishi and Neetu are content in their own world. While Rishi continues to experiment with different roles,Neetu is happy managing her home and her son8217;s career. Will she consider more films? I am not sure. Maybe if another challenging script comes along. Rishi says: Its her choice if she wants to do another film or not. I am just glad that she is in my life forever.