The Kapoors are in the news at the moment for ‘Dining With the Kapoors’ which has streamed recently. It is created by Armaan Jain and directed by Smriti Mundra. On the show, Armaan has tried to give a glimpse into the food habits of the Kapoor clan and it was also a tribute to Raj Kapoor on his 100th birth anniversary. For those not in the know, Armaan is Raj Kapoor’s daughter Rima Jain’s son. In a recent interview, Armaan opened up on never meeting his grandfather Raj Kapoor and yet knowing his food habits. He also opened up on the trait of the Kapoor clan to always bounce back. When asked about the coping mechanism of the Kapoors amidst some recent incidents like Sanjay Kapur’s demise and the attack on Saif Ali Khan, Armaan recalled how Raj Kapoor bounced back after the failure of ‘Mera Naam Joker’ in which he had invested his hard earned money. Armaan said during a chat with Screen, “Raj Kapoor would eat, breathe, and sleep cinema. That was it for him. He would put everything on the line. The sacrifices would be so much that sometimes, he wouldn’t even have enough money in his pocket to make a movie. Mera Naam Joker was way ahead of its time, and at that time, was one of the biggest disasters. Before he bounced back with Bobby (1973), he’d lost pretty much everything, financially as well. But the one thing he didn’t give up was the roof over his wife and children’s heads, which is the Deonar bungalow. In times good and bad, the Kapoor family are very strong for each other. We come together as an army. That started with the Raj Kapoor-Krishna Kapoor era, and I have seen that pass on to my mum. She will always have a smiling face. With certain incidents recently and a lot of losses within our family, it’s been very tragic and difficult. But the best part, and the intent of making Dining with the Kapoors, is family being there for each other at all times. Bouncing back is a completely part of our DNA. It’s a generational thing.”
Talking about his mother’s bonding with her father Raj Kapoor, he added, “His legacy is vast. All our family members are trying to take a piece of that legacy forward. What I’ve seen growing up, because I didn’t meet him, is food, family, get-togethers, and gathering. That’s what we’re trying to do with Dining with the Kapoors. I am trying to take a small part of that food legacy ahead. I didn’t get the opportunity to meet Raj Kapoor. I was two years old when he passed away. What I know of him is from stories I have heard from my grandmother (late Krishna Kapoor) and mostly my mother, who spent a lot of time with him growing up. They were very close. They had a father-daughter relationship, but also a sibling relationship which was very open. It’s so beautiful when I hear these stories. Yes, there is a certain void when you haven’t met a grandparent. That gives you the opportunity to know more about him. There is an intrigue about how he was like with my mother or my cousins. But I am very privileged he had so much work in cinema to showcase as well.” Armaan also revealed who amongst Kareena and Karisma is a bigger foodie. He said, “Karisma eats a lot more than Kareena. I don’t know how. She is so lucky because of her metabolism. Kareena is also a big foodie. But this generation is so diligent and a little up to speed with working out. All of us work out maybe twice or thrice a day so that we can enjoy that meal. So, we all love our food. It’s just that we are putting in that little extra effort to keep ourselves maintained. All of us are foodies, but Karisma can eat a lot!” Go to Source