It is not uncommon for actors to get romantically involved after working in close proximity on films, and in Raj Kapoor and Nargis’s case, it turned into a full blown affair as Raj was already married to Krishna Raj Kapoor at the time. Raj and Nargis fell in love when they worked together on Barsaat, and stayed together for the next few years. Raj never left his wife, and Nargis, who had grown tired of waiting for him, moved on.
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Raj, in a documentary produced by Prasar Bharti, later said, “My wife is not my actress and my actress is not my wife.” After Nargis moved on and married Sunil Dutt, she cut all ties with Raj, and never looked back, until one day, when she was invited to his son Rishi Kapoor’s wedding. Raj Kapoor sent an invitation to Nargis and Sunil Dutt to attend his son Rishi Kapoor’s wedding with Neetu Singh. It was during this occasion that Nargis met Raj Kapoor again and also came face to face with his wife, Krishna Raj Kapoor. Nargis, who had been a part of RK’s iconic logo, had not stepped foot in that studio since the filming of Jagte Raho in 1956 but came back for the first time for Rishi’s wedding.
Raj Kapoor and Nargis first worked together in Aag. (Photo: Express Archives)
‘I can understand the attraction’: Krishna told Nargis
In his memoir Khullam Khulla, Rishi Kapoor explained how Nargis was nervous about attending a Kapoor family event after a gap of 24 years. However, it was Raj Kapoor’s wife Krishna, who put her at ease and admitted that the romance between the two stars was understandable, as Raj Kapoor was a romantic by nature.Story continues below this ad
He wrote, “Nargis-ji had not set foot in RK Studios after she completed Jagte Raho in 1956. However, that day, she came with Sunil Dutt to attend the ceremony. She was apparently very nervous about attending a Kapoor event after twenty-four years. My mother, sensing her hesitation, reportedly took her aside and said, ‘My husband is a handsome man. He is also a romantic. I can understand the attraction. I know what you are thinking, but please don’t beat yourself up over the past. You have come to my home on a happy occasion and we are here today as friends.’”
Raj Kapoor’s son Rishi Kapoor confirmed in his autobiography that his father had been involved with multiple female co-stars, including Nargis, despite being married to his mother, Krishna Malhotra. (Express archive photos)
Raj Kapoor was extremely tense about facing Nargis at Rishi Kapoor’s wedding
In her book Raj Kapoor: The One and Only Showman, Rishi Kapoor’s sister and Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu Nanda also spoke about the grace and empathy with which Krishna handled Raj Kapoor and Nargis’s past romance. She did not turn bitter when she faced Nargis at her son’s wedding. Ritu explained that while Raj Kapoor himself was nervous about Nargis attending his son’s wedding, Krishna remained calm.
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Calling Krishna Raj Kapoor’s “magnanimity unbounded,” she wrote, “Raj Kapoor was extremely tense and jittery but his wife was calm and composed. When Nargis told her that as mother and wife today, she can understand the trauma she must have undergone during the years when she was playing an important role in her husband’s life, both on and off screen, Krishna promptly put Nargis at ease by advising her to discard her sense of guilt on that account, as Raj was a compulsive romantic and had she not been there, someone else would have. It was her destiny, she declared with rare dignity.”
Rishi Kapoor was ‘not ashamed’ of Raj Kapoor’s affair with Nargis
The Kapoor family went through difficult times during Raj Kapoor’s affairs. In his book, Rishi Kapoor mentioned how his mother once moved all the children to a hotel when Raj Kapoor was involved with Vyjayanthimala. However, the family did not grow bitter over Raj Kapoor’s relationships. In fact, during an appearance on Aap Ki Adalat, Rishi spoke openly about his father’s affair with Nargis and called his father “only human.”
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Nargis and Raj kapoor.
He said, “We respect that a filmmaker, while working, develops friendships. Sometimes, these friendships transform into something else. We work in the creative field, we seek inspiration from each other, we rely on each other. We are human beings, after all. And a human being will love only another human being. Kabhi kabhi shaadishuda logon ka aisa haadsa ho jaata hai (Sometimes it happens with married people). It is part of life, I guess.”
He continued, “We are not ashamed of this chapter in our lives. Both families are cordial with each other. But it happened. It’s history, and we respect that. It’s a part of history.”
Raj Kapoor passed away in 1988 at the age of 63, while Nargis died in 1981 at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
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