Ranbir Kapoor Reflects on Grandfather Raj Kapoor’s Legacy at International Film Festival of India

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor shared personal memories and professional insights about his grandfather, pioneering Indian filmmaker Raj Kapoor, during a discussion with director Rahul Rawail at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where Kapoor’s centenary is being celebrated.

“My memories of him are very personal,” said Kapoor, recalling his grandfather who passed away when he was six. “He used to take us to his room, and he used to hide these caramel toffees in his fridge. He used to make us stand in a line – all the cousins, Kareena, Karishma, my sister, myself – and ask us to do ‘Salaam’ and to sing ‘Awaara Hoon’ [from “Awaara,” 1951].”

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Discussing Raj Kapoor’s filmmaking, the younger Kapoor noted his grandfather’s ability to tackle varied social themes throughout his career. “If you see ‘Awaara,’ it was based on casteism. ‘Shree 420’ [1955] spoke about greed and the underprivileged. In his latter films, he made strong films with Indian moral values.”

Kapoor highlighted his grandfather’s creative resilience, particularly after the commercial failure of “Mera Naam Joker” (1970). “He lost so much money. His house was mortgaged. But he had the courage to make a film with newcomers [“Bobby,” 1973]. A 50-year-old man making a film for the youth means he really kept with the times.”

The conversation revealed plans for a restoration project of Raj Kapoor’s films. “With NFDC [National Film Development Corporation of India], NFAI [National Film Archive of India], my uncle Kunal Kapoor and the Film Heritage Foundation, we have restored 10 films so far,” said Kapoor, announcing a nationwide film festival scheduled for Dec. 13-15 to showcase the restored works.

Kapoor, whose own acting credits include “Animal,” “Barfi” and “Wake Up Sid,” expressed interest in directing eventually, though he noted the challenge of following in his grandfather’s footsteps. “My grandfather directed, acted, produced, wrote, edited a film at the age of 24. I’m 42 today, and I still don’t have the courage to direct a film. I produced a movie called ‘Jagga Jasoos,’ which, again, didn’t work at the box office, but, it’s something which definitely I have a burning ambition. I’m waiting for a story to come because a director should make a movie only if he has a story to tell, not just for the sake of making a movie.”