Nargis felt nervous attending Rishi Kapoor’s wedding after her affair with Raj Kapoor; his wife Krishna comforted her: ‘My husband is a handsome man, don’t beat yourself up over the past’ |

Raj Kapoor and Nargis were one of the best onscreen pairs in Hindi cinema but their equation did not just remain to the reel. Their real like romance is often spoken about. While eventually, Nargis went on to marry Sunil Dutt, members of the Kapoor family have reflected on this romance. Raj Kapoor was married that time to Krishna Kapoor and already had children which is why, their relationship eventually ended. Years after that, Nargis attended Rishi Kapoor‘s wedding with Neetu Singh. Nargis was accompanied by her husband Sunil Dutt at the wedding and in his autobiography, ‘Khullam Khulla’, Rishi Kapoor described how uneasy Nargis felt about attending a Kapoor family function after 24 yearsHe recalled that it was his mother, Krishna Raj Kapoor, who handled the moment with warmth and grace. Rishi 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.’”In the same book, Rishi also had mentioned how his mother Krishna left the Kapoor house once with him due to this affair. Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu Nanda also wrote about this moment in her book Raj Kapoor: The One and Only Showman. She highlighted Krishna Raj Kapoor’s calm and empathetic approach, even when Raj himself was anxious about Nargis attending the wedding. Describing Krishna’s response, Ritu 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 had also opened up on Raj Kapoor’s romance with Nargis in an interview with ‘Aap Ki Adaalat’. He had 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.”Rishi further added, “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.”In an old interview, Raj Kapoor had addressed this and said in a Prasar Bharti documentary made on his life. He had said, “My wife is not my actress and my actress is not my wife.” After marrying Sunil Dutt, Nargis cut off all contact with Raj Kapoor and stayed away from RK Studios as well.