New Delhi: The Kapoor clan celebrates Raj Kapoor’s 100th birth anniversary in Netflix’s recently dropped special, Dining with the Kapoors. The special featured almost the entire family, including Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor. The lunch was hosted by actor Armaan Jain, Raj Kapoor’s grandson.
Dining with the Kapoors is written and directed by Smriti Mundhra, who has previously directed Indian Matchmaking and The Romantics. The hour-long episode shows Kapoors sharing secrets about one another, celebrating their much-talked about love for food, and looking back on childhood moments.
The menu featured mac and cheese, junglee mutton, chicken curry, mutton yakhni pulao, dal pakodi kadhi, paya, paneer makhani, brun pav, steamed rice, Malabari paratha, truffle dal, lacha paratha, chilke wale aloo, and fish curry, among other things.
The special also has rare footage of Raj Kapoor’s bungalow in Deonar in Mumbai, where he lived for much of his life. In 2019, the bungalow and the adjoining RK Studios were sold to the Godrej group. It has been redeveloped into a luxury housing complex.
Unfiltered foodies
The episode began with the Kapoor family spilling secrets about one another. The first prompt from Netflix asked them to name a Kapoor who speaks without a filter, and Reema Jain immediately pointed at her nephew, Ranbir Kapoor. “He shot out. Bol deta tha kuch bhi,” she said. Ranbir accepted the reputation but blamed the older generation for never holding back their words.
Neetu Kapoor agreed, noting that her late husband, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, and Reema were known for their unfiltered nature. Armaan Jain suggested that his cousin Kareena Kapoor Khan was actually the one who spoke without a filter. But, Bebo quickly turned it into a family-wide trait, saying, “You can’t just name one. The entire family.”
The focus soon turned to food, in conversation and on the table. The lunch starts with formal restaurant-style plating. But, soon they ditched the sophistication and moved to a ‘bring out whatever is on the stove’ approach.
When Aadar Jain described what makes someone a “glutton,” accusations flew around the table. Kareena nominated herself and her cousins, while Ranbir gave the title to Reema. However, Armaan, Nitasha Nanda, and Neetu Kapoor all insisted that Ranbir was actually the biggest foodie of them all. “He could really eat. Once I was shocked. I said, ‘Ranbir, you eat so much?’,” Neetu said.
Kareena also remembered a moment from her pregnancy, laughing about how she was “fired” by Neetu Kapoor for eating too much. “You saw me when I was pregnant, and you were just firing me by saying ‘don’t eat too much.’ And I said ‘I’m pregnant,’ and she was like, ‘so what’,” Kareena narrated.
Later at the lunch table, Ranbir recalled his grandmother’s baked mac and cheese, calling it one of his earliest and most cherished food memories. The mac and cheese also featured in Armaan’s elaborate spread of lunch. Neetu added that the dish made an appearance at nearly every family dinner.
Also read: The Kapoors’ love for food is stuff of legends. Netflix gets us a seat at a table
The other Kapoors
The show also brings attention to a few family members who may be less familiar to the audience. Among them is Nitasha, lovingly called Tashu, Raj Kapoor’s granddaughter through his daughter Ritu Nanda. She is Nikhil Nanda’s sister. Nikhil is the father of Agastya and Navya Naveli and husband to Shweta Bachchan.
The episode also features Zahan, who recently starred in the Netflix series Black Warrant. He is the grandson of Shashi Kapoor, and son of Kunal Kapoor and Sheena Sippy. This connects him not only to the Kapoor clan but also to the Sippy family of Sholay fame. Zahan’s sister, Shaira, appears in the show as well. Unlike many in the family, she works behind the scenes as a set designer. Their father, Kunal Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor’s son, is known for hosting the iconic Kapoor Christmas lunch.
The episode also introduces Jatin, a television actor formerly known as Jatin Sial, the son of Urmila Sial, the only sister of Raj, Shashi and Shammi Kapoor. Namita, another relative featured, is connected to the clan through the same lineage, being the granddaughter of Urmila Sial.
The audience also meets Neila Devi Kapoor, who is the second wife of Shammi Kapoor.
Why was Alia missing?
While the special dinner featured the entire Kapoor Khandaan, one notable absence was Ranbir’s wife, actor Alia Bhatt. It led to speculation among fans, when the trailer dropped.
But Armaan, the creator of the special, put the rumours to rest. In a chat with Bollywood Hungama, Armaan revealed that Alia was busy with work.
“She had prior commitments to shoot. I might sound filmy, but like Raj Kapoor said, ‘work is worship’,” Armaan said.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)