Ranbir Kapoor has often mentioned that his interactions with his father, Rishi Kapoor, were quite formal. Since childhood, he was deeply intimidated by Rishi. Rishi Kapoor, too, wrote in his memoir Khullam Khulla that, had it been entirely up to him, he would never have allowed Ranbir to do films like Rocket Singh, Barfi!, among others. On one occasion, Rishi even lashed out at Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap, accusing them of failing to do justice to Ranbir's talent through their films. Both then and now, Bollywood fans have frequently judged Rishi Kapoor for this behavior—a father who was himself a superstar, publicly making negative remarks about the films of a son who was being hailed as Bollywood's next big star!
However, harboring such an intense desire to shape the destiny of one's son's career was nothing new for the Kapoor family. Rishi was perhaps viewing Ranbir through the very same lens through which his own father, Raj Kapoor, had once viewed him—the magnificent acting legacy of the Kapoor family.
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Rishi Kapoor didn't start acting out of passion, but he was dragged into the field by his father Raj Kapoor- Indian cinema's greatest 'Showman'. If Rishi had his own way, he would gave gone to study at top college in Longdon. Raj always aspired to see the Kapoor family's cinematic legacy occupy the very pinnacle of the Hindi film industry. He sought to bring stories to the screen that were truly unparalleled.
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Rishi Kapoor made an early screen appearance as a child in Shree 420 and even mimicked his father Raj Kapoor at home. At 17, he was cast as young Raju in Mera Naam Joker, often juggling school and shoots—once even facing suspension before his father adjusted filming schedules. Rishi’s performance earned him a National Award for Best Child Artist, but the film’s failure hit the family hard, leaving Raj Kapoor financially and emotionally shaken as his style was suddenly seen as outdated.
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After the failure of Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor bounced back with Bobby (1973), a youthful love story that redefined his son Rishi Kapoor as a modern, stylish romantic hero. With a fresh look, Western fashion, and themes of young love, the film became a massive cultural hit. However, behind the scenes, Raj remained a strict director, with Rishi treating him more as "Raj Saheb" than a father, even admitting he was intimidated by him on set.
Driven by his vision, Raj Kapoor spent years searching for the perfect heroine for Heena, eventually casting Zeba Bakhtiar in the late 1980s after earlier discovering Padmini Kolhapure. However, he passed away soon after filming began in 1987, leaving the project to Rishi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor, with Heena later helping revive Rishi’s career. While the Kapoor legacy had seen stardom across generations—from Prithviraj Kapoor to Raj and his brothers—many successors struggled to sustain that level of success.
Born into this lineage, Rishi not only carved out a distinct identity for himself but also, for a long time, single-handedly upheld the Kapoor family's acting legacy on screen.