When Rishi Kapoor Got Angry Over Directors Asking to Be Introduced to Ranbir Kapoor: 'Baap Hu, Secretary Nahi'

Rishi Kapoor had once opened up about producers and directors hounding him for an introduction to his son, Ranbir Kapoor. He mentioned on Rajat Sharma’s Aap Ki Adalat that it used to really irritate him when producers and directors would call and ask to be introduced to Ranbir or request him to tell Ranbir to do their films. He would tell them to get in touch with Ranbir directly because he couldn’t make decisions about films on Ranbir’s behalf, as he came from a different generation.

When host Rajat Sharma asked if he gets irritated when people ask him about his son Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor had said, “Nahi. Yeh to fakr ki baat hai Ranbir ke baare mein, mere bete ke baare mein pooche. Haan, lekin iss baat ka mujhe bada afsos hota hai ke kuch producers aur directors mujhe phone karte hain aur kehte hain, ‘Yaar, humari introduction kara do.’ Tab main inn logo se zaroor kehta hoon, ‘Main Ranbir ka baap hoon, uska secretary nahi hoon. Agar baat karni hai, toh usse kahani sunao, mujhse baat karke kya faida hoga? (No, it’s a matter of pride to be asked about Ranbir, my son. But it saddens me that some producers and directors call me and say, ‘Hey, introduce us.’ I always tell them, ‘I’m Ranbir’s father, not his secretary. If you want to talk, tell him your story; what’s the point of talking to me?)'”.

Maine agar decision lena hota, to maine to kabhi bhi Ranbir ko Barfi nahi karne deta. Main kehta ‘yeh kya picture hai yaar? Jo goonga hai, behra hai. Uske par picyture kaise banayoge tum? Toh mera decision is generation par bilkul galat hota. Aaj ki generation ki thinking alag hai, to maine kaha aap khud grow karoge, khud patoge. Pichlein tumhari nahi bhi chalengi, chalengi bhi. Tum to tumhare tajurbe, tum apni experience se apna ek bank banauge (If I had to make the decision, I would have never let Ranbir do Barfi. I would have said, ‘What kind of movie is this? The guy is mute and deaf. How will you make a film with him?’ So my decision would have been completely wrong for this generation. Today’s generation thinks differently, so I told him, ‘You will grow on your own and learn on your own. Some of your films may succeed, and some may not. But you will build your own foundation based on your experiences).”

Rishi Kapoor died at the age of 67 in April 2020. The actor passed away in the hospital after a two-year battle with cancer.