Randhir Kapoor was the blue-eyed boy of Kapoor Khandaan and when he fell for the pretty Babita Shivdasani, little did he know that it would mark the beginning of a topsy-turvy relationship. Randhir and Babita’s relationship was not just something that raised eyebrows in the Kapoor family but also broke several orthodox traditions, which the clan ostentatiously followed for generations. In spite of everything that happened, and all the hoopla around their alleged divorce, the two continue to be wife and husband despite living miles away in the same city. Let’s take a closer look at what caused the discord in this couple’s marital life.
The Filmmaker’s Son And An Actor’s Daughter
Randhir Kapoor was born on 15th February, 1947, as the eldest son of the legendary Indian filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Being a part of the Kapoor family meant that his default career stream would be acting or filmmaking. Randhir grew up in Mumbai and completed his higher education from Dehradun, eventually making his acting and directorial debut with the 1971 film Kal Aaj Aur Kal, which starred his father, grandfather and Babita (then his girlfriend). Randhir’s film career took a dip in the 1980s, and eventually he made his return at the turn of the century in the year 1999. Since then, he has focused on playing supporting roles.
Babita was born Babita Shivdasani on 20th April, 1948, to a Sindhi actor father and a British mother. Babita’s father Hari Shivdasani was an established actor even before the partition of India, and later shifted base to Mumbai. Growing up, Babita was groomed to be an actress, and she made her debut in the year 1966 with a mediocre film Dus Lakh. It was her second film Raaz, which made her a household name, thanks to the screen space she shared with the yesteryear superstar Rajesh Khanna. She worked in only 19 films in her career and quit acting after tying the knot with Randhir Kapoor.
Randhir And Babita’s Secret Courtship And Marriage
Randhir Kapoor is said to have met Babita Shivdasani somewhere around circa 1969. So Babita was accompanying her father on one of his film shoots under the RK productions banner (owned by Raj Kapoor). Randhir was also assisting his father for the making of the film, and the two happened to bump into one another on the sets. Needless to say, Raj Kapoor immediately fell for the doe-eyed beauty and started off a friendship that soon manifested to a full-on romantic relationship. The couple kept it under the wraps though and would secretly date. But two years down the line, Babita became anxious about their relationship since she did not foresee herself getting espoused to Randhir since it was a Kapoor family tradition to not marry actresses. But her beau had a plan up his sleeve and decided to set up a virtual meeting of his family with Babita in the most filmy way as possible.
After taking his father’s consent, Randhir signed Babita as the lead actress in his directorial debut film Kal Aaj Aur Kal in the year 1971. The film also had the Kapoor family chieftain Prithviraj Kapoor, and the three generations played their real life relationships on the big screen. Signing Babita in the role of his love interest was one way Randhir thought he could acquaint his family with the girl he loved. While Raj Kapoor had no trouble working on the professional front with Babita, he was appalled by his son’s intention to make her the real life bahu. The couple invariably met with stiff resistance, but seeing their determination, the family caved-in on the condition that Babita would quit acting after marriage. Babita agreed to this patriarchal tradition, and Randhir and Babita tied the knot on 6th November, 1971, in a traditional Punjabi wedding at the plush Kapoor residence in Mumbai.
The Tumultuous Journey
Things were going pretty smooth for Randhir and Babita in the first few years of their married life. Despite the fact that Babita had quit her flourishing film career, she never let it become a bone of contention in her relationship with her husband or in-laws. Randhir was doing well in his film career and the couple were blessed with their first daughter Karisma Kapoor in 1974. Things would have been a cakewalk all the way had Randhir’s career not taken a dip in the year 1980. During that phase, Randhir is said to have developed a sense of casualness towards choosing films and he would often spend substantial time with his friends drinking and merrymaking. This was something that did not go down well with his wife, and the birth of their second daughter Kareena in the year 1981 added to her woes. She would even request her father-in-law Raj Kapoor to intervene but even that wasn’t of much help. Eventually, by mid-1980s, Randhir had developed an image of a ‘flop hero.’ By 1987, things had gone beyond Babita’s control and she decided to separate from Randhir.
The Marriage Goes Estranged
The contrasting personalities of the couple and Randhir Kapoor’s downhill fall finally took a toll on his relationship with his wife Babita. In the year 1988, Babita asked Randhir to leave their apartment. Randhir went back to live with his parents and Babita stayed back in the apartment with her two daughters. It was a difficult phase in her life, and it is said that despite all that happened, she never demanded any compensation or even divorce from Randhir. Babita had not just severed ties with Randhir but also with the Kapoor clan, whom she blamed for the mess Randhir had become. She even decided that it was time she did something that no daughter-in-law of Kapoor family would never dare do; she decided to groom both her daughters to become actresses. It was her resolute effort that bagged Karisma Kapoor her first role in veteran producer Ramanaidu’s 1991 Hindi film Prem Qaidi. Babita reprised her efforts in 1999, which landed her second daughter Kareena her debut film Refugee.
All this while, Randhir and Babita had little contact and most of their conversations would be terse. It is said though that their daughter Karisma played a strong catalyst in bringing back her estranged parents once again under the same roof. Her efforts met success in 2007 when Randhir and Babita reconciled after 19 years of separation and buried their differences. It was a moment their two daughters had been awaiting for a really long time.
Reconciled But With A Rift
Despite the bonhomie between Randhir and Babita, it is said they continue to live separately due to the fact that two decades of separation has totally transformed their personalities. Although they do meet often and spend quality time together, they are not that doting pair they once used to be in their younger days. In spite of that though, they continue to be a common support to their two daughters. In fact, when Karisma was going through a tough phase in her own marriage, it was Randhir and Babita who came to her rescue by looking after her children and providing legal help. Babita encouraged her daughters to enter showbiz and kind of broke the norm. No Kapoor bahu ever dared show that courage, and in spite of living separately, somewhere deep down even Randhir was silently supporting and cheering his wife’s brave efforts. We sign off on that positive note and wish the adorable parents of Karisma and Kareena all the very best.
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