When Neetu Kapoor Revealed Why Rishi Kapoor Didn’t Allow Daughter Riddhima To Become An Actress

Mumbai: Bollywood’s Kapoor family has been synonymous with cinema for generations, but Riddhima Kapoor Sahni chose a different path. Unlike her brother Ranbir Kapoor, who became a top Bollywood actor, Riddhima pursued a career in fashion design. But was acting ever an option for her?

According to Neetu Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor never wanted Riddhima to enter the film industry. In his autobiography, Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, Neetu revealed, “Riddhima grew up knowing that if she ever told her father she wanted to be an actress, he’d kill himself.” While Neetu recognized her daughter’s immense talent, she also noted that Riddhima understood her father’s reservations and never openly expressed any interest in acting.

Neetu further shared, “She is a wonderfully talented and beautiful girl. She’s a fabulous mimic and would have given any actress a run for her money. But even as a child, she knew how much it would upset her father if she decided to become an actress. He doesn’t think badly of actresses or feel that girls shouldn’t work in movies. But he’s zealously overprotective of his wife and children.”

Rishi Kapoor, despite being a celebrated actor himself, was extremely cautious about the challenges that come with fame, especially for women. Neetu revealed that his biggest concern was the constant media scrutiny, gossip, and the way an actress’s personal life often becomes a public spectacle.

“This ugly side of stardom scared my husband, and he didn’t want to see his daughter entangled in that mess. It was something that worried him all through her growing-up years until she got married to Bharat. Once she settled down, Bob (Rishi Kapoor) was a much-relieved man, and his relationship with Riddhima grew stronger and more open,” Neetu shared.

Instead of Bollywood, Riddhima chose to study fashion design in London and has since built a successful career as a designer and social media influencer.

While Riddhima stayed away from films, her daughter, Samara Sahni, has dreams of becoming an actress. In an interesting twist, Riddhima recently revealed on The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives that Samara aspires to follow in the footsteps of her famous grandfather and uncle.