Arjun Kapoor opens up about Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie's separation when he was 10; says, 'We never had a normal father-son relationship'

Arjun Kapoor and Boney Kapoor

Arjun Kapoor has often spoken candidly about the split between his parents, Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. In a recent conversation with Raj Shamani on his podcast, Arjun delved into the complexities of this period in his life, and shared how he braved the challenges that came with it.

Arjun was just ten years old when his parents separated. At that tender age, he couldn't fully grasp how significantly this event would shape his life. Reflecting on those times, Arjun said, “My parents split up when I was 10 years old. That’s something that, at that point, didn’t feel that would shape me and change the course of my entirely because I was dealing with it in real time. But when I look back, there are a lot of things that…”

During the split, Boney Kapoor was engrossed in the production of two major films, Prem and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. This immense pressure meant that Boney's presence in Arjun's daily life was minimal. “For example, my father was busy making two big films when that was happening. He was making Prem and Roop Ki Rani Choro Ka Raja. He was under a lot of pressure to complete those films and release them. So, we never had a normal father-son relationship where he came to school to pick me up or drop me. It’s not that he didn’t try, but I never had that, and then the split happened also. That is slightly traumatic when you look back and retrospect," Arjun explained.

Despite the initial turmoil, Arjun and Boney have managed to mend their relationship over the years. The actor shared, “Now, I have an equation with him when I spend a lot more time with him, but I’m 39. Over the last five years, I have spent more time with him. Again, in traumatic situations, the bridging of our relationship happened.”

Arjun described his childhood as "interesting," noting how he was forced to grow up quickly. He understood the high-profile nature of his family and the intense scrutiny they were under due to his father’s prominence. “I had an interesting childhood. I grew up very fast. I also realised that I have to be responsible and well-behaved because I also knew what was going on. It was also a high-profile situation at that point because my father is a well-known person as it is. Our family is well known. But at the same time, it’s not like I went through hell because of it. It was balanced out. Dad’s family was there, dad was there," he reflected.

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Addressing how he coped with his parents' divorce, Arjun highlighted the roles of his younger sister and mother. He felt a responsibility to be mature and supportive. “As a child, you have a sister who is five years younger than you, you have a mother who is dealing with that (kind of situation), and you have a father who loves you but cannot be around. Circumstances were such. That’s when I found film, started watching films, that’s how I connected with my father, I didn’t want to lose that connection.”

Initially, Arjun might have sought attention, but he quickly became aware and responsible, maturing ahead of his years to maintain his bond with his father. He concluded, “Initially maybe I must have tried to gain attention. But as I said, I had become very responsible. I became too aware. I matured ahead of my time because I wanted to make sure that I didn’t lose connection with my father. So I tried to process and analyse it… As long as he was happy with what he had done, I was okay with it. Even if I wasn’t ok with it, I rationalised it in my head at a young age. Thik hai, jo ho gaya woh ho gaya…”