The Hindi film industry still remembers the deep sorrow of April 30, 2020, when veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away in Mumbai after a long, brave battle with cancer.
Fans and loved ones experienced a wave of grief in addition to the cinematic legacy left by his passing. Years later, his son Ranbir Kapoor has opened up about that traumatic period, and his words show the silent heartache that frequently lurks beneath the façade of strength.
In a heartfelt chat with entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, Ranbir shared that when his father passed away, he didn’t cry — not because he didn’t feel the pain, but because he didn’t know how to process it. “I stopped crying very early on. I didn’t even cry when my father passed away. When I was spending the night at the hospital, the doctor told me, ‘This is his last night, he is going to go anytime soon.’ I remember going up to the room and had a panic attack. I didn’t know how to express myself, there was too much happening that was to take. But I don’t think I have grieved, understood the loss.”
Ranbir revealed that he was never very close to his father growing up, even though there was love between them. That emotional distance, he admitted, is something that still haunts him.
Recalling their time together in New York during Rishi Kapoor’s treatment, he said, “The one year we spent together in New York while his treatment was on, he often spoke about that. I was there for 45 days and one day he came and started crying. He has never shown that kind of weakness to me. It was so awkward for me because I didn’t know if I should hold him or hug him; I really realised the distance. I feel guilty that I didn’t have the grace to let go off the distance between us and go and hug him, give him some love.”
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Ranbir also reflected on how men, especially in Indian households, are often raised to hide their emotions. “You are also brought up a certain way where you’re told, ‘Now you are responsible’ and then certain things play on your mind. I have my mother, sister, wife, a child and my father passes away… Can I show my weakness? I don’t know what it is, but I just didn’t show it.”
On the work front, Ranbir Kapoor is currently work on his upcoming film Love & War and Ramayana: Part 1.
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