Raj Kapoor’s extra-marital affair once led his wife Krishna to leave home with their children, reveals Rishi Kapoor’s book

Raj Kapoor’s extra-marital affair once led his wife Krishna to leave home with their children, reveals Rishi Kapoor’s book

Bollywood’s history is full of tales that blur the line between reel and real life. Some of these stories, though decades old, continue to fascinate fans even today. One such account involves none other than Raj Kapoor, often called the “Showman of Indian Cinema,” whose personal life was as dramatic as the films he made.

The story resurfaced when Rishi Kapoor, his son, mentioned the turbulent phase in his autobiography Khullam Khulla. He recalled how his mother, Krishna Kapoor, once left their home with the children after discovering Raj Kapoor’s extramarital affairs. “There was a lot of fight between mummy and papa. This time, mother was not ready to step back, and she left the house with me. For some time, we stayed in a hotel, and later we had a flat in Chitrakoot,” wrote Rishi.

The account gives a rare, intimate glimpse into the personal struggles of one of cinema’s greatest icons. Though Raj Kapoor had always claimed to keep his professional and personal lives separate, his relationships with actresses disrupted his marriage. According to an excerpt in Rishi Kapoor's book, his mother’s patience reached its breaking point when the affairs became impossible to ignore.

Rishi further revealed, “When I was young, my father’s name was in the news for his affairs with many actresses. But the memories of the disputes in the house faded with time.” He admitted that the turbulence eventually subsided when Raj Kapoor realized his mistake and made efforts to reconcile.

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The autobiography also named some of the women involved. Rishi Kapoor candidly wrote, “When my mother came to know about his extramarital affair with Sangam co-star Vyjayanthimala, the matter got worse.” He added that before his marriage to Krishna, Raj Kapoor had also been in love with actress Nargis, the heroine of many of his early films.

Raj Kapoor married Krishna in 1946, and together they had five children: Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Ritu Nanda, and Rima Kapoor. Despite being a devoted family man in many respects, the actor-filmmaker’s affairs were an open secret in the industry. According to Rishi, his mother remained unaware of the full extent of his father’s relationships for a long time.

Krishna Kapoor’s decision to walk out, however briefly, remains one of the most striking chapters in Bollywood family history. It showed that even the wives of powerful film icons had their limits. Though the family later reconciled, the episode was proof that the glamour of cinema often came at the cost of personal peace.

Decades later, the story continues to resonate because it humanizes a legend. Raj Kapoor may have been the master of cinematic romance, but his real-life love story was far more complicated.