Zahan Kapoor recalls distant childhood with cousin Ranbir Kapoor; says, ‘I had no idea about him until Saawariya’

Zahan, the grandson of Shashi Kapoor, shares a second-cousin relationship with Ranbir and Kareena, who are the grandchildren of Raj Kapoor.

Zahan Kapoor, who recently made a mark with his performance in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Black Warrant, has opened up about his relationship with his famous Kapoor cousins — Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Despite belonging to Bollywood’s first family, Zahan admitted that he didn’t grow up around Ranbir and was largely unaware of him until his Bollywood debut in Saawariya (2007).

Zahan, the grandson of Shashi Kapoor, shares a second-cousin relationship with Ranbir and Kareena, who are the grandchildren of Raj Kapoor. While Raj and Shashi were brothers and sons of legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor, their families took different paths.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Zahan shared that he has developed a bond with Ranbir and Kareena as an adult, but their connection was not strong during childhood.

"I have developed a relationship with them now more as a young adult because they are my second cousins. So, there is a separation. They are first cousins to each other, so their relationship is still closer. But I have childhood memories with them. The structure of the family is also just so big."

He recalled that Shashi Kapoor’s household valued privacy, which naturally created a distance between his immediate family and the rest of the Kapoor clan.

"While growing up, we were slightly more distant. They were already working members, I was a young kid. We grew up differently. My dadaji also made a conscious decision to separate himself; he valued his privacy. As a nuclear family, we value our privacy."

The most surprising revelation came when Zahan admitted that he had no idea about Ranbir Kapoor until Saawariya released in 2007.

"I am so embarrassed about it. I did not really have an idea about Ranbir Kapoor before he was launched. Of course, I knew Chintu uncle (Rishi Kapoor). But, we were so separate. I was living in my world as a young kid. It was around the time when he made his splash with Saawariya as a young adult in 2007. I was still in school."

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Zahan also expressed admiration for Ranbir Kapoor for staying away from social media, something that he believes is a rare privilege in today’s entertainment industry.

"A little separation from social media is necessary. We live in a different age. Earlier, you could value your privacy so much more. But today, you are required to know so much. You are required to display yourself. I envy Ranbir for keeping away from social media. I don’t think I was given that opportunity or that option."