Neetu Kapoor Birthday: When the actress revealed Rishi Kapoor was 'never a friend' to Ranbir and Riddhima

Ranbir, Neetu, Rishi Kapoor Pic/AFP

Starting her career as a child artiste, Neetu Kapoor transitioned into playing lead roles and became a popular actress known for her cheerful and relatable persona. While she was often seen in girl-next-door roles, Neetu also showcased her acting range when allowed to play more substantial characters beyond just being the cute arm candy. On her 65th birthday, we revisit her time on the popular chat show 'Koffee With Karan'.

Neetu appeared on the show alongside Zeenat Aman. She talked about late actor Rishi Kapoor's relationship with his children Ranbir and Riddhima.

Neetu recalled the time she spent with her late husband in New York when he was receiving treatment for cancer. She said, "So Karan for me, I don't like to remember the sad part. I like to remember the good part of our relationship and of our time in New York. So New York was really sad, but we had the best year, I had the best year of my life."

She also revealed how the 'Karz' actor would rarely be casual and friendly with his kids but that changed in the final days. "Because you know Chintu Ji (Rishi Kapoor) is a very loving person. He had a lot of love in him. But there was something he never really showed his love. He always kept his distance and bullying people, not show his love. Especially with me and my children, he was like a big thing. Respect and all and with that he lost out on a lot with his children. He was never a friend to them," she said.

She added, "But that year, he opened up. He showed love, went towards me also he was so lovely. We had the best time."

Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30 in the year 2020 at the age of 67. He was suffering from leukemia. He was in New York for a considerable amount of time for his treatment. Neetu was there for him as a rock-solid partner through thick and thin.

Rishi and Neetu got married on January 22, 1980, and share two children, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and superstar Ranbir Kapoor. Back in the 70s and 80s, the couple starred in several hits together, like 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Khel Khel Mein', 'Rafoo Chakkar', 'Kabhi Kabhie', 'Besharam' and many more, and inspired generations with both their on-screen and off-screen romance.

(With inputs from ANI)