It was a normal day when Aamir Khan’s PR team decided to drop the announcement of Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao divorce in my and several media member’s inbox. Was I surprised? Not at all, did I expect it, yes in a matter of time, I did and feel relieved for them now that the decision is public.

Before I delve into the present, I want to rewind a few reels of the past. Year: 1986 when neighbors Aamir Khan and Reena Dutt had a secret wedding. Aamir’s uncle, filmmaker Nasir Hussain was launching his nephew in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and warned him to not reveal his marital status till the film was released. In 1988 a star was born and a year later, the wedding details revealed in a gossip magazine.

The heart throb of millions was a married man affected Aamir’s image temporarily but the marriage survived alright. Reena came from a different world and did not try to fit into the star wife slot and Aamir liked the fact that she was different. They looked made for each other but all marriages are deceptive and in 2002 soon after the release of Aamir Khan’s debut production Lagaan the couple split.

To be continued

There was a sudden vacuum in Neetu’s life and Rishi Kapoor brought her back to the spotlight in a cameo for Love Aaaj Kal. Destiny had turned the wheel for the actor and even though she had not planned a career she did Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Do Dooni Char and Besharam with her husband and son, Ranbir.

They were building a new home, looking forward to Ranbir bringing his bride home and perhaps planning a few productions as a family, when Rishi Kapoor fell ill fell. Initially it seemed like lethargy, a few tests, change in medication and Rishi was back to work for a new film in Delhi.

When I visited her home for Ganpati darshan, my annual ritual, Neetu mentioned her husband had been feeling uneasy lately but even she was not prepared when he was diagnosed with Lukemia.

The coming year in America where he underwent treatment and the following months in Mumbai when he was on a yoyo were traumatic for the family and the end heartbreaking!

But the show has to go on and so Neetu Singh Kapoor is  slowly and gradually learning to stand on her feet, learning to smile and for the first time perhaps, learning to live life for herself.

Post marriage Neetu and Rishi stayed initial years with the Kapoor family in Chembur and Neetu says they were the best years of her life. Two children later, it was time for Rishi- Neetu to move on and build their own nest.

The 90s and the 2000 were dedicated to home and raising of children and in all these years I visited Neetu, she never once yearned for the arc lights. Our conversations were always about her husband, her children, her in-laws.  

Year 2007 was a landmark year for her. Her daughter Riddhima got married to her childhood sweetheart, son Ranbir was preparing to be launched in Sanwaria by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Neetu’s mother Rajee Singh ailing for a while expired in her sleep.

To be continued

If Kabhi Kabhie, Amar Akbar Anthony, Adalat, Parvarish and Great Gambler consolidated her position as a star, Doosra Aadmi and Priyatama heralded her as an actor but she remained strangely unaffected by her stardom. It is because love not fame was the driving force of her life. As a young girl it was commitment to her mother and later, it was commitment to her boyfriend and husband Rishi Kapoor.

She got married at the age of 21 and returned signing amounts of films without regrets or remorse. She dashed off letters to all her filmmakers requesting them to relieve her before her wedding date. It was a phase when every studio in the city hosted a Neetu Singh film set and every co-star facilitated her schedule.

She did triple shifts – allotted couple of hours to every production house, started shoot early in the morning and returned home late at night. Her wedding preparations occurred simultaneously, trousseau shopping, jewelry approvals, lehenga trials everything supervised by Rajee Singh and her loyal friends.

To be continued

This week is Neetu Kapoor’s birthday, her second, after the demise of husband Rishi Kapoor in April 2020.  Last year while was still raw and hurting, her children insisted on a family celebration. The children presented Neetu with a pet and Karan Johar surprised everyone by offering her a film she could not refuse. The collective plan was to get Neetu on her feet.

Her life has undergone a 360-degree change but what remains unchanged in all these years is her dedication to whatever life offers her.

As a child Neetu was committed to her school, her dance class and her shootings because her mother wanted her to be an all-rounder. Do Kaliyaan made her an instant success and unlike other children who take a break before getting into adulthood, Neetu was launched as a heroine at a tender age of fifteen. She was awkward and her initial movies were a disaster but by mid-seventies, Neetu Singh was a major player at the box-office working with all the top banners.

To be continued

The only unaffected by the TRP ratings or the power politics of mainstream movies are as always, the independent film and the independent filmmakers.

Mention must be made at a time like this of a pathbreaking documentary WOMB (Women of my Billion) on the plights of the Indian women fighting against all forms of violence.

Inspired by the highway 91 rape case reported in the year 2016 in India director Srishti Bakshi captures her 3800 km on-foot journey from Kanyakumari to Srinagar over 230 days talking to survivors and interacts with over 85,000 women during 100 plus workshops. The statistics are interesting but a thought crosses my mind, will it not resurface the buried wounds again and if that is so, is it worth telling such a traumatic tale? Will watch the film and decide my answer.

The web series made hay while the theatres shut down and now that the cinema halls are threatening to open up again, the world of web is getting jittery and it is showing.  Suddenly all the regional channels, Oho/ Gujarati and Aha/ Telegu who were not fully ready to launch are working on an overdrive to get published. Oho aired Chaskela followed by Cutting in Gujarati and Aha has a line of shows coming after In the Name of God in Telegu.

The established channels have all got into content partnerships, so Jio Cinema is celebrating Malayalam Mojo an eclectic mix of features, critically acclaimed, box office successes, period dramas, comedies, thrillers, satires, all backed by celebrated talent, Zee 5 who scored in subscriptions with Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and Friends: The Reunion has lined up international shows with TVF like Pitchers Season 2, Tripling Season 3 and more. Will that be a game changer, cannot say?

Diljit Dosanjh has proved that irrespective of crisis, the show goes on. His film Shadaa has completed two blockbuster years and Akshay Kumar has been working without a break for two years. A year ago, Kumar was the first Bollywood actor to start shooting with super covid precautions and now Bell Bottom will be the first film to hit cinema halls next month.

The trade is super excited that the cinema halls will open up again and are hoping other producers will follow suit. They wanted Salman Khan’s Radhe to release in theatres and Khan seriously tried but the cases were risingand he was advised to premier on the OTT platform. The exhibitors felt let down but it was the right decision at that point. Anyway, now all eyes are on the spy drama of Akshay Kumar and they are optimistic his vintage action will bring back the audience to the cinema halls. Those who work with Akshay Kumar swear by his discipline and time management. His meetings are short, conversations brief and decisions swift. He always has a group of writers/ directors pitching new projects to him and Kumar is known to allot quick appointments. For years, he has combined a new release with a new launch, and therefore as Bell Bottom gets ready to hit the screen, Kumar announces Raksha Bandhan launching four new faces who will play his sisters. Co-starring Bhumi Pednekar and to be directed by Anand Rai Raksha Bandhan is targeted for the cinema halls as well