Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor were married for around 40 years before he passed away in 2020. Though, their marriage may have seen some ripples and rough patches, they were always by each other’s side till his last breath. Rishi has also mentioned several times how Neetu was always a supportive wife. The actress had almost stopped working immediately after she tied the knot, while Rishi’s stardom continued to grow. In his biography, ‘Khullam Khulla’, Rishi had revealed how Neetu was always a supportive wife. She only felt threatened or insecure once when he re-united with his ‘Bobby’ co-star Dimple Kapadia.
Rishi and Dimple had started off their careers with ‘Bobby’ which was a huge hit and at that point in time, there was something brewing between the two of them. Many years later, they worked together again in 1985 for ‘Saagar‘. Rishi said in his biography that by then, him and Neetu had a solid marriage with two kids and Dimple had just separated from Rajesh Khanna. The ‘Chandni’ said that Neetu told him, that was the only time she felt threatened. He added, “But she needn’t have worried. Dimple was a friend, even if she may have been a little more than that during Bobby. Ten years had gone by; she was coming out of a marriage with two children of her own, and I was also well settled with two kids. I have never let Neetu down in our marriage. I am a happily married man with a loving and supportive wife. Neetu is not only my wife, she is also a friend.”
Rishi described that both him and Dimple were at very different stages of their life by then. Describing Dimple at that point in time, Rishi said, “She also felt the need to assert that she was a great actress. I could see her trying too hard to live up to her image in Bobby, but it wasn’t necessary. She was only twenty-five and very beautiful. Here, I must mention how much of a source of strength her sister Simple was to her at this point. She constantly motivated Dimple and helped her emerge from this phase. Many years later, we did another film, Pyaar Mein Twist (2005).”
The actor further wrote that he had his reservations about doing ‘Saagar’ but lauded Neetu for not stopping him from doing the movie. Rishi had said, “Neetu must have had some reservations, but she was very dignified about the whole thing. It is to her credit that she didn’t put her foot down and allowed me to do Saagar.” Rishi confessed how even if there were ever any ripples in their relationship, it was because of him, never her. “And even then, the reasons had nothing to do with another woman in my life. She has been a rock and stood by me in my weakest moments. If there was an Oscar for the best partner, for being with someone for better or for worse in every sense of the word, she would get it,” said Rishi.
