The Kapoor family is renowned for their love for food among fans and peers. In a Koffee With Karan episode that aired in 2004, Neetu Kapoor discussed how the family is only talking about food all day - on the breakfast table they would be talking about lunch, at lunch about dinner. In a recent interview to Indian Express, actor Manoj Pahwa remembered his Mulk co-actor, the late Rishi Kapoor, and his love for massive spreads.
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Manoj, who played Rishi’s brother in the award-winning movie, spoke about the late actor’s generosity and how he insisted Manoj eat with him when the cast was shooting in Lucknow. In the interview, he said that a chef from Taj Hotels would cook for Rishi, and his food was spread across the table. He indeed feasted like a king and loved to feed those around him too. There would be four types of mutton, four kinds of chicken, and five kinds of sweets. The director of Mulk, Anubhav Sinha, would also tease Manoj that after dining with Rishi, why would he want to eat with anyone else.
Manoj Pahwa worked with Rishi Kapoor in the movie 'Mulk'
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Rishi’s elder brother Randhir said that the family’s obsession with food is inherited. “We are originally from Peshawar, in north-west Pakistan. We are Hindu Peshawaris and we have a tremendous weakness for food. In the same interview, Rishi also dished out some of his other foodie secrets, like his love for meat, “we connect food to non-vegetarian food. I love eggs too, I like them akoori style, which was also my dad’s (Raj Kapoor’s) favourite. I also like vegetarian dishes like Palak Paneer, Baingan Bharta and Yellow Tadka Dal”, he said. He also praised his mother’s cooking skills and said that her Yakhni Pulao was simply the best.
Rishi succumbed to cancer in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of movies. Even during his last days, he requested his doctor if he could have some portion of Chinese food, his son Ranbir Kapoor revealed in an interview with the Film Companion. Though Rishi was not a fan of deep-fried food, he loved his noodles, Pak Choy, chicken and fish. Ranbir also recalled that when he was younger, he went to Ling’s Pavilion with his parents and sister every Friday. They would order one crab each and eat them with steamed mantou buns.