I started this conversation by asking Armaan Jain, creator and showrunner of Dining with the Kapoors and, equally significantly, Raj Kapoor’s grandson, how he would classify this project, a delightful 61-minute watch that brings together the Kapoor family — unarguably Bollywood’s first family — under one roof to bond over their common love for food. “It is a docu-reality in some ways, but I would simply describe it as a really good time to watch,” smiled the actor-entrepreneur, who is Raj Kapoor’s daughter Rima Jain’s son and counts Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor as his cousins.
Set to premiere on Netflix on November 21, Dining with the Kapoors takes the essence of the famed Kapoor lunches and dinners and turns it into a fun and nostalgic afternoon with members of the family bantering over food, films, family and everything in between. Prominent attendees include siblings Randhir Kapoor and Rima Jain — who are celebrating their father’s centenary year — Neetu Kapoor, Kareena, Ranbir, Karisma, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Zahan Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Navya Naveli Nanda (Raj Kapoor’s great granddaughter whose grandfather also happens to be Amitabh Bachchan) and many more, many of who also function as talking heads. Directing this project is US-based filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, whose previous collaborations with Netflix have yielded hit formats like Indian Matchmaking and The Romantics. t2 chatted with Armaan and Smriti to know more.
Armaan Jain with Karisma Kapoor
Armaan, the love of the Kapoor family for their food is well known. At what point did you decide that it could make for engaging television?
Armaan Jain: For us, growing up in the Kapoor family was about films, films, films... but also about food, food, food! (Laughs) Food has always been a strong catalyst in bringing our family together. For me, growing up in this family meant banter, food, spending time with each other.... Food is a small part of the Kapoor legacy that I want to take forward. About four-five years ago, I started my own food business called The Junglee Kitchen, which includes the much-loved recipes of the Kapoors that have been handed down in the family.
I was sitting with my mom (Rima Jain) and we were talking about my grandfather’s 100th birthday. I was like: “It would be interesting to bring the family together over food and showcase the dining-table legacy that we have — replete with so much nostalgia and so many memories — and celebrate Raj Kapoor in a really fun manner.”
I didn’t have the opportunity to meet my grandfather... I was born after he passed away, and so whatever I have learned is from my mother, who also helped me a lot in shaping the narrative of Dining with the Kapoors. She gave us a lot of insights into the varied aspects of my grandfather. When I spoke to the family, they were all like: “Yes, this is exactly us! These are the kinds of traditions and values we have grown up with”.
Through my production company, Aavashyak Media, I took the project to Netflix and they have been great partners. I am wearing a lot of hats in this project and I am happy with how it has turned out.
Smriti, you have carved a niche for yourself in the docu-reality space. What was it like helming Dining with the Kapoors?
Smriti Mundhra: Since The Romantics (that focused on the legacy of Yash Chopra and his family), many people had approached me about doing documentaries on similar themes like film legacy, celebrity lives and so on. Dining with the Kapoors was the first one that really appealed to me because family — and what it means in a world as rapidly changing as ours — has always been at the core of my work. What touched me about the Kapoors and the large extended family that they have is their sense of loyalty to each other and the close-knit nature of their bond. In spite of their busy schedules, they make such an effort to come together at least a couple of times a year, and that too around food, which I found very relatable.
The fact that this family makes such an effort to stay connected so strongly is remarkable. Armaan is working hard to keep that tradition going and that felt resonant to me. It felt like an interesting angle to explore than just the usual celebrity documentary.
Armaan: I had two non-negotiables when I started out with this project. The first was that I wanted to do this with Netflix and second, that Smriti should ideally come on board. I have been a big fan of her work and she is a dominant force in this space. I spoke to her and realised that she herself is a big legacy keeper herself and she understood the root of what we were trying to make. She took this idea and vision ahead and captained the ship.
Food is the central core of Dining with the Kapoors, but you also cut to other aspects of the family legacy. How important was it for you to do that?
Armaan: It is unscripted, so one can’t really plan a lot in this format. The idea was to bring out the real side of the Kapoors and the fact that we are like any other family. We gather to have fun but also to reminisce about the times gone by. The bungalow (Deonar Cottage, Raj Kapoor’s home which has now been sold but which forms an integral part of Dining with the Kapoors) has been a big part of our lives... the Kapoors lived in it for 60-70 years, if not more, and it has seen so much of the culture that defines the family — the gathering of friends and industry people, the large parties, the Holi celebrations, the banter and bonhomie — and all of this has been handed down to the generation of Kapoors today. We love feeding everyone who comes home, and we want to hold on to those values and traditions.
Also, a lot of people have been asking me, but this is not a series. It is an hourlong fun, happy watch. It is easy-breezy, engaging and intriguing.
Smriti, what was your takeaway from being more than a fly on the wall while capturing this big fat celebrity Punjabi family in all its glory?
Smriti: I am an only child. I live in America and most of my family is in India and also scattered all over the world. I experienced so much envy while being part of this project and of being immersed in this family that are so close and who make it a point to see each other very often. They are so much a part of each other’s lives, they have their inside jokes and they support each other, both publicly and quietly. They tease each other, they are always joking and they love each other. It was such a wish-fulfillment experience for me. I am very close to my family too, but I live far away from them and it felt so wonderful to be immersed in the warmth, fun and love of the Kapoor family. It felt very real.
What surprised me the most were the unexpected connections — like I got to know who everybody’s favourites were, what their history with each other is... I saw so much connection not only between the siblings in the family, but also cousins, and also between those from different generations....
Armaan, what is your earliest memory as a child of a dining experience in the Kapoor khandaan?
Armaan: Oh, there are so many! Some of them would be my naani Krishna (Raj) Kapoor’s 75th birthday, Randhir uncle’s 60th birthday... a lot of anniversary parties and weddings that were held in that beautiful home. They have been a massive part of the memories of my growing-up years. Occasions apart, every day actually felt like a celebration in the Kapoor home, and even now, a lot of that has been retained in our respective homes.
Food brings on a flood of memories and also defines our present. Everything revolves around food for us and we are always making plans around food. Even intimate gatherings — like two or three of us going on weekends and spending time with our grandmother — was special. She would feed us with her hands and food would keep coming in. Zabardasti ka khilaana is such a Punjabi thing! (Laughs) Office people would come home to sign something or even if it was a carpenter working in the house, my grandmother would make sure they always ate so much that they couldn’t work anymore!
Ghee forms a big part of the conversation on Dining with the Kapoors... I heard that word mentioned probably more than any other! It was refreshing to see a celebrity family going all out and enjoying their food. But how do you all manage to stay fit?
Armaan: I am not getting into the food science of it, but now we hear so much about ghee in moderation being good for you, right? We are not endorsing any of it, but this the kind of food makes us happy (smiles). My grandmother was very fond of ghee... she would drizzle it on almost everything we ate.
My generation is more conscious about fitness... the previous generation was a little more uninhibited (smiles). Access to fitness and a little more intelligence in this generation has kept people fitter. Everyone in this family eats very well — we never let go of our food — but we also work on making sure that we are healthy.
Which Bollywood film family would you like to see a feature on?
Tell t2@abp.in
