According to the book, after their breakup, Raj expressed to journalist Suresh Kohli that he felt he was the one betrayed, rather than the other way around. The book reveals that Kapoor was devastated upon learning of Nargis’s marriage to Sunil Dutt. He was so distressed that he would reportedly burn himself with cigarette butts to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, struggling to understand how she could have moved on.
Raj’s drinking took a toll on his family life as well. Krishna Raj Kapoor revealed to author Bunny Reuben that he would come home drunk night after night, often collapsing in the bathtub and crying bitterly, not out of sorrow for her, but for Nargis. A close associate shared that Nargis was Kapoor’s one true love, and although he never publicly criticized her, he held her brothers responsible for their separation. Privately, Kapoor frequently lamented what he saw as a profound betrayal.
Even two decades after the breakup, Raj Kapoor reportedly spoke to Suresh Kohli about the betrayal with the same intensity as if it had just happened. Despite this, he continued to keep Nargis in suspense, repeatedly assuring her that he would marry her someday. Nargis, however, grew increasingly restless as she yearned to be a wife and mother, envisioning herself as Mrs. Raj Kapoor. The book reveals that Nargis valued the institution of marriage so highly that she even sought advice from Morarji Desai, then Home Minister, on how she might legally marry Kapoor, who was already married and a Hindu.
The turning point came when Nargis signed Mother India without consulting Raj Kapoor, signaling a shift in their relationship. On the set, she fell in love with Sunil Dutt, who rescued her from a fire. They married before the film’s release in 1958. Despite the past, Krishna Raj Kapoor invited Nargis to Rishi Kapoor‘s wedding and ensured she felt at ease. Rishi discussed this in his autobiography Khullam Khulla, where he also reflected on how his father’s infidelities had affected their family.
