What Raj Kapoor’s wife Krishna told Nargis Dutt at Rishi Kapoor’s wedding

Raj Kapoor and Nargis’ chemistry transcended the screen. The two appeared in iconic films such as Awara, Shree 420, Barsaat and many more. Considered one of the most iconic pairs in Hindi cinema, the two also grew close together in real life.

However, the relationship ended and Nargis married actor Sunil Dutt after he saved her on the sets of Mother India. Nargis tended to Sunil for two weeks, looking after his every need. The two tied the knot in 1958.

Talking about this, Raj Kapoor’s son, late actor Rishi Kapoor had written in his memoirs Khullam Khulla that the relationship between the two families healed in the later years when Nargis and husband Sunil Dutt attended his wedding. He also said that his mother, Krishna Raj Kapoor, also spoke to Nargis on the occasion.

A still from Raj Kapoor’s Awara, also featuring Nargis. (Photo: Express Archives)

“My father did everything with great pomp and show and that included our wedding ceremonies. He flew in the maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan for my sangeet. It was a typical Raj Kapoor event that started at 11.30 p.m. and continued till 6 a.m,” Rishi writes.

“J.P. Chowksey later told me that something unexpected had happened on my wedding day too. Nargis-ji had not set foot in RK Studios after she completed Jagte Raho in 1956. However, that day, she came with Sunil Dutt to attend the ceremony. She was apparently very nervous about attending a Kapoor event after twenty-four years. My mother, sensing her hesitation, reportedly took her aside and said, ‘My husband is a handsome man. He is also a romantic. I can understand the attraction. I know what you are thinking, but please don’t beat yourself up over the past. You have come to my home on a happy occasion and we are here today as friends,’” Rishi said in his biography.