‘Food Has Been A Passion For Us, Kapoors’
‘They are most authentic when it comes to being with each other over food.’
Armaan Jain brings his big family together in the Netflix documentary, Dining With The Kapoors.
Besides food, the show focuses on Armaan’s legendary grandfather Raj Kapoor.
We get to see star faces like Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, lesser-known family members Nitasha Nanda, Neila Devi, Kanchan Desai and younger members like Navya Naveli Nanda, Zahan Kapoor, Shaira Kapoor.
There are some missing members too.
“At any get-together, you will always see a couple of Kapoors missing,” Armaan tells “But everyone was very collaborative and they bought into this concept early on when I took it to them.”
Armaan, you have pulled off the difficult feat of bringing together the Kapoor family in Dining With The Kapoors.
How do you explain the family’s longevity, from Prithviraj Kapoor to Raj Kapoor to Rishi Kapoor To Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor?
The longevity of the Kapoor khandaan — and this is what I was trying to tell through my film — is having each other’s backs in good and bad times. Life will have its ups and downs, successes and failures, but all families, especially the Kapoor khandaan, have always had each other’s backs. We keep meeting, keep eating, keep rejoicing…We can smile through all the good and bad times as a family.
Food is a huge binding factor for the Kapoors?
I am not a trained chef, but I cook out of passion.
I learnt with both my grandmas, actually.
Food has been a passion for us, Kapoors, and in my own small way, I am trying to carry on that legacy forward.
I operate a food business as well (Junglee Kitchen).
So I’m carrying on those traditions and trying to feed the world as well, and that is what I wanted to project on screen. Really, the idea was not to plan anything, but bring people into a space where family meets family, and you forget the camera’s around.
And you have achieved that.
Yes. A lot of family members, at multiple points, came to me and said, ‘Armaan, are the cameras rolling?’
That’s exactly what we want to achieve: Bring everyone together and be candid and true to themselves.
The focus of this film is the emotions, the history, the legacy, the value systems…The legacy of the bungalow (where Krishna and Raj Kapoor lived), and the legacy of being together in good and bad times.
But the food was a catalyst.
I thought that would be a fun and entertaining way to bring this family together. They are most authentic when it comes to being with each over food.
How tough was it bringing the entire Kapoor clan under one roof?
It was tough, what with their dates, shuffling routines and travel plans.
At any get-together, you will always see a couple of Kapoors missing.
But everyone was very collaborative and they bought into this concept early on when I took it to them.
What triggered the urge to undertake this project?ever got an opportunity to meet my grandfather Raj Kapoor.
I was born two years after he passed away.
I’ve heard so many stories growing up.
My mom (Rima Jain, Raj Kapoor’s younger daughter) told me whatever little I know about him.
I watched Rajsaab‘s films growing up and that gave me the opportunity to learn about a man I’d never met.
When you have a grandparent you haven’t met, you try to overcompensate and hold on to certain archives and physical things even more. I understand this emotion that we all have, where you don’t meet that grandparent and want to keep researching him more and more.
Hence the film?
I’ve always had this feeling of doing something around Raj Kapoor, towards his 100th birth year.
My mom and I were discussing multiple things.
We had so many things planned.
We had even restored 10 of his films and released them during his 100th year celebrations.
I think the idea was to celebrate Raj Kapoor in a different light, in a more personal light.
Why didn’t your career as an actor take off?
I gave myself enough time — I gave myself seven-eight years, whether it was training to be an actor, doing a bit of theatre, workshops….
I wish I was better trained.
It didn’t work out but I have no regrets today.
Everything I’ve done over the last 10 years — whether it’s production and direction at Dharma or acting — it’s come in handy.
Whatever experience I’ve got has obviously given me this opportunity to repurpose everything.
I look forward to the journey from here, especially with production and direction.
I’ll never say never to acting, but I think I gave myself a fair shot.
I have moved past it very graciously.
Further plans?
God willing, many more films.
I really look forward to directing a film soon.
Directing and producing a feature film would be my dream. I’m working towards it, you know, baby steps.
Leave a Reply