Neetu Kapoor: From Bollywood Starlet To Family Matriarch!

Born Harneet Kaur, Neetu Singh, also known by the name Neetu Kapoor is an Indian actress who worked in the Hindi film industry from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. At the early age of 8, she started her career as a child artist with the movie ‘Suraj’.

Later she evolved into a lead heroine and went on to act in several blockbuster movies such as Deewaar, Khel Khel Mein, and Kabhi Kabhie. Neetu has a massive fan following on social media with a whopping 2 million followers on Instagram.

Physical Stats

Neetu Kapoor Family

Neetu was born on July 8, 1958, in a Jatt Sikh family in Delhi. She was the only daughter of her father Darshan Singh and mother Rajee Kaur. Neetu is married to Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor.

The actor couple is having two children, a daughter Riddhima Kapoor who is a fashion designer by profession and a son Ranbir Kapoor who is a leading actor in the Hindi film industry.

Relationships

In 1974, Neetu met Rishi Kapoor for the first time on the sets of the movie ‘Zehreela Insaan’. Interestingly, it was their first movie together. Later, the couple went on to act together in several movies such as ‘Kabhi Kabhi’, ‘Khel Khel Mein’ and ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’.

At that point in time, Rishi was dating someone else and he used to take Neetu’s help in wooing the other girl. However, he later realized that Neetu was the ideal match for him.

Subsequently, Rishi and Neetu started dating each other. As per reports, before he started dating her, Rishi told Neetu that he would only date her and will never marry her.

Eventually, after dating each other for 5 years, Rishi Kapoor proposed to Neetu in 1979. The following year,  on 22 January 1980, a 26-year-old Rishi married Neetu, who was 5 years younger than him.

Neetu Kapoor Education

Though Neetu was born in Delhi, her family later moved to Peddar Road in Mumbai. She did her schooling at Hill Grange High School on Peddar Road where the likes of celebrities such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, and Rajesh Khanna studied.

Controversies

In 2023, an old interview with Neetu resurfaced on Reddit and it stirred controversy. The actress had opened up about her husband Rishi Kapoor’s playboy lifestyle in that candid interview. According to Neetu, she had caught him flirting hundreds of times.

The actress went on to say that she was the first one to hear about her husband’s affairs in outdoor locations, but she was aware that they were just one-night stands. Neetu also said that two years back, she used to fight with Rishi about it, but later she adopted the attitude-go ahead.

Neetu Kapoor Profession

As a child artist, Neetu made her debut in the 1966 Hindi movie ‘Suraj’, directed by T. Prakash Rao. Back then, Neetu made an entry into Bollywood with the name Baby Sonia. In the same year, Neetu played the character of Roopa in Devendra Goelís comedy movie Dus Lakh.

However, the child actress shot to fame after portraying the double role of twins in ‘ Do Kaliyaan’, a 1968 movie. As a child actor, Neetu’s other movies include Waris and Pavitra Paapi.

In 1973, a 15-year-old Neetu acted in ‘Rickshawala’ opposite Randhir Kapoor, but the film failed at the box office. However, her next project ‘Yaadon Ki Baarat’ directed by Nasir Hussain turned lucky for Neetu as the dance number ‘Lekar hum deewana dil’ became quite popular.

Later, Neetu became part of several blockbuster movies such as Heeralal Pannalal, Deewaar, Shankar Dada, The Burning Train, Yaraana, and Raj Mahal.

The actress was also paired along with her boyfriend Rishi Kapoor in 12 movies including Zehreela Insaan, Kabhie Kabhie, Khel Khel Mein, Amar Akbar Anthony, Rafoo Chakkar, Doosra Aadmi, Jhoota Kahin Ka and Dhan Daulat. Soon after getting married, a 21-year-old Neetu retired from films.

However, in 2009, after a long gap of 26 years, Neetu made a comeback to Bollywood with ‘Love Aaj Kal’ where she was paired with her husband Rishi. Later, she also acted in movies such as Do Dooni Chaar, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Besharam, and JugJugg Jeeyo.

Neetu Kapoor Net Worth

As per sources, Neethu’s net worth stands somewhere close to $ 5 million. Apart from acting in movies, she also earns money by endorsing leading brands such as IndusInd Bank and Mahesh Notandass jewelry.

Lesser Known Facts About Neetu Kapoor

• While recollecting the memories of her wedding, Neetu once said in an interview that both Rishi and she had brandy while taking the pheras. The actress also said that both of them fainted at the wedding function as it was overcrowded. Apparently, many pickpockets gatecrashed their wedding event. 

• When Neetu bid goodbye to act soon after her marriage, rumors were abuzz that it was due to the Kapoor family’s tradition of not letting the female members of their family work. However, the actress later dismissed the rumors stating that it was her personal choice to quit acting.

• Apparently, Bollywood actress Rekha had a good rapport with Neethu and even used to share her exotic make-up secrets with her. 

• After a decade, Neetu made a comeback to Bollywood with ‘JugJugg Jeeyo’. The actress says that her confidence level was zero at the time they started shooting the movie. 

• According to Neetu, her son Ranbir misses Rishi Kapoor a lot. She says that Ranbir still has Rishi’s photo as his mobile screensaver and there are days when she could see him with teary eyes. 

• In May 2023, Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure shared an Instagram video where she is seen dancing along with Neetu. In the video, both the actresses were swaying to the tunes of ‘Naatu Naatu’, a hit song from ‘RRR’, the blockbuster movie directed by SS Rajamouli.

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