"Since eighty years - right from the time of Prithviraj Kapoor - our family has been part of the entertainment world. Soon, one more member of the Kapoor khandaan will make his debut in films - my son, Ranbir, who will be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya . I don't know if he'll be good or bad. But honestly I'm not afraid or nervous for my son.
"These days the quotient of intrusion from all quarters is tremendous, and this increases the pressure to perform. Expectations are sky high, because he comes from a film family and is being launched by one of the greatest directors.
Things were different in our times. We were given second and third and fourth chances. We weren't judged by just one performance; we could easily put behind us a bad film and begin work for the next. But in today's age it's very easy to be written off, and chances are scarce. You have to work at proving yourself at every stage.
"Ranbir has been born in a generation that can't escape the media glare. He'll have to be open to criticism and comparisons come with being born in a film family. People are bound to compare Ranbir to his father. But as an actor, I'll say, he has far more style than I did. People thought me to be a good dancer. Honestly, that wasn't the case. It wasn't my dance but the style, which they appreciated.
"Today's youth are well rounded in terms of education and general awareness. In our times, it never mattered if you failed in school. You always had something to fall back on. That's how I got into films. I failed in school and told my father, I think I want to do films.
"All of us Kapoors have assisted on the sets of RK Films before becoming actors. Ranbir, too, needed the same kind of education, which is why he assisted Bhansali on the sets of Black . People ask me why I didn't launch my son. I did not have a script or an idea on hand, and Sanjay beat me to that. I was more than happy to surrender my son to him and allow him to mould him in a manner he thought was appropriate.
"Not many know that Ranbir got his name from his grandfather Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor's full name was Ranbir Raj Kapoor, but he chose Raj Kapoor to be his screen name. I don't know how well my son will live up to the name or how good he will be as an actor. I haven't seen his film, in fact only the trailers. So my guess is as good as yours. But all I can say is that the world and the media has been kind to the three generations of the Kapoors so far. I hope that they support yet another generation – the fourth, my son!"
- Rishi Kapoor
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