THE KAPOORS ON DIWALI DINNERS AND BEING FOODIES

The festival — for Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor — is an occasion to celebrate good food

George Bernard Shaw said, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” And who can prove that better than Bollywood’s first family — the Kapoors, with their famed love for good food and fine whisky?

While the Kapoors are hard-core meat eaters, they enjoy the occasional well-cooked vegetarian fare too ALL KAPOORS ARE FOODIES
RANDHIR: The entire Kapoor family just loves food — you can tell from our sizes. It’s a family of foodies — from my great grandfather, to my grandfather to my dad, to my uncles, to my brothers, and it includes my children, Karisma and Kareena. Of course, Karisma and Kareena are fit because they exercise, while we don’t. RISHI: All the Kapoors are true foodies. RAJIV: During breakfast, we discuss what we are going to eat for lunch. Our conversations are always peppered with talk about which dish is good at a particular restaurant, which restaurant we will visit next and which eatery serves the best food. Besides work, food is a major topic of discussion among all of us, whether we are on holiday, at home or in the office.
THE LOVE FOR FOOD HAS BEEN INHERITED
RANDHIR: We are originally from Peshawar, in north-west Pakistan. We are Hindu Peshawaris and we have a tremendous weakness for food. RAJIV: My dada and my nana were both major foodies. Therefore, being a foodie is in our genes... it runs in our blood. When my grandfather (Prithviraj Kapoor) was on a diet, he would eat his diet food and then follow it up with regular food. But now, we are more health conscious. At least I try to exercise away what I eat.
FOOD IS SYNONYMOUS WITH NON-VEGETARIAN FARE
RANDHIR: We are basically carnivorous. I don’t mind eating vegetarian food, but it depends on my mood and it should be well-cooked and tasty.
RISHI: Yes, we connect food to non-vegetarian food. I love eggs too, I like them akoori style, which was also my dad’s (Raj Kapoor’s) favourite. I also like vegetarian dishes like Palak Paneer, Baingan Bharta and Yellow Tadka Dal.
RAJIV: We all connect food with non-vegetarian food. But during the Navratras or Ganpati, I fancy vegetarian food. I also make a conscious effort to eat one vegetarian meal a day, since too much meat can prove to be bad for your health. I actually enjoy eating anything that swims, which is why I like seafood a lot. I love eating crab. Fish and prawns are also my favourites. I do not dig lobsters though.
DIWALI DINNER

RANDHIR: We no longer have Diwali parties, like we did earlier. But we are a very close-knit family so we do meet and greet each other during Diwali. RISHI: During Diwali, we would go to Chembur to exchange greetings. A puja would be held in the house and we would get shagun. A lavish non-vegetarian spread would be laid out and we would light firecrackers. The party would end the next day after breakfast!
RAJIV: My dad never believed in having vegetarian food on Diwali. But we would eat vegetarian food on Maha Shivratri and Janmashtami.
MOM IS THE BEST
RANDHIR: If there is a party at RK (Studios), the food, mostly nonvegetarian, is always made at home. We are very fortunate to have good cooks. I guess we have an eye and taste for cuisine. I like the Meat Pulao my mother makes. I enjoy everything she cooks.
RISHI: I love the Yakhni Pulao my mother prepares, Khatti Dal and Fish Fry. I love eating at mom’s house.
RAJIV: My mom has always been a wonderful host. At an RK party, she would go from person to person, to see whether everyone was eating well. The food at the party would comprise Payas, Meat Pulao, Chicken Curry, Mutton Curry, Fish Curry and Fried Fish. My cousins and friends would look forward to eating at our place. Before coming over, they would deliberately stay hungry so that they could enjoy the food made at our home.
LIFE WITHOUT FOOD IS…
RANDHIR: We live to eat; not eat to live.
RISHI: Like a black and white movie. Our lives would be colourless.