When Raj Kapoor’s son Randhir Kapoor first met his future-wife Babita, they were on a flight to Hong Kong. He, in his own words, “was a nobody” and “she was a star.” Sparks flew, and before Randhir knew it, he and Babita were in a relationship while he was making his debut film Kal Aaj Aur Kal. Randhir had the added responsibility of directing the film as well, and the actors he had to direct here were his father Raj Kapoor, grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor and then-girlfriend Babita.It was then famously known that the Kapoor women did not act, as none of Raj Kapoor’s daughters were acting in the movies. It was rumoured that Raj and his wife Krishna Kapoor were not in favour of Randhir’s marriage with Babita but Randhir maintained that these were all rumours. Randhir Kapoor with Raj Kapoor and Babita in the film Kal Aaj Aur Kal. (Photo: Express Archives)ALSO READ | RD Burman-Asha Bhosle ‘never spent a night together’; the unconventional Bollywood marriageRaj Kapoor supported Randhir’s marriage to BabitaRandhir has been quoted by Madhu Jain in her book The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema, “Contrary to what people thought, there was no objection to Babita. My father was liberal and broad-minded. All of us married actresses. We fall in love and we marry them also. My mother was not an actress but my aunts were.” Years later, during an appearance on Kapil Sharma’s show, where he was accompanied by his daughter Karisma, Randhir said that it was his father who initiated the talk of marriage with Babita’s family. “Main timepass kiye jaa raha tha. He was like, ‘Shaadi vaadi karne ka iraada hai ki nahi?’ (I was whiling away time. My father asked if I had any intention of getting married). He shared that he did not propose to Babita but it was his father who took his proposal to Babita’s home.‘Randhir Kapoor wasn’t happy with his marriage’After getting married in a starry fashion at a wedding that was attended by almost every popular personality of Bollywood, Randhir and Babita moved away from Raj’s Chembur house and shifted to the posh locality of Malabar Hill. But before they knew it, cracks started appearing in the marriage. Babita and Randhir welcomed two daughters – Karisma in 1974, and Kareena in 1980. In 1988, when the girls were still young, Babita moved out, and Randhir also moved back to Chembur. Though they never divorced, the marriage was over, and Babita started taking care of her daughters like a single mother. Randhir Kapoor and Babita in film Kal Aaj Aur Kal. (Photo: Express Archive)In the same book, filmmaker Lekh Tandon, who was a family friend to the Kapoors, recalled the time when Randhir’s marriage was falling apart. “Daboo (Randhir) was very sensitive, and with time became quite withdrawn. He may not have been happy with his marriage, but he had married according to his own choice. This affected his professional life. Raj Kapoor was clear: have your lafdas (affairs) but marry into the right families,” he said.Randhir Kapoor wasn’t supportive of Karisma’s acting careerFor years, the girls lived with their mother and when Karisma wanted to start working in the movies at the age of 15, Babita made sure that she was there to support her daughter, even though Randhir did not offer much support. During an appearance on the reality show Dance India Dance, Kareena had once shared that when Karisma decided to become a part of the movies, Babita called Randhir, presumably for some guidance. While he offered his support at first, he withdrew it just as quickly. Meanwhile, Karisma ran everywhere around town giving screen tests and facing rejections. “Many people refused to work with her. Dad also backed out of his support at one point,” she said.Story continues below this adIn a chat with Simi Garewal on her chat show, Kareena recalled that despite carrying Raj Kapoor’s name, they did not receive any support from the film industry. “Despite the Raj Kapoor name, nobody supported Kareena. My mother had to struggle. Lolo (Kareena) would stay up nights and cry. I used to hide behind the curtain and watch. I have seen a lot with my mother and sister. I lived life through them. The way people would put her down. She would cry and go to sleep,” she recalled.ALSO READ | Raj Kapoor followed Nargis to Berlin after break up, offered her money ‘after exploiting’ her Karisma Kapoor with parents Randhir Kapoor and Babita. (Photo: Express ARchives)But Babita did not lose hope and Karisma finally made her debut in Prem Qaidi in 1991, when she was just 16. In a 2007 chat with Mumbai Mirror, Kareena recalled her mother’s sacrifices and shared, “Mom was always doing something. She single-handedly brought us up. She has a real estate business apart from other small businesses. It was tough.”Randhir Kapoor was a ‘terrible man who drank a lot’The collapse of Randhir and Babita’s marriage had consequences, and it was mainly their daughters who suffered through those difficult years. After much struggle, Karisma managed to make a mark in Bollywood. In her earlier years, she was often presented as the arm candy but after films like Raja Hindustani and Dil To Pagal Hai, Karisma gained recognition as an actor. All through this, Babita was constantly chaperoning Karisma from one set to another. In fact, younger daughter Kareena was sent to a boarding school in Dehradun for a few years because Babita couldn’t be in two places at once, and Randhir was absent from their lives.Story continues below this adALSO READ | Rajesh Khanna led his wedding baraat past ex-girlfriend Anju Mahendru’s house; made her end engagement with cricketer Garry SobersRandhir, on his part, has taken complete responsibility of the marriage falling apart. In a chat with Hindustan Times, he admitted that he was a “terrible man who drank a lot” and Babita was not comfortable with his lifestyle. “She found that I was a terrible man who drank a lot and came home late, which was something she didn’t like. And I didn’t want to live the way she wanted, and she couldn’t accept me as I am, though it was a love marriage. So it’s okay. We had two lovely children to look after. She brought them up in the best way, and they have excelled in their career. What else could I have asked for as a father?” He took “full responsibility for everything” that happened in their marriage, and in a chat with Bhawana Somaaya, described himself as a “bad father”. Despite living away from the family for so long, Karisma’s wedding was held at Raj Kapoor’s Chembur bungalow. (Photo: Express Archives)‘I continue to be her incorrigible, horrible husband’Even after their separation, Randhir and Babita never filed for divorce, and never married other partners. “Babita never got married again and nor does she intend to, neither do I. She continues to be my wife and I continue to be her incorrigible, horrible husband,” Randhir told Mumbai Mirror a few years ago.But for the daughters, in hindsight, their parents did the best they could, which is why, Randhir’s health scare in 2003 became a turning point for the family. As soon as Kareena and Karisma learnt that their father was in need of heart surgery in Delhi, they dropped everything and rushed to his bedside. Later that year, Karisma got married to Sanjay Kapur. The years of troubles were now forgotten as Karisma’s wedding was held at Raj Kapoor’s Chembur bungalow, with almost the entire family in attendance.Story continues below this adALSO READ | Jeetendra bought Bharat Bhushan’s Pali Hill villa for Rs 4.25 lakh; now worth Rs 500 crAfter 35 years, Randhir Kapoor and Babita moved back in togetherIn a chat with Mid-day, Kareena said that all parents bring up their children with the best intentions, and she believed that her parents had the same point of view when they were raising their children. After Karisma and Kareena spent years proving themselves to the film industry, Randhir acknowledged that he had no part in their success, as all the credit had to be given to Babita. “I am very proud of my two daughters. They had made it on their own streak. Yes, the driving force was Babita, I give full credit to their mother but they have worked very hard,” he told Bhawana Somaya.After decades of staying away from each other, Randhir and Babita moved back in together in 2023. Kareena spoke about the same in a chat with Mid-day and described it like a “divine intervention.” “To just spend their old age holding hands together because that’s where their journey started and that’s where exactly they are together,” she said and added, “That is something that has come a full circle for Karisma and me which is absolutely it’s like a divine kind of intervention that has happened. Individually, I think both of them have been wonderful because I mean my father has always supported whatever I wanted to do in my life.”Kareena and Karisma did not have much familal support in those early years but today, they are known are carrying the three-generation Kapoor legacy forward.