Neetu Kapoor, who played the lead role in the recently released Daadi Ki Shaadi with Kapil Sharma, spoke candidly about the difficult phase she went through after the death of her husband, Rishi Kapoor. She revealed that she was criticised for returning to work soon after his passing.
Neetu Kapoor on how she dealt with life after Rishi Kapoor
Neetu Kapoor made her acting comeback with JugJugg Jeeyo after staying away from films for nearly nine years. But according to the actor, her decision to work again was not understood by many people online, and the trolling deeply affected her. Speaking on the latest episode of Soha Ali Khan’s YouTube show All About Her, Neetu opened up about how emotionally shattered she was during that time. Her daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, also appeared on the episode.
“I just started working. He passed away, and I did JugJugg Jeeyo. I just went to work to get the confidence back. I was in such a bad state, and it was so hurting when people used to say ke ‘ohh he passed away, and she jumped into work’. That was horrible. But they don’t know why I did it. I have to tell you what happened to me. When he passed away, I couldn’t sleep for a month or two, and I got into drinking. I used to start drinking, and then I could not sleep without drinking,” Neetu shared.
The actor admitted that she was uncomfortable seeing herself in that condition, especially because she has always been particular about health and discipline. “I needed to numb my head and go to sleep. I didn’t like myself. I called my doctor and asked for help…So she got me in touch with a gynaecologist, who used to come to my house at night around 11 pm and inject me and put me to sleep. She used to sit there till the time I didn’t sleep. She used to tell my staff to keep a check on me. This happened for 10 days. And on 11th or 12th day, I called her and told her that ‘I am good and I can move on’.... But I needed to get out. I spoke to Karan (Karan Johar), and he asked me to get back to work,” she added.
Neetu also revealed that she was extremely nervous while shooting for JugJugg Jeeyo and described herself as a “nervous wreck” during the process. Still, she said returning to work eventually helped her regain confidence and become stronger emotionally.
Rishi Kapoor passed away in 2020
Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor got married on January 22, 1980, and went on to become one of Hindi cinema’s most loved couples, both on and off screen. They are parents to two children, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and actor Ranbir Kapoor. During the 1970s and 1980s, Rishi and Neetu shared screen space in several popular films, including Amar Akbar Anthony, Khel Khel Mein, Rafoo Chakkar, Kabhi Kabhie and Besharam.
In 2018, Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with leukaemia. Soon after, he travelled to New York for treatment and spent nearly a year there. After returning to India in 2019, the actor resumed work and appeared in a few projects despite his health struggles. However, his condition worsened again in early 2020, following which he was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai. Rishi Kapoor died on April 30, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was 67.
