Like Armaan Jain who never got to meet his illustrious grandfather Raj Kapoor, one of my abiding regrets as a film writer is that I never got to meet the great RK in person, though I connect regularly through his great films especially Sangam, Bobby and Mera Naam Joker.
Now there is this one-hour documentary, Dining With The Kapoors on Netflix, if one may call it that. It is actually so much more than a mere documentary. The very act of bringing all the Kapoors together under one roof is a feat worthy of the Guiness book. Hats off to Armaan for undertaking the task.
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And then to whip together a multiple course meal based on the recipes and dining decorum of Mrs Krishna Raj Kapoor, the cook and hostess par excellence, is a staggeringly ambitious plan.
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With the help of co-creator Smriti Mundhra, Armaan Jain (he is Raj Kapoor’s daughter Rima’s son) pulls it off swimmingly. The endresult is inviting enticing and irresistible. There is a miraculous feeling of spontaneity in this Kapoor reunion. The laughter, the teasing, the memories and the tears…
Of course, we know every detail must have been planned months if not years, in advance. And sure, the menu for the meal must be as rehearsed as the speeches and the anecdotes. Nonetheless, Dining With The Kapoors conveys the free-flowing dreamy aura of lives that are far beyond the ordinary, and yet so typical of every joint family that lives, loves and yes, eats, together.
Everyone will come away with his own favourite Kapoor moment in the documentary. There are so many memorable incidents from Raj Kapoor’s life, so much endearing footage from the archives, so much inviting food, course after course, on the table (of course!), so much laughter and togetherness, this is the film that Sooraj Barjatya would have loved to make, but never did, never could.
Only the Kapoors could capture their own imperishability.
My favourite passage in the film: when Rima Kapoor’s younger son Aadar Jain gives his speech at the meal table about why he is so proud to be a Kapoor. It was rehearsed but so heartfelt. Just like the film.