Recalling the conversation, Ranbir said, “Main ek kahani suni thi mere dadaji Shri Raj Kapoor ki kitab mein jo Ritu bua, Mrs. Ritu Nanda ne likhi thi, ke wo gaye the Prithviraj Kapoor ke paas aur unse unhone poocha ki aaj aapka beta star hai, itna kuch kar raha hai, aap kabhi meri tareef nahi karte, mere peeth pe thapthapate nahi. Toh unhone ek kahani sunai thi Shri Raj Kapoor ko ki ek chhota balak tha raste par ek balancing act karta tha ek rope par aur roz bahut saari janata aati thi, taaliyan maarti thi, paise dete the, bahut wah-wah hoti thi.”
(I think I once heard a story in a book about my grandfather, Shri Raj Kapoor, written by my aunt, Ritu bua, Mrs. Ritu Nanda. He had gone to Prithviraj Kapoor and asked him, ‘(Your son is a star today and is achieving so much, but you never praise me or pat me on the back.’ Prithviraj Kapoor then narrated a story to Shri Raj Kapoor about a little boy who performed a balancing act on a rope by the roadside. Every day, large crowds would gather, applaud him, give him money and shower him with praise.)
Elaborating on the story, Ranbir recalled how the young boy would approach his father after every performance, hoping to hear words of appreciation, but would receive the same response every single time. The father would tell him that there was still room for improvement, despite the applause and admiration the boy received from the audience.
He added, “Aur jab act khatam hota tha toh balak apne pita ke paas jaata tha aur poochhta tha ki babuji kaisi rahi, aur wo hamesha ek hi baat kehte the, ‘Kasar rahi’. Aisa lagata hota tha, ‘Kasar rahi, kaisi hui? Kasar rahi, kaisi lagi? Kasar rahi.’ Toh ek din bahut saalon baad jab unhone pitaji se poochha ki main itna achha karta hoon, log itni tareef karte hain, itni wah-wah karte hain meri, aap kyun kehte ho? Toh I think jo unhone kaha tha ki beta jiss din main aapki tareef karna shuru karunga, jo aapka ek lakshya hai, aapka joh dhyan hai woh yahan se hat jayega aur aap tareef mein kho jaoge..”
(And whenever the performance ended, the little boy would go to his father and ask, ‘Father, how was it?’ And his father would always give the same response: ‘There was still room for improvement.’ It was always the same: ‘There was still room for improvement. How was it? There was still room for improvement. How did you like it?’ Many years later, the boy finally asked his father, ‘I perform so well, people appreciate me so much and shower me with praise. Why do you always say this?’ I think his father replied, ‘Son, the day I start praising you, your goal and your focus will shift away from what you are trying to achieve, and you will get lost in the praise.’)
The Kapoor family is touted as one of the most influential film dynasties in Indian cinema. Generations of the family went on to become Bollywood stalwarts, beginning with Prithviraj Kapoor, who laid the foundation for the family’s contribution to Indian theatre and cinema.