Anil Kapoor has often spoken candidly about the profound influence of his father, Surinder Kapoor, on his life and career choices. While his father was a producer, Anil’s journey hasn’t been easy. He had to struggle to pave a way for himself and he has also seen the struggles of his father. That played a key role in shaping his own ambition, to succeed on his own merit and achieve what his father could not.The ‘Mr India’ actor fondly remembered his father as a man defined more by his character than by professional success. He said in a chat with Lilly Singh, “My dad was a great guy, he was very, very humble, very honest, with a lot of integrity. He came to Mumbai, I think, in the late ’50s or early ’60s, I’m not sure. Then he became an assistant to K. Asif, and later became a manager to an actor. Wherever I went in this film fraternity, people would always tell me what a good man he was, what a nice man he was, what an honest man he was. Not how successful he was, you know. First and foremost, they always spoke about what a phenomenal human being he was. So that was my dad.”He also paid a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Nirmal Kapoor, recalling her warmth and influence within the film community. “My mom was known to be the best cook in this film fraternity. it’s like folklore, food cooked by Mrs. Sunil Kapoor, or Anil’s mom, or Sonam’s grandmother. Her food was legendary. We used to stay in Chembur, near RK Studios. No matter who was shooting, food would go from my home. She was like an elder stateswoman. Whoever in this industry needed advice, whether it was about marriage, children being born, or anything else, she was really like a mother to everybody around us: family, friends, everyone.”Despite being a producer with industry connections, Surinder Kapoor made it clear that he would not pave an easy path for his son. Anil recalled, “So when I said I wanted to become an actor, he said, ‘Okay, go ahead. But I can’t make a film for you. You’ll have to find work for yourself.’ And that was great, because he let me do what I wanted to do and pursue my dreams.”Anil began chasing his acting ambitions at a young age, especially during a difficult phase for his family. “I started pursuing a career at a very young age, around 18 or 19, I think before I could complete my studies, my dad wasn’t well. He had a heart attack. He was a film producer, and it was difficult to get leading men and actors for his films at the time. So I said, ‘I have to become an actor. I have to become a leading man.’ And that’s when I really started pursuing my career seriously. At that time, I couldn’t really give myself the space to process my feelings because I was constantly trying to build a career, become an actor, get work, get a job. I was always trying to find work.”One particularly painful memory that stayed with him involved a film produced by his father starring Rajesh Khanna. Despite high expectations, the film failed commercially, revealing the harsh realities of the industry. Anil shared, “I remember one of his films had released, and it was starring one of the biggest superstars, Rajesh Khanna. Everybody expected it to become a huge success, but it turned out to be a big failure. And I remember how everybody changed within hours.”He went on to describe the emotional toll it took on his father: “He was travelling from Delhi because films used to release in different states on different days back then, not all at once. So he went to Bangalore, and there was no one there to receive him at the airport. Everybody had absolutely kind of deserted him, disowned him. That was shocking. And that’s the first time I saw him like that. He came back, and while he wasn’t exactly crying, I could see he was very vulnerable, almost in tears.”That moment left a lasting impression. “That visual has always stayed in my mind. And that’s one of the reasons, seeing my dad go through that, I always wanted to become a hero, a leading man, an actor.”
