Raj Kapoor burst into tears and burnt himself with cigarette butts after Nargis married Sunil Dutt |

No story about Raj Kapoor is complete without mentioning his muse, Nargis. Their deep and long-lasting relationship love affair It was a defining chapter in Bollywood history. Kapoor, known as the “first Bollywood showman,” was heartbroken when Nargis married Sunil Dutt in 1958. Despite the years they spent together and Nargis even seeking advice from politician Morarji Desai about marrying Kapoor, he felt deeply betrayed. This emotional turmoil is vividly recounted in Madhu Jain’s book, The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema.
According to the book, after their breakup, Raj expressed to journalist Suresh Kohli that he felt he was the one who had been betrayed, and not the other way around. The book reveals that Kapoor was devastated to learn of Nargis’ marriage to Sunil Dutt. He was so distraught that he reportedly burned himself with cigarette butts to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, struggling to understand how he could have moved on.

Raj’s drinking also affected his family life. Krishna Raj Kapoor revealed to author Bunny Reuben that he would come home drunk night after night, often collapsing in the bathtub and crying bitterly, not out of pity for her, but for Nargis. A close associate shared that Nargis was Kapoor’s one true love, and though he never publicly criticised her, he held his siblings responsible for their separation. Privately, Kapoor frequently regretted what he considered a deep betrayal.

Even two decades after the break-up, Raj Kapoor would have spoken to Suresh Kohli about the betrayal with the same intensity as if it had happened recently. Despite this, he continued to keep Nargis in suspense, repeatedly assuring her that he would marry her one day. Nargis, however, grew increasingly restless, as she longed to be a wife and mother, and imagined herself as Mrs. Raj Kapoor. The book reveals that Nargis valued the institution of marriage so much that she even sought advice from Morarji Desai, then Home Minister, on how she could legally marry Kapoor, who was already married and a Hindu.
The turning point came when Nargis signed on with Mother India without consulting Raj Kapoor, marking a change in their relationship. On the set, she fell in love with Sunil Dutt, who rescued her from a fire. They got married before the film’s release in 1958. Despite the past, Krishna Raj Kapoor invited Nargis to Rishi Kapoor’s wedding and made sure she felt at ease. Rishi spoke about this in his autobiography Khullam Khulla, where he also reflected on how his father’s infidelities had affected his family.