Babita Shivdasani Kapoor was one of the top actresses of Bollywood who left her career after she got married to Randhir Kapoor
We often hear stories of Bollywood stars whose careers suffered after their marriages, that’s why many Bollywood actors kept their marriages secret in the 1970s and 1980s.
Today we will talk about the actress, who was a shining star in Hindi cinema in 70s, but she sacrificed her career for love’s sake. Sadly, the person for whom she left her career left her.
This legendary actress is none other than Babita Shivdasani Kapoor, who was born on April 20, 1948, in a Sindhi family in Karachi, Pakistan. During the partition of India and Pakistan, her family settled in India. She had always dreamt of becoming an actress since childhood.
At the age of 18, Babita made her debut in Hindi cinema with the film Dus Lakh, but the film didn’t perform well at the box office. However, in 1967, she worked with Rajesh Khanna in the film Raaz, which quickly catapulted her to stardom. Her films with Jeetendra also became superhits, establishing Babita as a prominent figure in Bollywood.
Babita had won the hearts of millions with her acting skills and beauty. She was one of the top actresses of the 70s, with even the biggest stars aspiring to work with her. However, at the peak of her career, she made a decision that turned out to be painful for her.
Ranbir Kapoor and Babita first met on the set of the film Sangam in 1969. Their interaction started in this film, and they began to meet each other more often, eventually falling in love. However, their relationship was short-lived.
When Raj Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor’s father, found out about their affair, he asked him, “Do you want to marry her or not?” After this, their families insisted them to get married and tey tied the knot on November 6, 1971. However, neither of them had intended to marry at the time.
After marriage, Babita and Randhir became the parents of two daughters, Karisma and Kareena. Following this, Babita decided to leave her career and focus on managing the household.
However, the actress’s married life didn’t go smoothly for long. After a few years of marriage, Randhir’s films started to flop, and his career took a downturn. Subsequently, Randhir began to drown himself in alcohol.
Randhir’s habit of drinking alcohol increasingly troubled Babita. Due to this, their relationship suffered, leading to discord between them. Eventually, Babita decided to live separately, taking both her daughters, Karisma and Kareena, with her. She left Randhir Kapoor’s home. However, the couple never divorced.
While speaking to Hindustan Times, Kareena once said, “We weren’t brought up in luxury, as people think about the Kapoor clan. My mom (Babita) and sister (Karisma) really struggled to give me a better life. Especially my mom, because she was a single parent. Everything was very limited for us.”
Randhir has always been open about his personal life, once described himself as a “horrible husband.” In a 2016 interview with Times of India, he said, “She’s not got married again and nor does she intend to, neither do I. She continues to be my wife and I continue to be her incorrigible, horrible husband. So be it!”
After being apart for 35 years, Babita and Randhir recently decided to live together again.
