Why did Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor sell iconic RK Studio 31 years after Raj Kapoor's demise?
The Kapoor family has been entertaining the audience for years now. Starting from the great Prithviraj Kapoor, the four generations of the Kapoor Khan-daan has been in the entertainment industry. Raj Kapoor proved to be one of the most prolific actors Bollywood had ever seen. His sons, Radhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapor and Rajiv Kapoor took the legacy forward and became established actors. Now, Ranbir Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and others are the top Kapoor stars. With such legacy, come memories. One of the fondest memories of the Kapoor clan was the iconic RK Studio.
RK Studio was established by Raj Kapoor in Mumbai's Chembur vicinity. It was founded in 1948 and remained to be the Bollywood hub for a long time. Many movies were shot at this studio. But the Holi parties and Ganesh festival celebrations drew attention to RK Studio the most. It was a dream of Raj Kapoor and he considered RK Studio as his 'second home'. It spread over two acres was a tourist attraction too. However, many years after Raj Kapoor's demise, his sons, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor had to take heavy decision. In 2019, the Kapoors sold the iconic RK Studio to a big reality brand. It was a tough call to make as described by the Kapoors through interviews.
Why did Kapoors sell RK Studio?
In several reports, it is suggested that with RK Studio being in Chembur, it became more of a trouble for the actors to travel given Mumbai's traffic. Stars started preferring studios nearby home and that led to economic loss to the studio. Mehboob Studio in Bandra became the favoured location of stars over RK Studio. The Kapoors then decided to rent out the studio for the shooting of TV serials and reality TV shows. However, that did not come across as a profitable venture as TV units came with set of demands. Plus, in 2017, a major fire broke out at RK Studio that brought a lot of damage. It also destroyed precious memorabilia including Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker costume.
In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Rishi Kapoor had revealed that it was an emotional decision that they had to make. They initially juggled with the idea of renovating RK Studio, however, that wasn't possible as it won't yield sufficient revenue. "Believe me, we had to take the larger picture into account and take a level-headed decision. Even before the fire, for years R. K. Studio had become a huge white elephant, toting up losses. The few bookings we would get from films, TV serials and ad shoots would expect free parking space, air-conditioning and discounts," he was quoted saying. It was after 71 years of RK Studio was built and 31 years after Raj Kapoor's demise that the final curtains were drawn over Mumbai's iconic landmark. It was considered to be an end of an era.