Title: Dining With The Kapoors
Director: Smriti Mundhra
Cast: The Raj Kapoor Family
Where: Netflix
Rating: 4 Stars
Netflix’s one-hour special Dining with the Kapoors promises a seat at the table of Bollywood’s First Family, and for the most part, it delivers a buffet of nostalgia with a side of meticulously plated sentiment. This is not a show about stardom or red-carpet glamour. Instead, it treats viewers to the rare spectacle of India’s most storied acting dynasty doing the most radical thing celebrities rarely do: being ordinary.
The show begins with a beautifully assembled prologue that instantly hooks the viewer before whisking them three weeks before Raj Kapoor’s birth centenary. The plot is simple. Rima Jain floats the idea of an anniversary lunch to her son Armaan, who promptly executes a celebration befitting the Kapoor reputation for largeness of spirit and stomach. What follows is a spirited family reunion featuring members across five generations who gather to eat, reminisce and gently roast each other with the casual ease of people who have been doing this forever.
Five minutes in, you cannot help thinking this could be a full-fledged series. With Ranbir, Kareena and others volunteering future holiday hosting duties on camera, the idea is clearly already in motion.
The nostalgia trip is furnished with archived family videos, old photographs, home records and the sobering acknowledgement that legacy must be preserved, and not merely inherited. The emotional high point comes when Rima recalls her mother’s plea to sell the house before it becomes a ruin. It lands like a quiet sigh.
The tone is warm, indulgent and disarmingly affectionate. Yet occasionally, the naturalness feels a tad too camera-conscious. Certain reactions carry the faint shine of rehearsal, which mildly dulls the documentary spontaneity.
Actors’ Performance
Performances are endearingly unscripted. Each of the family members exudes breezy wit and nostalgic composure. The younger lot’s commentary adds casual stand-up energy, while the older lot’s candour provides emotional ballast. They are all exuberant, yet remain the picture of quiet dignity. Rima Jain emerges as the emotional centre, revealing the spine that has unofficially held the sprawling family together.
The pleasure of watching this ensemble lies not in crafted performances but in observing familial patterns unfold with interruptions, affectionate squabbles, loud laughter, and the inevitable Punjabi pitch escalation. The show displays the Kapoor clan at its warm, loud, overlapping best.
Music and Aesthetics
The production values are impeccable. Smriti Mundhra’s direction preserves the looseness of a fly-on-the-wall documentary while keeping it glossy enough to satisfy Netflix's appetites. Tom Djokaj’s cinematography is warm and intimate. Geeta Singh and Sujit Agarwal’s editing maintains pace without rushing sentiment. Sid Shirodkar’s original score flows like a memory rather than background noise. Food is filmed with reverence, and the glimpse into the now-sold Deonar bungalow is handled with sensitivity.
FPJ Verdict
Dining with the Kapoors is a heartfelt tribute to legacy, love and the inevitable passage of time. It balances nostalgia with contemporary spirit and leaves viewers wishing it were a recurring series. Minor over-curation aside, the emotions land, the food glows, and Raj Kapoor’s immortal ache ‘Kahan gaye woh din’ signs off an episode that lingers long after it ends.
