Neetu Kapoor recalls brutal trolling for resuming work after Rishi Kapoor’s death: 'Had to numb my head to sleep'

When Rishi Kapoor died in 2020, Neetu Kapoor stepped out of public life, only to return years later with JugJugg Jeeyo after nearly a nine-year gap from acting. However, this reset became fodder for online criticism, with some questioning the timing of her comeback so soon after her loss.

In a conversation on Soha Ali Khan’s YouTube show All About Her, alongside her daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Neetu addressed the backlash directly, not shying away from how it made her feel. She described the trolling as 'hurtful' and 'horrible,' reflecting on how public commentary often missed the emotional reality behind her decisions.

Speaking about what life looked like after Rishi Kapoor’s death, she opened up about a difficult stretch where sleep became almost impossible and coping mechanisms took over in ways she later found unsettling. “I just started working. He passed away, and I did JugJugg Jeeyo. I just went to work to get the confidence back. I was in such a bad state, and it was so hurtful when people used to say ke ‘ohh he passed away, and she jumped into work’. That was horrible. But they don’t know why I did it."

She also explained that after his death, she couldn't sleep for a month.

She went on to describe how the situation escalated to a point where medical intervention became necessary for a brief period. “I needed to numb my head and go to sleep. I didn’t like myself. I called my doctor and asked for help," she explained. The doctor would come to their house at night, and requested the staff to keep a check on Neetu, too. "She used to tell my staff to keep a check on me. This happened for 10 days. And on 11th or 12th day, I called her and told her that ‘I am good and I can move on’.... But I needed to get out. I spoke to Karan (Karan Johar), and he asked me to get back to work,” added the actor.

Even during filming, she admitted she was not in an easy headspace, describing herself as a 'nervous wreck' while working on JugJugg Jeeyo, though she credits the experience with slowly helping her regain balance and confidence.

In the same conversation, she also touched on how she now responds to unsolicited opinions with a sharper clarity, referencing her philosophy of “saanu ki (Why should we bother?)”, and extending it with “taunu ki (Why do you bother?)”, a phrase that captures her current approach to public judgment.

Neetu and Rishi Kapoor were married on January 22, 1980, and shared not just a long personal partnership but also a string of popular films including Amar Akbar Anthony, Khel Khel Mein, Rafoo Chakkar, and Kabhi Kabhie. Rishi Kapoor was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2018, underwent treatment in New York for nearly a year, returned to India in 2019, and continued working briefly before his health declined again.

He died on April 30, 2020, at the age of 67. His final film, Sharmaji Namkeen, released in 2022 after his death, was completed with Paresh Rawal stepping in to finish his role.