On the surface, one can draw many similarities between veteran Indian actor Rishi Kapoor's career and that of his son and current Bollywood heart-throb Ranbir Kapoor.
They are both hugely successful, there are — or were — in Kapoor senior's case — the legions of female fans and they are both sons of film stars. Of course, being a member of the first family in Bollywood, one of the industry's most illustrious, is an added bonus.
But, as Kapoor senior insists, the similarities end there.
"I started my career with a huge hit (Bobby, 1973) and he started with a major box office disaster (Saawariya, 2007)," he says. "I had to do a lot of soppy, lovelorn characters for many years but he's been experimenting with all kinds of roles. I don't take any creative decisions for him so he makes all the decisions himself.
"Also, the industry is very different now because audiences are evolving," he adds.
"This means more opportunities for real actors to try our many things."
Kapoor cites himself as an example.
"Earlier, we made a lot of stupid films, many based on unrealistic premises and storylines," he says.
"Now, even at this point in my career, I'm doing films like Do Dooni Char (Two Times Two is Four, 2010), where I play the central role of a struggling school teacher, which was well appreciated, and now Patiala House, where I play the patriarch of a Punjabi family in London. These kinds of films were not possible when I was a youngster."
The 58-year-old was recently in Dubai to promote Patiala House, also starring Akshay Kumar. Sitting down for a one-on-one with tabloid!, he says that while a lot has changed, Indian cinema has not really undergone radical change. "We are technologically forward and on par with any other film industry, but our culture and philosophy has remained the same. Films mirror the society however, and it changes according to it," he says.
He should know.
The son of the late Raj Kapoor, considered one of the most important figures in Indian cinema, he began his career as a child actor in his father's seminal film Mera Naam Joker (My Name is Joker, 1970).
Then, three years later, a fresh-faced Kapoor was cast in Bobby, also directed by his father, as a romantic lead along with Dimple Kapadia.
A major commercial success, the film's rich-boy-meets-poor-girl story became the de rigueur plot for generations of Bollywood films thereafter.
Kapoor would then go on to star in over 100 films.
In between, he married his co-star Neetu Singh in 1980, with whom he starred in many films, with many calling the pair one of the best screen couples of the Seventies.
But it was not always rosy, he insists.
"I've also hit rock bottom in the past when my films didn't do well," he says. "But you keep trying and keep experimenting with variety. And it's good the industry is also doing that.
No grey shades, just black
"I've never worked as hard as I am doing now. In a few weeks I start filming for Agneepath where I play a really dark character.
"There are no grey shades to this guy, just black. So it's very interesting."
Patiala House, which was released this month, has so far received mixed reviews but with strong openings in the overseas market. The film, besides his role, is special to Kapoor because it reunites him with his Bobby co-star Kapadia, who plays his wife.
"It was like old times again," he smiles. "I love Dimple. Even at this stage in her career she is so brave, taking on all kinds of interesting roles. We laughed a lot and shared a lot of memories while on set."
Incidentally, Kapadia is also the mother-in-law of Kumar, Patiala House's lead.
"She would bring home-cooked meals for him every day on the set and I would always steal some of it," Kapoor joked at a press conference earlier.
Last year's Do Dooni Char was also a casting coup of sorts, re-uniting Kapoor with his wife to play a reel-life couple after almost 30 years.
"I don't know if I will do it again," he says.
"Maybe with the right script. But I'm soon doing something which I have never done before — I'll be appearing in Housefull 2 with my elder brother," he adds excitedly.
"It's an out-and out comedy film and we play two brothers who are constantly fighting each other."
Housefull, directed by Sajid Khan and released in 2010 is one of the highest grossing films of all time.
Starring Kumar, Lara Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Ritesh Deshmukh and Deepika Padukone, the sequel will have an even bigger star cast including the Kapoor brothers, John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha and the legendary Amitabh Bachchan.
Kapoor, who has three other films in the pipeline, says he's never been busier after 40 years into the business. Still, he knows it is a fickle industry and that actors, despite their lineage, are only as good as the films they make.
"I may discount the fact that it is easier to get a foothold in the industry because you have a certain background.
"But for survival, every individual lasts only on his or her own talent," he says reflectively.
"You can get an easier platform or an introduction but there on you are on your own, just like anybody else."
From a pioneering grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, one of the first actors in India's silent era films of the 1900s, to his father and from his superstar brothers Randhir and Rajiv and to his wife and actor son and nieces Karishma and Kareena, it is difficult to say Rishi Kapoor does not know what he's talking about.
