Word spread in and around the borders of Russia that Raj Kapoor's granddaughter was in town. Since then, locals started queuing up with old tattered pictures and posters of their favourite Raj Kapoor film --Awara -- and even long- playing records of the film for her to autograph.
Kapoor was overwhelmed with the response. Speaking from Russia, she said, "I've never seen so many of my grandfather's fans in one place. They just look at my eyes, and say 'Raj Kapoor'.
I felt an instant connect." The song Awara Hoon has become her i-Pod favourite. The Russians don't only want her to hear them sing the song; they also want her to sing the song with them.
With her throat gone hoarse from the one-song routine, she said, "I've never felt more proud to be a Kapoor. It's amazing but I've seen more fans of my grandfather here in Russia, in one day, than I have back home."
Famished for details on Raj Kapoor's life and movies, the Russians were clamouring for anecdotes. Since Kapoor wasn't quite equipped to satiate their curiosity about her grandfather, she was frantically calling father Randhir Kapoor. "It's just too crazy. They look at me as if they see Raj Kapoor through me, " she said.
Once she gets back home, Kapoor intends to catch up on more of her grandfather's movies. "You know, the lesser- known movies. I want to see them too. The Russian experience has made me hungry to know more about my grandfather." She also plans to organise a long festival of Raj Kapoor's films in Russia, with active participation from the entire Kapoor clan.