Arjun Kapoor’s comment on family ties brings back focus on Bollywood’s half-siblings

Actor Arjun Kapoor’s recent remarks about his half-sisters Jhanvi and Khushi has once again put the spotlight on half-siblings’ relationships in Bollywood. Replying to a question at an event, Arjun said, “We don’t really meet and spend time together, so [a relationship] doesn’t really exist.” Arjun, son of producer Boney Kapoor with his first wife Mona Kapoor, has also never acknowledged any family ties with the two girls’ mother, actor Sridevi, who is Boney’s second wife. Arjun called her “my father’s wife.”

Looking around Bollywood, there are quite a few half-siblings — some don’t have a cordial relationship, while others share a great rapport. Just having a sibling from one parent’s second (or third) spouse is obviously not reason enough to like or dislike them. So what makes half-sibling relationships take off or crash?

Dr Kamal Khurana, Delhi-based relationship counsellor, explains that each individual is different and no parent can force them to be in a defined relationship with their half-siblings. Also, in this case, bad is not the clear opposite of good. “Just the fact that you’re not friends or not on cordial terms doesn’t make you enemies. One needs to respect that a person may take time to come to terms with reality, and based on that, they may choose to share a bond with the half-brother or half-sister, or not even be on talking terms [with them],” says Dr Khurana.

Also in Bollywood, in the Deol family, brothers Sunny and Bobby, sons of veteran actor Dharmendra’s first wife Parkash Kaur, and their half-sisters Esha and Ahana, daughters of his second wife Hema Malini, used to share a happy bond. But then the brothers skipped Esha’s wedding, showing that even a good relationship may sour.

Next are Aarya Babbar and Prateik, Raj Babbar’s sons from Nadira Babbar and Smita Patil, who might share the Babbar bloodline but are not on good terms. Prateik even dropped his last name, and later mentioned that he saw a big brother in Abhishek Bachchan. At this, an angry half-brother Aarya alleged that Prateik did cheap things for publicity.

Dr Gitanjali Sharma, Gurgaon-based marriage counsellor, feels that a parent’s or step-parent’s behaviour could be a trigger for any kind of animosity between half-siblings. “When a child (from a previous marriage) feels neglected, abandoned or not getting the same kind of treatment or access to the parent, that becomes an issue and, of course, it would be reflected in their relationship with half-brothers and half-sisters as well,” she says.

While some half-siblings have rarely been spotted together in public, there are many who surprise everyone with the friendly vibes they exude whenever spotted together.

The Bhatt sisters, Pooja and Alia, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s daughters from Lorraine Bright and Soni Razdan, are always like a big happy family. Not only does Alia refer to Pooja as her sister, but the latter also said in an interview that there was no ego clash or enmity between her and Alia.

Even brothers Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar, sons of actor Neelima Azeem from Pankaj Kapoor and Rajesh Khattar, come across as buddies in the goofy pictures they often share on social media. Actors Pooja Bedi and Adam Bedi, Kabir Bedi’s daughter from Protima Bedi and son from Susan Humphreys, have always been fond of each other and never let the step-sibling rivalry take over.

Dr Sharma opines that the kind of relationship that parents share lays the foundation of the relationship between the half-brothers and half-sisters, too. “If a parent can instil the right values, and not make it messy by bringing in comparisons, half-siblings can share a great bond, too,” she adds.