Following this, an angry Rishi Kapoor told a Mumbai tabloid that Vyjayanthimala was bluffing. His father indeed had an affair with her, he said, adding that she should not insult his father after his death by denying the relationship and calling him publicity hungry.

But Vyjayanthimala has stood by her story in Bonding… A memoir, co-authored by Jyoti Sabarwal and published by Stellar Publishers.

“As I have said in the book, I know the truth and it is my conscience that has made me speak the truth,” she told the Hindustan Times. “I just don’t bother about such allegations at all.”

Rishi Kapoor has also said that the affair created a lot of problems at home and that he along with his mother and siblings shifted to a hotel for more than four months because of it. He accused Vyjayanthimala of lying and distorting facts.

Will all this trigger another round of verbal duel between Vyjayanthimala and the Kapoors? “Definitely not,” said Vyjayanthimala. “I am not a person to indulge in any sort of mudslinging and no amount of mudslinging on me by anyone else can affect me.”

Now, that’s what you call a black-and-white end to a colourful story.