When Anil Kapoor admitted to dating '20-25 girls from the film industry' before settling down with wife Sunita
Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor have been married for nearly four decades. On the day of their daughter Rhea's wedding, here's their love story.
As his daughter Rhea Kapoor prepares to tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend Karan Boolani on Saturday, here's the story of how Anil Kapoor decided to settle down and marry Sunita Kapoor.

In recent interviews, Anil Kapoor has said that his wife is the one who commands the most authority at their home. In 2020, celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary, the actor had spoken about how he proposed to Sunita. But not before he admitted, at a press event for the film Mubarakan, that he had had ‘20 to 25 girlfriends from the film industry’ before deciding to settle down.
He said in his special Instagram post, “This is the beginning of a long love story... On the night of 17th May, I signed an important film which was a big step in my career, and on 18th May I took an even bigger step... I proposed to my girlfriend Sunita and asked her to be my wife... People celebrate anniversaries, we celebrate the proposals as well! And we never let ourselves forget how fortunate we are to have so much to be grateful for.”
Anil went into greater depth in a conversation with Humans of Bombay. “A friend of mine gave Sunita my number to prank call me–that’s when I first spoke to her and fell in love with her voice! Soon after, we met at a party – there was just something about her. We started talking and became friends. We used to discuss this other girl I liked - you know, if I like her or she likes me? Then suddenly that girl vanished, leaving me heartbroken – our friendship strengthened because of that."
Anil Kapoor said that he thought of himself as ‘bekaar (useless)’ as compared to her, and that they began ‘dating organically’. The couple dated for a decade before Anil decided to propose to her, after signing a big film, which he was sure would mean more income. “I went through the struggle of not getting work, but she supported me unconditionally. So when I got my first break, Meri Jung, I thought, now house will come, kitchen will come, help will come… I can get married!”
Also read: Rhea Kapoor and Karan Boolani to marry, see their best photos together
Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor have two other children, besides Rhea – daughter Sonam Kapoor and son Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor.