Having realised that there are great of expectations and the pressure that Ranbir is facing, Neetu Kapoor never went on sets of Saawariya. “I didnt want to be there at the sets round the clock and increase my son’s pressure. Also i have never been on the sets of my husband” says Neetu.

Neetu Kapoor, unlike other star mothers, was conspicuous by her absence on the sets of Saawariya, her son Ranbir’s debut. More so, because his leading lady Sonam’s parents, Anil, or rather her mother Sunita Kapoor, were a regular sight on the sets during filming. “I think girls need their mothers by their side. But it wouldn’t look good if I were constantly on the sets. So I never went.”

Once, Sanjay Bhansali called her over for tea, and Neetu went on the sets and did just that. “I had my cup of tea and left. I did not watch Ranbir in action. Rishi and I wanted to leave our son alone on the sets. I didn’t want to put any extra pressure on him. I did the same for my husband, never dropped in on his sets ever.”

Neetu doesn’t blame her non-interference on nervousness. She says she was more interested in watching him on screen rather than off it, “I always wanted to see him on screen. And Sanjay did call me to show some scenes and a few songs.”

As a mother, Neetu understands very well the pressure that is on Ranbir. She says, “Yes, there is tremendous pressure on him, there are great expectations, and I get scared about that. He’s just a 24-year-old, after all. Ranbir is nervous but he is very brave. He gets butterflies in the stomach. In fact, we all are nervous.”

Is father Rishi nervous too, or is he playing it cool? “Rishi does not give any advice to him right now. He doesn’t say anything in particular, but like everyone else, he is also anxious,” she says.