Grandparents and parents don’t always see eye to eye on the rules. Be it a little extra screen time here, one more piece of chocolate there. It’s one of the oldest tug-of-war in family life, and it turns out even Bollywood families aren’t exempt from it.Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed their daughter Raha in November 2022, and the couple has spoken openly about splitting parenting duties around their busy film schedules. Previously, Ranbir’s mother, veteran actress Neetu Kapoor, opened up about what it’s actually like being Raha’s grandmother, including the small, affectionate disagreements she has with Alia over how much discipline versus indulgence a toddler needs.
10 Sept 2026 | 12:19
What’s one thing you swore you’l never do as a parent now you find yourself doing?
Neetu Kapoor says Alia is a great mother, a disciplinarian
Speaking on actor Soha Ali Khan’s podcast “All About Her,” Neetu Kapoor gave a candid account of her role as Raha’s grandmother, and the gentle tension that comes with watching your daughter-in-law raise a child very differently than you once did.She described Alia as the stricter parent of the two, someone deliberately raising Raha with clear boundaries. She began explaining, “Raha listens to Alia and Alia is a great mom.” She further added, “Alia is a disciplinarian. She is teaching her the right things,” pointing specifically to Alia’s rules around screen time and sugar.That structure, however, doesn’t always sit easily with a grandmother’s instincts. Neetu admitted she regularly tries to sneak in small indulgences, like offering Raha a piece of chocolate, only to be gently overruled by Alia’s reasoning about sugar. Neetu said jovially, “I’m the grandmother, let me spoil her a little,” just like a loving negotiation many grandparents indulge in.
She appreciates Alia’s parenting style
Interestingly, Neetu didn’t frame this as a complaint. She was clear that Alia’s parenting has earned her genuine respect, at one point calling her a “great mother” to Raha. She also explained how Raha relates differently to each parent, treating Ranbir more like a playmate she can have fun with, while listening more closely to Alia, since children, in Neetu’s view, tend to be a little more in awe of their mothers.
She also reflected on how parenting patterns change across generations.
What stood out most, though, was Neetu’s reflection on how much parenting itself has changed since she raised Ranbir and his sister Riddhima.She explained, “I think times are different, so I did whatever best I could do in my time, and today, because times have changed. They are the best parents; they know what to do. You know, I don’t want to interfere; I just want to be a good grandmother. This is where I want to indulge her.”She further recalled that, during her own time as a young mother, concepts like limiting screen time or sugar intake simply weren’t part of the conversation; her children, she said, grew up watching television regularly during meals, something considered completely normal back then. Rather than treating that gap as something to be defensive about, Neetu welcomed the change positively, saying she respects how much more informed today’s parents are and has no interest in second-guessing their choices.
