"What would Indian cinema be without each and every member of Kapoor family? The Kapoors in Bollywood have ruled our imaginations. They fortify dreams."

This is what author and journalist Madhu Jain had to say when her first book - "The Kapoors - The First Family of Indian Cinema" - was launched by actors Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh here at the India Habitat Centre Friday.

Also present on the occasion were late Prithviraj Kapoor's granddaughters Ritu Nanda and Sanjana Kapoor.

Jain's book is a comprehensive compilation of the life of the legendary Prithviraj Kapoor and his illustrious family.

The book begins with Prithviraj and his unyielding passion for cinema that brought him all the way from Peshawar, now in Pakistan, to Mumbai in 1928 with just Rs.100 in his pocket.

With numerous popular films in his kitty, he straddled both theatre and the silver screen like a colossus.

Talking on the occasion, Shashi Kapoor, the youngest son of Prithviraj, said: "I am very fortunate to have been born in this family. I had the advantage of my family members being ahead of me in this profession. So I could learn from them."

Launched by Penguin Books India in association with Habitat World, the book compiles interesting anecdotes about the Kapoor family. Shashi himself narrated one of the incidents from the book.

Shashi said: "When Rishi was very young, the moment anybody would scold him, he would cry and rush towards a mirror. Looking into the mirror, he would then study his own expressions. And my father (Prithviraj) always said, 'ye actor banega dekhna' (one day he will become an actor)."

Rishi, who became an instant star with the film "Bobby", attributed his success to his father Raj Kapoor.

He said: "I was only 20 when I worked in 'Bobby' made by my father and distributed by my uncle (Shashi) in Delhi.

"Shashi uncle had a gala premier here. He had about 200 girls at the Palam airport then. So that was a big high for me.

"But 'Bobby' was purely Raj Kapoor's film and people said that he still thinks young. People had forgotten him after 'Mera Naam Joker'."

Jain has penned down professional and personal details of each generation of the Kapoor family. The book talks about their ideologies, success, failures, larger-than-life Kapoor weddings, their romantic liaisons and their love for food.

Commenting upon their food habit, Neetu, who is also Rishi's wife, said: "After marrying into the family, I learned about food. I have been telling my husband to control himself but he doesn't listen. But I am trying to change him."

Kapoor family has often been criticised for keeping their girls away from limelight but Shashi Kapoor dismissed it as a rumour.

Clarifying, Ritu Nanda, Raj Kapoor's daughter, said: "When I was a young girl, women at that time didn't work.

"The next generation - Karisma, Kareena, Sanjana - are all working and it is an accepted fact now that women work. At that time it didn't even occur to me to get into films."

Her cousin and Shashi's daughter Sanjana agreed, and summed it up in one line: "There wasn't any pressure from the family to join or not to join films."

Even Neetu, who gave up films after marriage, said: "I didn't want to work. I started working when I was five and worked for 15 years. I wanted to give it up. It was purely a matter of personal choice."

Jain has brought together the five generation of Kapoors in her highly readable book.