Former Lilavati Hospital dietician Khyati Rupani has opened up about her interactions with some of Bollywood’s biggest stars during their hospital stays. In a recent YouTube interview with Ronak Kotecha, she shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes about celebrities like Saif Ali Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan.
Saif Ali Khan demanded dessert
Recalling Saif Ali Khan’s hospitalisation years ago for an angioplasty, Khyati remembered how particular he was about his meals—especially dessert. “I know Saif Ali Khan was there recently, but back then, he’d come for an angioplasty. He was very particular about, ‘Why is there no dessert?’ I told him, ‘You’ve just had an angioplasty, sir. I’m not going to…’ So, we worked it out. I went to the kitchen and said, ‘Let’s not give him a regular dessert’. So, we used to make custard and jelly,” she said.
Saif, who was recently hospitalised again after a knife attack at his residence in Bandra, had reportedly suffered a minor heart attack in 2007.
Rishi Kapoor was not happy with the hospital food
Khyati also shared that Rishi Kapoor had little patience for the hospital’s strict vegetarian policy. “Mr Rishi Kapoor was somebody who hated his food getting cut and Mrs Neetu was always about, ‘Inko mat do. Inko kyu gulab jamun dia (Don’t give it to him. Why did you give him gulab jamun)?’ So yes, he was one of the very unhappy clients. I tried doing everything but I think he went irritated only,” she shared. She also noted how the veteran actor, known for his love of good food, wasn’t thrilled with the meat-free meals at Lilavati.
Amitabh Bachchan was the nicest celebrity
On the other hand, Amitabh Bachchan earned praise for his humility and grace during a particularly difficult period when his mother, Teji Bachchan, was admitted for nearly a year. “I must name Mr Amitabh Bachchan. Mrs Teji Bachchan was in the hospital for 11 months and she was on tube feeds. In 11 months, sometimes, her feeds used to go late. It’s an operation. We are feeding 400 beds. We are dealing with salt-restricted diets, we are checking everything,” she said.
Rupani shared that the feeding schedules occasionally ran a few minutes late, which would often lead to frustration from the private medical staff.
“By the time the feed reaches her, it is sometimes 10 minutes late and her private nurses used to be angry. One fine day, I went because the complaint had come second time in the week. I went to meet her. Mr Bachchan was there. The nurse was blasting on me but Mr Bachchan was like, ‘Beta, please try and get it on time.’ After that, I made it my only job. She will get fed first. He was very polite,” she shared.
Teji Bachchan passed away in 2007 at the age of 93.