Ranbir , Neetu on Mothers' day!

They came to work meaning business. The lovely Neetu Kapoor, at 50, today one of Bollywood's loveliest mothers, and her eye-candy son Ranbir. "She

Neetu Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor pose for TOI on Mother's Day. More Pics

looks like my elder sister," complained the handsome 27-year-old actor of his heart-meltingly good-natured mother. Together, they sat down to edit the Mother's Day issue of JT; she talking about the issues that the 21st century mother has to be aware of and deal with 24/7, he nodding gravely, because he's heard it before — Neetu has always been a caring and doting mother.

Neetu did the talking. Ranbir, sitting by her side like an attentive editorial assistant, prompted her with ideas and suggestions. A mother's job today was no different from what it was 30 years ago, said Neetu. That's when she stopped working after Amar Akbar Anthony to look after Ranbir and daughter Ridhima. "I wanted to stay home and be connected with the kids. And mine knew me in and out. It's important for a mother to talk, to communicate, with her children... because today, my kids are about me."

What Neetu must have talked to Ranbir and Ridhima about in their formative years, still remains the concerns, fears and anxieties of today's Indian mother. "Like drugs, date rape, unwanted pregnancy, incest, sex education..." her voice trailed off. "Even obesity and correct eating habits," she suddenly remembered. "Ranbir must have hated me, I was forever telling him what to eat and what not to... but he's a Kapoor, they like food, but today my kids know food," she said. More seriously, she recalled being paranoid when Ridhima was studying in London, and incidents of date rape after people spiked a girl's drink was rampant. "Till today my daughter won't accept a drink from anyone," Neetu claimed proudly.

She inculcated in her kids a sense of what was right and wrong when they were small. This is Neetu's advise to all mothers: "Tell your kids it's okay to do the wrong thing now and then, as long as you face the consequences with equal conviction, and then learn from your mistakes and become a better person." And, she cautioned, "You must teach them to say thank-you, to smile and be nice to people... just that gets you so much back. It's important for people to like you. What you say and show outside reflects the goodness inside you."

And her tip for today's mother: stay connected with your kids always, they can go wrong — no matter how old they are. "I know so many people doing drugs... they ruin your life. Getting into the habit is easy, but nobody knows how to get out. Sex education, an awareness of AIDS, it's so important for a mother to share this with her kids. These are important but embarrassing issues that parents tend to avoid discussing with children," said Neetu.

And she had advice for children as well: "Old people, your parents, cannot be left alone... they should be taken care of. If it can be helped, at least one kid should be there for them in their old age." Happily, neither Neetu nor husband Rishi are at that stage in life as yet. If Ranbir Kapoor at 27 is young, his parents in their 50s are younger; in fact, Neetu returns to Bollywood after 30 years in a film with her husband. It's called Do Dooni Char. Ranbir is relieved his mother's leading man is his father, Rishi Kapoor. "I would have hated it otherwise," said the Mama's boy.

'We talk about partying'

Neetu Kapoor says that she has always made it a point to spend quality time with her daughter Riddhima (who is based in Delhi) and son Ranbir, right from their childhood. "By just looking at their face or by hearing a tremble in their voice, I can detect their need for parental support. We talk about eveything under the sun – from education to money to friends and their partying ways. Never the one to force down morals, it's my everyday talk with them which has gone a long way into making them good human beings," Neetu said.