Neelima azeem shahid mira ishaan pankaj

Neelima Azeem, mother to Gen-Y stars Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter, is more than just a name. She’s considered a legend in the world of Indian kathak, given the laurels she earned as a teenager in the 70s. But a hasty decision and a love marriage made her come face to face with reality as she battled her first-ever rejection. After an early marriage at 20 and embracing motherhood a few years later, her marriage with veteran actor Pankaj Kapur went kaput. Gathering herself and struggling with emotional turmoil with a baby Shahid in tow, she fell in love again with Rajesh Khatter but after years of marital bliss, the couple headed for another divorce. While her marriages and divorce made it to the news, what many overlooked was how she came out of these tough life situations like a victor. Today, she’s immensely proud of her two kids who are not only considered great actors but are also clean human beings in an industry that reeks of several vices. Apart from that, her bonding with her daughter in law Mira Rajput is unlike what we usually see in saas-bahu serials. In this candid chat on Bollywood Bubble’s Her Story, Neelima Azeem reminisces on her relationships, her family and how they shaped her life beautifully. Watch the full interview right here.