Going through a divorce while simultaneously embracing single motherhood can be immensely challenging, especially when navigating the demanding world of the entertainment industry. Yet, Neelima Azeem emerged stronger through every obstacle. She raised Shahid Kapoor largely at his maternal grandparents’ home after separating from his father Pankaj Kapoor when the Jab We Met actor was just three years old.
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In the emotional aftermath of her divorce, Neelima immersed herself in a full-time acting career to ensure financial stability, all while making certain that Shahid was brought up with immense love and care. In a recent conversation with Zoom, the veteran actor candidly reflected on that difficult chapter of her life and revealed how deeply the separation had impacted her son.
Neelima Azeem on embracing a full-time acting career
Neelima Azeem, a highly versatile Indian actor, classical dancer, and writer, is celebrated for her performances in critically acclaimed films and television dramas such as Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, Sadak, The Sword of Tipu Sultan, and Junoon. With a career spanning over four decades across film, television, and theatre, her journey, however, was far from effortless.
She recounted, “When I came to this town in 1990, I had four and a half thousand in my hands, which I had earned myself, which I did not take from my parents. I was very independent and nobody understands what it must have been like to come to Bombay from Delhi with four and a half thousand…And I did not borrow a buck in my life. I didn’t ask my family for help. I just managed it.”
Reflecting on the difficult phase that began in the late 1980s, she revealed in the interview that she took up acting full-time in order to achieve financial stability, all while single-handedly raising her young son. Neelima recalled moving from Delhi to Mumbai with only a modest amount of money to her name, determined to build a life for herself and her son. She also shared that despite the hardships she faced, she never borrowed money from her parents or from anyone else throughout her journey. Ultimately, she credited fate and luck for being on her side, which helped her become a star almost overnight.
Neelima Azeem on raising Shahid Kapoor as a single parent
Reflecting on the challenges of raising her three-year-old son while navigating a divorce and simultaneously building her career, Neelima Azeem admitted that she made several mistakes because she was very young at the time. She shared that she was deeply consumed by her own struggles and emotional turmoil, which ultimately led to the marriage ending early on. The separation, she revealed, did not just affect her personally but also had a profound impact on Shahid Kapoor during his formative years.
She explained, “I was extremely young, and I don’t know how well I coped with it, and my kid had to see that and experience it. So it wasn’t all hunky-dory for him, but he had great grandparents who were great parents also, so they were there for us. Both my mother and my father were the people that influenced him as a child. Till he was nine years old, he lived at his maternal grandparents’ home.”
The 67-year-old actor credited her parents for giving Shahid a relatively stable and nurturing childhood during a turbulent phase in their lives. Revealing that he lived with his grandparents until the age of nine, Neelima spoke about the profound influence her parents had on her son, sharing that they stood firmly by both of them, offering unwavering support not just as grandparents, but also as parental figures.