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Neelima Azeem is an Indian actress, classical dancer, and writer. She is known for her work in Hindi films and TV series. She is the mother of popular Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter.
Wiki/Biography
Neelima Azeem was born on Tuesday, 2 December 1958 (age 64 years; as of 2022) in Moscow. She attended All Saints’ College in Nainital. She completed her schooling at Mater Dei School, Tilak Lane, New Delhi. She pursued an M.A. in Kathak at Sangeet Natak Akademi in Delhi.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Relationships/Affairs
After her divorce from Pankaj Kapur, Neelima Azeem dated the television actor Rajesh Khattar for a year. The actors met each other on a film set and soon became friends. After a while, they started dating. In an interview, Rajesh Khattar talked about it and said,
It started with friendship. We met on the set. One thing led to another and in fact, we landed up in Mumbai together.”
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name was Anwar Azeem. He was a Marxist journalist and an Urdu author. Her mother’s name was Khadija. Her brother, A N Anwer, is an actor.
Other Relatives
The popular film director, novelist, and journalist, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was her mother’s maternal uncle. The popular TV producer and costume designer Saba Zaidi is her first cousin.
Husband & Children
She got married thrice. She got married for the first time to Indian actor Pankaj Kapur in 1979. Together, they have a son named Shahid Kapoor, who is a popular Bollywood actor. The couple got divorced in 1984. She got married for the second time to the popular television actor Rajesh Khattar in 1990. They together have a son named Ishaan Khatter, who is also a Bollywood actor. The couple call their marriage off in 2001. In an interview, Rajesh Khattar talked about it and mentioned that the reason for their separation was the lack of compatibility.
Neelima Azeem with Ishaan Khatter, Shahid Kapoor, and Rajesh Khattar
Azeem got married for the third time to the popular Indian classical vocalist of the Patiala Gharana Raza Ali Khan in 2004, and they got divorced in 2009.
Neelima Azeem with Raza Ali Khan
Career
Television
Neelima Azeem debuted as an actor in 1989 with the TV series ‘Phir Wahi Talash’ in which she played the role of Shehnaz. The TV series proved to be the breakthrough of her career.
Neelima Azeem in a still from the TV series ‘Phir Wahi Talash’
She rose to fame after playing the role of Mumtaz in the historical TV series ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan’ (1990) which aired on DD National. In 2002, she appeared in the historical drama TV serial ‘Amrapali’ starring Shilpa Shinde. She has worked in various television series including ‘Talaash’ (1992), ‘Bible Ki Kahaniyan’ (1993), ‘Junoon’ (1994), ‘Saans’ (1998), ‘Kashmeer’ (2003), and ‘Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein’ (2010).
Film
She debuted in the Bollywood film industry with the film ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro’ (1989) in which she played the role of Mumtaz. She appeared as ‘Chanda’ in the 1991 film ‘Sadak,’ starring Sanjay Dutt. In 2003, she played the role of Rajiv Mathur’s (played by Shahid Kapoor) mother in Shahid’s debut film ‘Ishq Vishk.’
Neelima Azeem in a still from the film ‘Ishq Vishk’
Her performance as Zeher Raza in the film ‘Alif’ (2016) was praised by the audience. The film was later premiered at the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland.
Neelima Azeem in a still from the film ‘Alif’
Some of her notable films are ‘Karmyoddha’ (1992), ‘Itihaas’ (1997), ‘Sooryavansham’ (1999), ‘Just Married’ (2007), and ‘Blackmail’ (2018).
Web Series
In 2019, she played the role of Suhasini Joshi in the web series ‘Mom & Co.’ which premiered on the YouTube channel ‘Zoom Studios.’
Poster of the web series ‘Mom & Co.’
In the same year, she appeared in the web series ‘Halala,’ which was released on the OTT platform Ullu.
Award
- She is the recipient of the Indira Gandhi Award that she received for her excellence in dance.
- In 2017, she received the Dr Bababsaheb Ambedkar Novel Award.
Neelima Azeem receiving the Dr Bababsaheb Ambedkar Novel Award
Favourites
- Dancer(s): Bharati Gupta, Saswati Sen
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, she revealed that she started dancing at the age of two and did her first stage performance at the age of four.
- She started learning Kathak at the age of 10 under the tutelage of popular classical dancer Birju Maharaj and has been in association with him for almost 52 years. She also received formal training for Kathak from various other prominent dancers such as Munna Shukla, Srimati Reva Vidyarthi, and Pundit Devilalji.
- Besides dance, she also took formal training in singing. She learnt singing from Ustad Munnawar Ali Khan, the popular vocalist of Kasur Patiala Gharana. He was the younger son of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
- She started performing in theatrical productions at the age of 10 with the popular Indian playwright, theatre director, and actor Habib Tanvir, in his Chhattisgarhi theatre.
- At the tender age of 14, she had the incredible opportunity to participate in a captivating photo shoot for the Indian Classical Heritage Series stamps, showcasing the graceful art form of Kathak.
- In an interview, while talking about the biases that she initially faced in the Hindi film industry, Neelima said,
In films I also went through the unfairness of directors cutting off my roles because I was looking better than the heroines. The casting couch was also a problem. My talent was not well used by the film industry. I was a looker, dancer, actress and had great diction!”
- She runs a Kathak dance academy in Mumbai named ‘Roots Academy.’