Neelima Azeem is an Indian actress, classical dancer and author. She is known for her work in Hindi films and TV series. She is the mother of famous Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter.
Wiki/Biography
Neelima Azeem was born in Moscow on Tuesday, December 2, 1958 (age 64 years; as of 2022). She studied at All Saints College, Nainital. She completed her education from Mater Dei School, Tilak Lane, New Delhi. She pursued her MA in Kathak literature from Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Weight (approximately): 60kg
Hair color: dark brown
Eye color: black
Relationships/Affairs
After her divorce from Pankaj Kapur, Neelima Azeem dated TV actor Rajesh Khattar for a year. The actors met on set and quickly became friends. After some time, they started dating. Rajesh Khattar spoke about this in an interview and said:
It started with friendship. We met on set. One thing led to another and, in fact, we ended up in Mumbai together. ”
family
Parents and siblings
Her father’s name is Anwar Azim. He was a Marxist journalist and Urdu writer. Her mother’s name was Khadija. Her brother AN Anwer is an actor.
other relatives
Popular film director, novelist and journalist Khwaja Ahmed Abbas is her mother’s uncle. Popular television producer and costume designer Saba Zaidi is her cousin.
husband and children
She was married three times. She first married Indian actor Pankaj Kapur in 1979. They have a son named Shahid Kapoor who is a popular Bollywood actor. The couple divorced in 1984. In 1990, she married again to popular television actor Rajesh Khattar. They have one son, Ishaan Khatter, who is also a Bollywood actor. The couple called off their marriage in 2001. Rajesh Khattar spoke about it in an interview and mentioned that the reason for their separation was lack of compatibility.
Neelima Azeem with Ishaan Khatter, Shahid Kapoor and Rajesh Khattar
In 2004, Azim married for the third time to the famous Indian classical singer Patiala Gharana Raza Ali Khan, and they divorced in 2009.
Neelima Azeem and Raza Ali Khan
Profession
television
Neelima Azeem made her debut as an actress in 1989 in the TV series “Phir Wahi Talash”, playing the role of Shehnaz. The TV series proved to be her career breakthrough.
Stills of Neelima Azeem in TV series “Phir Wahi Talash”
She rose to fame for her role as 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 series “Amrapali” starring Shilpa Shinde. She has appeared in several TV series including Talaash (1992), Bible Ki Kahaniyan (1993), Junoon (1994), Saans (1998), Kashmeer (2003) and Dhoondh Legi Manzil Hume (2010).
Movie
She made her Bollywood debut with the film Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989), in which she played the role of Mumtaz. In 1991, she played the role of ‘Chanda’ in the film Sadak starring Sanjay Dutt. In 2003, she played the mother of Rajiv Mathur (played by Shahid Kapoor) in Shahid’s debut film “Ishq Vishk”.
Neelima Azeem in a still from the movie “Ishq Vishk”
Her performance as Zeher Raza in the movie “Alif” (2016) was well received by the audience. The film later premiered at the Queensland Indian International Film Festival.
Neelima Azeem in a still from the movie Alif
Some of her famous films include Karmyoddha (1992), Itihaas (1997), Sooryavansham (1999), Just Married (2007) and Blackmail (2018).
web series
In 2019, she played Suhasini Joshi in the web series “Mom & Co.” The show premiered on the YouTube channel “Zoom Studios”.
Poster of the web drama “Mom and Company”
In the same year, she starred in the web series “Halala” released on the OTT platform Ullu.
prize
- She received the Indira Gandhi Award for excellence in dance.
- In 2017, she won the Dr. Bababsaheb Ambedkar Prize for Fiction.
Neelima Azeem wins Dr. Bababsaheb Ambedkar Prize for Fiction
Favorites
- Dancers: Bharati Gupta, Saswati Sen
Facts/Trivia
- She revealed in an interview that she started dancing at the age of two and performed on stage for the first time at the age of four.
- She started learning Kathak at the age of 10 under the tutelage of popular classical dancer Birju Maharaj and was associated with him for nearly 52 years. She also received formal Kathak training from other famous dancers such as Munna Shukla, Srimati Reva Vidyarthi and Pundit Devilalji.
- In addition to dancing, she also received formal training in singing. She learned singing from popular singer Ustad Munnawar Ali Khan of Kasur Patiala Gharana. He was the younger son of Bader Ghulam Ali Khan.
- She started performing in theater productions at the Chhattisgarh theater with renowned Indian playwright, theater director and actor Habib Tanvir from the age of 10.
- At just 14 years old, she had the rare opportunity to participate in a glamorous photo shoot for the Indian Classical Heritage stamp series, showcasing the elegant art form of Kathak.
- In an interview, while talking about the prejudice she initially faced in the Hindi film industry, Neelima said,
In movies, I have also experienced the unfair treatment of directors who canceled my role because I was prettier than the heroine. Casting couches was also an issue. My talent is not well utilized by the film industry. I’m a stylist, dancer, actor, and great with words! “
- She runs a Kathak dance academy called Roots Academy in Mumbai.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education