Neelima Azeem single-handedly raised her son Shahid Kapoor when she separated from her ex-husband Pankaj Kapur. Shahid was only three-and-a-half years old when Neelima and Pankaj went their separate ways. In a recent interview, she opened up about the divorce and being a single parent. She said, “I would like to say that I didn’t decide to separate. It’s a fact. He moved on and it was a difficult thing for me to stomach but he also had his reasons. We had been friends from a long time. I think I was 15 years old when I became friends with him. He had very good reasons and I understood it.”

She further added, “When there’s a break-up, which is called divorce, it is painful for both. There was a lot of friendship and attachment but there was heartbreak. It’s alright. He’s very well settled with his family today and I wish him well.”

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Neelima termed Shahid as the biggest source of strength for her. She said, “He gave me an insurmountable belief in life. I was young so I was able to do it again. It took time though, it took me about a couple of years, but then I was fine.” Neelima and Pankaj tied the knot in 1975 but divorced a few years later. Since their divorce in 1984, Pankaj went on to marry Supriya Pathak and has two children with her- Sanah Kapur (who made her Bollywood debut in Shaandaar) and Ruhaan Kapur. Pankaj and Supriya have been married for more than 30 years now.

Neelima, on the other hand, went on to marry Rajesh Khatter with whom she has actor Ishaan Khatter. However, they divorced soon and she went on to marry Ustad Raza Ali Khan, but this marriage also did not last long. Rajesh is married to Vandana Sajnani and welcomed a son, Vanraj last year after 14 years of marriage.

(Source: Pinkvilla)