‘I met him on...’: Neelima Azeem reveals how her relationship with Rajesh Khatter began after Pankaj Kapur divorce

Shahid Kapoor was only three when his parents, Neelima Azeem and Pankaj Kapur, divorced back in 1984. Today, 40 years later, Neelima expresses no regrets about the decision, cherishing every moment with her sons Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter. Recently, in an interview, Neelima discussed her marriage to Rajesh Khatter after her divorce from Pankaj.

Discussing the first meeting with Rajesh Khatter

Talking to Vickey Lalwani, Neelima recalled the first meeting with Rajesh and said, “I met him on the sets of ‘Phir Vahi Talash’. He was brought into the series much later. His character entered much later. Unka zikar vikar hota raha, Captain Salim ka, but he actually became a part of the series physically much later. And I met him on the sets. There were a lot of actors who auditioned for that role, including Shah Rukh Khan, which is the interesting part. And we actually sat together and rehearsed together and he auditioned for it. But they felt that he's not looking like an army captain. He's looking very young. We were friends for a very long time. There was a very good working repo and later, it slowly moved into a relationship.”

Family with Rajesh Khatter

Post her divorce from Pankaj, Neelima remarried Rajesh Khatter, and they became parents to Ishaan Khatter. Pankaj thrives as a cinema legend today, with Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan making their marks as accomplished actors too. Shahid led the 2025 release ‘Deva’ and prepares for ‘O’ Romeo’ and ‘Cocktail 2’ ahead, while Ishaan took the spotlight in ‘Homebound’ and the series ‘The Royals’.

Shahid Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter’s projects

On the personal front, Shahid Kapoor is married to Mira Kapoor and has two kids, Misha and Zain. Meanwhile, Ishaan Khatter is said to be dating Malaysian model Chandni Bainz.





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