Neelima Azim Both raised Shahid Kapoor And Ishan Khattar alone, although the two brothers are 15 years apart in age. She gave up her dreams of dancing and acting to earn money and take care of her sons. Ishaan recently spoke about this in an interview, sharing how his mother always puts her children before her own dreams.
Ishaan Khattar recalls Neelima Azim’s journey as a dancer
Speaking to Lily Singh, Ishaan shared that his mother started dancing professionally at the age of 9, learning under the great Pandit Birju Maharaj. He was so talented that at the age of 14, his picture was featured on a postage stamp, which was a big deal. Ishaan also said that growing up, he saw his mother playing the role of both his mother and father while managing everything else herself. “In many ways, I watched my mother double throughout my childhood. I also grew up with an older brother who was 15 years older than me, so he was a parental figure in many ways. It is again a very interesting relationship, where we are more like friends than brothers, but there will always be lines of respect. He changes my diapers, so every argument ends with, ‘I’m bigger than you,’” she said.
Ishaan Khattar has Neelima Azim as his mother
Neelima was martyred when she was 21 with her first husband Pankaj KapoorAnd when Ishaan was 36 with her second husband Rajesh Khattar. Ishaan talked about what it was like to have her as a mother and said, “Just watching mom navigate every step of her life, trying to do her best and also being a very generous kind of parent where… she had me when she was about 36, she had my brother when she was 21-22, so they were like friends. She got me a little later, but I was able to maintain a friendship with her and I could share anything with her. You didn’t hesitate. And I think that has contributed in many ways to the person I have become. I’m just hungry. I had parents. There was no need to hide or lie to me.”
Ishaan Khattar opens up about Neelima Azim’s self-sacrifice
Ishaan also touched on the many sacrifices his mother made for her children, saying, “Sacrifices are necessary for what’s worth but the way working women who are also parents give their parts, you have to be a superwoman. And I’ve seen her make those choices.” It’s taking a job that pays more consistently but isn’t what you find yourself doing or what excites you creatively. Or taking that job just to run the house and have that security. He did that for the better part of one’s childhood and you saw that.”
Neelima Azim has always put motherhood before her artistic dreams
She added that while her identity as an artist is deeply important to her, she always prioritizes motherhood. “The artist in her is a big part of who she is, and she’s often put that second to mom, and I’ve seen that,” she said.
More about Ishaan Khattar’s work
On the film front, Ishaan Khattar recently starred in the critical favorite ‘Homebound’ (which served as India’s official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards) and he recently started shooting for his next theatrical outing, a crime-thriller titled ‘Jugadu’. Palash Bhaswani. Khattar will also reprise his role in ‘The Royals’ season 2.
