‘Shahid Kapoor is very soft from inside but has a tough exterior, Ishaan Khatter is stronger and adventurous’, says mom Neelima Azeem

Shahid Kapoor is a family man, whereas Ishaan Khatter tends to be more of a loner. (Photo: Shahid Kapoor, Instagram)

It has been a remarkable year for Ishaan Khatter, whose only theatrical release, Homebound, has been shortlisted for the Oscars. Despite being born into a film family, son of actors Rajesh Khatter and Neelima Azeem, and brother of Shahid Kapoor, Ishaan’s journey has been uniquely his own, marked by ups and downs, flops and successes. His path, however, is very different from that of Shahid, who has carved his own distinct identity in the industry. Recently, in a conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Ishaan and Shahid’s mother Neelima Azeem opened up about how her two sons are distinctly different from one another. She said: “I think Shahid is very soft and sensitive. But he’s a man now, so he has a tough exterior. Still, he will always be that soft, sensitive, dreamy boy. Ishaan, I think, is very exploratory, adventurous, and has a very curious mind. He’s also soft, but I think definitely stronger in some ways. Shahid is somebody who has paved his own way. So, I mean, you can say that he’s a tough guy now. Despite his soft heart, he’s a tough chap.”

Explaining further about their differences, she added, “Ishaan is very independent. He loves to share, he’s very loving, and he’s a very loving son. But his journey is pretty much on his own. He likes to fly alone. He travels alone. He does everything alone. Shahid, I think, is a family man. He loves to be surrounded by his own people, and so does Ishaan. Ishaan is a very, very affectionate family boy. But I think the basic difference is that Shahid has always yearned for his family. I would say even more than friends. And I think Ishaan hangs out a lot with his friends, and his brother, and of course, with me.”

Neelima also reflected on Shahid’s early days in Bollywood, recalling how she used to visit the sets of his debut film, Ishq Vishk: “Every day. I used to shoot, and I would run to his set. If I was shooting at night, I would adjust. And my producers got quite tired of it till Ishq Vishk got over.”

She clarified that her reason for being on set wasn’t out of overprotectiveness, but rather an artistic connection, “I think it was more of an artistic bond. It was about him sharing his first-ever experience in a film, in the lead, and wanting me to be there. And then we would also discuss everything.”

Neelima revealed that after Shahid’s first film, she stopped accompanying him on set, “He was manjha hua by then (He had become experienced by then). He went on his own on the second film set. And moreover, his career had taken off. He was independent, strong. He already had a lot of curiosity to know about the job and prepare in advance. He has always been that sort of actor.”

In the same conversation, she opened up about her separation from Shahid’s father, Pankaj Kapur: “I separated from Pankaj Kapur when Shahid was three, when I was a very young girl. I have stopped overanalysing and intellectualizing things, but introspection is always there to evolve. As you grow older, there are quite a few moments when you reflect on things. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be; nobody gets married to separate, they get married to stay together forever. Maybe we were very different people, and also marriage is not about what anybody did or what happened, it’s about where you are in your mind or which phase you are in, in your life. If that vibration doesn’t have the same frequency, it doesn’t sit well.”