Shammi Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Bollywood. But as every story goes, if there is life there is drama. So come with us as we uncover some stories shared by his wife, Neila Devi.
Neila Devi is the princess of the Gholi Dynasty of Bhavnagar State. She comes from one of the aristocratic families of Gujrat. But that raises the question of how a princess found her way to the home and heart of an actor. According to an interview with Entertainment Times, Neila shared that, it was Raj Kapoor’s wife, Krishna who was very fond of her and had met her when she used to hang out with her daughter, Ritu Nanda.
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One night right around, Ritu Nada’s wedding, Shammi called Neila’s residence and spoke to her for four to five hours. Sharing all the details about his life and agreed to marry her after one telephone conversation. The two got married the very next day.
We all know Shammi and Geeta Bali were filming for Rangeen Raatein in Kumaon, Uttarakhand where the two became close. Shedding light on their relationship, Neila shared that Geeta Bali and Shammi Kapoor used to do car racing, of which the latter was the undisputed winner. She even suggested that Shammi had fallen for Geeta as a rebound of her childhood love, Nutan.
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Shammi was deeply affected by the death of Geeta Bali, as they shared a beautiful relationship and had two children together. After her death, Shammi Kapoor seemed to have slipped into a bottom-less drinking spiral. This drinking problem of Shammi had proven to trigger his anger issues.
He used to drink heavily and if someone would try and step on his toes, he would lash out at them. Neila further shared that Raj Kapoor and Krishna Kapoor helped him immensely during these hard times, they even took his children, Aditya and Kanchan under their care.
Neila soon became Shammi's life partner and mother to his kids. However, this did not come easy. According to Neila, Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali's son, Aditya was more welcoming of her than their daughter, Kanchan, who was five years younger than Aditya, the latter took a while to open up to her.
Sharing a particular incident, Neila said that on the third day of their marriage, Shammi Kapoor gave him Geeta Bali’s ring, which she gave to Kanchan. Kanchan appreciated this and thereafter started warming up to Neila. She decided not to have kids of her own and gave all her love and affection to Aditya and Kanchan.
In an interview with Times Entertainment back in 2023, Neila Devi shared that Shammi used to smoke 100 cigarettes a day, which resulted in him being on a ventilator for a month back in 2003. It was the steroids and antibiotics used for his treatment that affected his kidneys. He started dialysis, which eventually eventually ended his life.
Neila also shared that even when the actor was on dialysis three days a week, he would go for drives and travel a lot. Shammi even asked her to do the same and not let his life or the end of it stop her from living her life to the fullest. Even when in a wheelchair Shammi would trail off. He enjoyed every minute of his life. However in 2011, his condition deteriorated drastically and the first Rockstar of Hindi cinema passed on August 14, 2011.
What are your thoughts on Neila Devi's major revelations about Shammi Kapoor's life? Let us know.
Also Read: Amrita Singh Once Reacted To Sunny Deol And Dimple Kapadia's Alleged Affair, 'She's Got Her Guy...'
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