Neelam Kothari Soni is a popular name in B-town. Every Bollywood fan, especially the one's who have avidly followed 90s Bollywood movies, would remember her as Neelam of ‘The Neelam Show’ from Karan Johar’s film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai!
The former Bollywood actress Neelam Kothari was recently seen in the new Netflix series “Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives”, which released on November 27.
Through the series, she shows the audience her behind the scenes life, along with the famous divas -- Seema Khan, Maheep Kapoor, and Bhavana Pandey.
After the release of the show, she has been all over the news lately for various reasons. Here is all you need to know about the actor-turned-jewellery designer:
Who is Neelam Kothari Soni?
Neelam was born on November 9, 1969 in Hong Kong and is basically a Gujarati-Iranian. She got married to Bollywood actor Samir Soni in 2011 after dating for about two years. They got married in an Arya Samaj wedding with just family and friends around to bless and congratulate them. However, Neelam’s marriage with Samir Soni is her second marriage. In 2013, Soni and Kothari adopted a daughter named Ahana.
How did Neelam make her way into this glam world?
While Neelam had visited her grandparents in Bombay in the year 1983, she became friends with Shrishti Behl, who was the daughter of famous Bollywood director Ramesh Behl. After seeing Neelam, he offered her a lead role in his film Jawaani. The actor decided to make it in Bollywood, but her parents refused. However, they consented and Neelam signed for the film. A chance film outing soon turned into a full-fledged acting career as Neelam went on to work in Bollywood for more than 15 years.
Which are the notable films done by Neelam Kothari during her early days in the industry?
Even though her debut film did not perform well at the box office, she was praised for her acting skills and started getting offers. Neelam rose to fame after the release of the film “Ilzaam” in 1986. In this film she was seen opposite Govinda, who marked his debut in the industry with the film. Soon she was considered amongst one of the successful actress in the Bollywood. Later, in 1989, they were seen together in Love 86, which was Neelam’s first big hit.
After this, the duo’s chemistry had become so much popular on screen that the two worked together in as many as 14 films.
Neelam Kothari Soni’s other long-standing partnership was with Chunky Pandey, with whom she delivered five major successes at the box-office, including Aag hi Aag (1987), Paap ki Duniya (1988) and Ghar Ka Chiraag (1989).
Her career-best movie is still considered as Ghar Ka Chirag in which she was paired opposite Rajesh Khanna, very much elder to him. Neelam Kothari also starred in Sooraj Barjatya’s family drama Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998.
Besides this, she has also worked in the Bengali film named Badnaam.
Neelam Kothari starred opposite Mithun Chakraborty in the cult 1990 film Agneepath. She played the role of Amitabh Bachchan’s younger sister. Her last film was Kasam which released back in 2001.
Why did she quit Bollywood?
It is know that even while pursuing her career in acting, she was interested in jewellery designing. Neelam's family was quite popular for its exclusive handcrafted jewellery in Europe, The United States, The Middle East, and Asia. Reportedly, the actor pursued a formal course in jewellery-designing in Mumbai.
Who was Neelam married to previously?
Earlier, Neelam Kothari tied the knot with Rishi Sethia, son of a businessman from the UK in 2000. However, their marriage didn’t work and they soon parted ways in a very short span.
What did Neelam do after quitting from the movies?
After saying goodbye to Bollywood, she started out professionally as a Jewellery designer and started her label under the name Neelam Jewels. Currently, she owns a jewellery store in Mumbai named Neelam Kothari Fine Jewels.
Has Neelam dated anyone in the Bollywood?
Before her first marriage, Neelam reportedly dated Bobby Deol for a short while. However, things didn’t go well between them and they parted ways.
Lastly, what could be Neelam’s net worth?
Neelam Kothari Soni has worked in around 47 films to date and according to reports, her net worth is around $1 million.
Share
Tweet
