Neelam Kothari Opens Up About Her Toxic First Marriage and Divorce

Neelam Kothari, a renowned Bollywood actress from the 1990s, recently shared a poignant and emotional account of her first marriage and subsequent divorce in an episode of the Netflix series ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’. Kothari, who married UK-based businessman Rishi Sethia in 2000, detailed the significant changes she was asked to make to accommodate her husband’s expectations.

Kothari revealed that she was instructed to wear Indian clothes, give up non-vegetarian food and alcohol, and even change her name. While she complied with these requests, she drew a line at changing her identity. “I was told to wear Indian clothes, give up non-veg, and don’t drink. I was fine with everything, but changing my identity, that is something I was not okay with,” she stated.

The actress recounted moments where she would deny her identity as an actress in public to avoid conflict. “I used to be in a supermarket or out for lunch, and someone would come up to me and ask, ‘Are you Neelam the actress?’ I had to say no,” she shared, highlighting the emotional toll this took on her.

Kothari’s marriage to Sethia was short-lived and ended due to the toxic behavioral patterns she experienced. She later found love again with actor Samir Soni, whom she married in 2011, and the couple adopted a daughter named Ahana in 2013.

In a heart-wrenching moment, Kothari also discussed how her daughter Ahana discovered her divorce online. Ahana approached her mother with the news, leaving Kothari devastated. “I came home from work, and Ahana was with her friends. Normally, they’re jumping around, screaming and shouting. But this time, there was pin-drop silence. Ahana came to me and asked, ‘Mama, you never told me you were divorced.’ I just died. I was stumped; I had no words,” Kothari recalled, expressing her distress over how her daughter learned about her past.