Neelam Kothari breaks silence about her first failed marriage: 'I was told to give up…'

Neelam Kothari got emotional while talking about her failed first marriage. For the unversed, Neelam married UK-based businessman Rishi Sethia in 2000. While Neelam remained silent about the divorce, she spoke about the problems in the marriage in an episode of the third season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. The actress revealed that she was asked to change several things including her name.

“I was told to wear Indian clothes, avoid non-veg and alcohol. I was fine with everything. I was also asked to change my name and I did. A lot of people do that. But change my identity? I didn't agree with that. I reached a point where I asked myself, “How do I let this happen?” There were several times when I was in a supermarket or having lunch and someone came up to me and asked, “Are you Neelam, the actress?” And I had to say, 'No, I'm not Neelam,'” the actress recalled.

Neelam was a popular name in the 1990s. She worked with several stars including Govinda. However, her sudden disappearance broke several hearts. After her divorce from Rishi, Neelam moved back to India and eventually married Sameer Soni. She has also tried to make a comeback on the big screen.

Meanwhile, Neelam also revealed that her daughter Ahana had also asked her about her divorce, which shocked Neelam. “I came from work and Ahana was with her friends. Usually they are always jumping around, screaming and shouting. But this time there was absolute silence,” she said.

“Ahana came to me and said, 'Mom, you never told me you were divorced'. I just died. I was at a loss. I was at a loss for words. I said to Ahana, “First of all, how do you know?” She said, “You're a celebrity, so my friends and I googled you.” The first thing that came up was that you were divorced. “You were married,” she said, adding that she didn’t want her daughter to find out that way.