Why Shammi Kapoor Never Had Children With Second Wife Neela Devi

The late Shammi Kapoor has been one of the most successful actors in the film industry. Living under the shadow of his legendary father and elder brother, Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor, Shammi made his own identity in the industry and carried forward the legacy of the Kapoor clan. He had a major setback in his personal life though when his ladylove and first wife Geeta Bali died suddenly at a fairly young age.

Geeta Bali, passed away in 1965, leaving Shammi Kapoor and his children inconsolable. One of the earliest female movie stars in India, Geeta, was having great success until she caught smallpox at the age of 34 and passed away within 15 days. The couple had two children together, daughter Kanchan and son, Aditya.

A few years later, Shammi Kapoor got married once again to Neela Devi. Shammi Kapoor and Neela Devi had no children together and it was a conscious decision taken by Neela Devi herself. The reason behind it was that she wanted to treat Shammi Kapoor’s kids from his previous marriage as her own and was apprehensive that she would start to discriminate if she had her kids.

Shammi Kapoor’s son Aditya, in an interview with The Print, talked about how Neela Devi filled in the void left behind after the death of his mother. “That area in our home was created for me by Neela Devi. Because my sister and I were already present, she opted against having any children and devoted her life to my father. No Hindu woman would act in such a way. I used to send my father threatening letters from boarding school. I used to say that I would flee from school. I assured him that he could wed any woman he desired. I yet needed a mother. That void was filled by Neela Devi. She transformed me from a hurt, distressed, defiant, wailing animal into a person. Just goes to demonstrate how important mothers are to families. But my mother Geeta Bali was someone I never stopped missing,” he said.

In a separate interview, Neela Devi also said that she never regretted not having children of her own.

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