Samir Soni Picked Up Divorce Papers On Day Of Debut Film's Release, Says Neelam Kothari's Split Was Tougher

Samir Soni and Neelam Kothari's marriage today seems like the perfect love story. But it was quite a journey after their first marriages failed. Samir Soni was married to model Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar for six months, while Neelam Kothari moved to London after marrying businessman Rishi Sethia, before returning to Mumbai following her divorce.

Samir Soni recently opened up about how terrible it was for him, as he had to collect his divorce papers on the morning his debut film released. He also spoke about how it was more difficult for Neelam after her divorce.

Samir told Times Now, "When my first film released, I went to the civil court in the morning to pick up my divorce papers. The evening was my premiere. I didn't know if I wanted to cry or enjoy. That was the biggest night of my life. In fact, my parents were visiting from Delhi. I didn't tell them where I was in the morning. Why ruin their mood? So, I went alone and did whatever had to be done. That was terrible."

Furthermore, he revealed how only his China Gate co-star Naseeruddin Shah knew about his divorce at that time. To add to this, Samir shared that his role was chopped off in the film, which only added to his misery.

Speaking of why Neelam had it tougher after her divorce, Samir explained, "It was harder for her than me because she had to leave her country for her marriage. She quit her job and gave everything up, as a woman. As a man, I was still in my zone."

Neelam Kothari added, "After coming back, I was underground for a year. I didn't meet or speak to anyone. I just couldn't believe it had happened to me because every girl, when she gets married, has dreams and stars in her eyes, which unfortunately didn't work out. When I came back, I just found it difficult to face people because I felt I failed."

The actress continued, "I just wanted to shut out the noise, deal with it my way, and heal because I was broken. Among my friends, I had Ekta, who I keep on saying is my younger sister. She's seen me through my highs, my lows, and life. My friend Shabina was also a pillar. And then I found Samir after 10 years."

On Ekta Kapoor Playing Cupid

Ekta Kapoor was instrumental in Neelam Kothari's relationship with Samir Soni materialising. Ekta knew Samir from his television days, and she took Neelam to watch his play. It took five years before Neelam and Samir finally married.

Neelam said, "I was very, very scared to get into a relationship. I was very sure that if I enter a relationship, it's got to be for keeps."

Samir added, "We both had brief marriages before, had been hurt, were scared, and were very clear, 'No boyfriend-girlfriend. If something happens, it'll be marriage.' There's no time to go around with each other."

Neelam added, "There was another problem that at the slightest misunderstanding or fight, both of us would be like, 'It's not going to work out.' Both would run away and come back only after 10 days. I don't know how many times we broke up."

Samir continued, "You don't want to go through heartache and breakup once again. So, we both wanted to be damn sure."

On His Role Being Chopped Off

Samir also recalled the Mamta Kulkarni episode connected to his debut film.

He said, "I was getting offers from left, right, and centre before the film released. But I was told not to sign them before the release. And that's when the whole Mamta Kulkarni thing happened, and my whole role was chopped off."

As per reports, Mamta Kulkarni was fired from the film by director Rajkumar Santoshi after shooting most of it, as it did not turn out according to his vision. Mamta, however, alleged that her role was reduced to a guest appearance because she refused his sexual advances.

Samir Soni and Neelam Kothari married in 2011 and adopted their daughter, Ahana Soni, in 2013.

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