Neelam Kothari tears up talking about 1st marriage: Was told to give up non-veg

In a recent episode of Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives, actor Neelam Kothari shared a deeply personal moment with director-producer Ekta Kapoor, discussing her first marriage to Rishi Sethia, their subsequent divorce, and how her daughter, Ahana, discovered the news online.
Neelam spoke about the circumstances that led to her divorce from Rishi Sethia. After their marriage, she moved to a different country, where she faced significant pressure to change aspects of her life.
“I was told to wear Indian clothes, give up non-veg and alcohol. I was fine with everything. I was also asked to change my name, and I did that too,” she explained, adding, “I reached a point where I questioned myself, ‘How am I allowing this?’”
Neelam shared how the experience affected her sense of self, recounting moments when she would be recognised in public but had to deny her identity. “There were several times when I used to be in a supermarket or out on lunch, and someone would come up to me and ask, ‘Are you Neelam the actress?’ And I had to say, ‘No, I am not Neelam,’” she said.
During the episode, Neelam expressed her dismay about the way her daughter found out about her divorce. She recalled an emotional incident, saying, “I came from work, and Ahana was with her friends. Normally, they are always jumping around, screaming, and shouting. But, this time, there was pin-drop silence.”
Neelam went on to reveal that Ahana confronted her, asking, “‘Mumma, you never told me you were divorced.’” Neelam described her shock at the moment. “I just died. I was stumped. I had no words,” she said.
She asked Ahana how she knew, to which Ahana replied, “‘You’re a celebrity, so my friends and I were googling you. The first thing that came up was that you were divorced. You were married.’” Neelam admitted this was far from how she wanted her daughter to learn about her past.
Following her divorce from Sethia, Neelam found love again and married actor Sameer Soni in 2011. The two adopted Ahana in 2013.