Shammi Kapoor’s wife Neila Devi recalls his romance with first wife Geeta Bali

Legendary actor Shammi Kapoor was known not only for his flamboyant lifestyle but also for his love for first-wife actress Geeta Bali. The duo were madly in love and tied the knot in 1955 and soon became parents to two kids: Aditya and Kanchan.

Sadly their love story had a tragic end as Geeta Bali passed away in 1965 due to smallpox. Her sudden demise left the actor completely shattered. It took him a long time to come out of the painful phase of his life. Later in 1969, he tied the knot with Neila Devi secretly at his residence on Nepean Sea Road.

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Neila Devi opens on Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali’s love story…

In an exclusive interview with TOI, Shammi Kapoor’s wife Neila Devi opened up on his romance with Geeta Bali. She also revealed how her death left Shammi Kapoor totally devastated.

She revealed that she first became aware of Shammi and Geeta’s relationship while watching them compete in races in their convertible vehicles. “Geeta Bali was “a very mature person” who “understood him (Shammi) and gave him that boost of whatever he needed to be successful.”

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Neila Devi remembered that Shammi Kapoor crossed paths with Geeta Bali in Mumbai. It was soon after his breakup with actress Nutan. They both had a terrific sense of humour and both loved singing that is how they clicked.

She also shared a story that Shammi Kapoor had told her about Gita, “He was in Ranikhet filming for Rangeen Raatein. Geeta Bali claimed she would play a boy in the movie even though she had no part there other than to be with him. They fell in love there. It continued for a long until she finally said yes to him. He proposed to Geeta, and they tied the knot in the middle of the night at Banganga.”

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“They were only married for 8-9 years and she passed away. It was a very big shock to him. For six months, he stayed at Raj ji’s place and Krishna ji looked after him. He was drinking non-stop. Since Geeta Bali’s demise, Shammi Kapoor gave up alcohol every year for 21 days, from January 1 to January 21, in memory of Geeta Bali, who fell ill on January 1 and died on January 21.”

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Shammi Kapoor breathed his last on August 14, 2011, at the age of 79. He was last seen in Imtiaz Ali’s 2011 directorial venture Rockstar. The movie features his grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor, the grandson of his brother Raj Kapoor in the leading role.

Also Read: Rishi Kapoor remembers uncle Shammi Kapoor on his death anniversary