Mumbai: Prithviraj Chauhan gave strict instructions to his sons not to marry actresses, as he was against any actress as his daughter-in-law. Prithviraj Kapoor, who gave direction to Hindi cinema, did not accept that an actress would be his daughter-in-law in his family, but by then Shammi Kapoor had fallen in love with an actress. He can even go to any extent to marry this actress. He also did this when the father announced at home that none of his sons would marry an actress. In such a situation, Shammi Kapoor followed his heart and rebelled against his father and married Geeta Bali.
Shammi Kapoor had to rebel against his father to marry Geeta Bali. He knew that his father would never agree to this marriage. In such a situation, he secretly married Geeta Bali in the middle of the night. Shammi picks up Pandit around 4 am to marry Geeta and reaches there for the wedding. The story behind this was narrated by Neela Devi herself i.e. Shammi Kapoor’s second wife.
Actually Shammi Kapoor married Geeta Bali in 1955. But, after about 10 years of marriage, he died of smallpox. Shammi Kapoor was shocked by his wife’s death, but the family wanted him to remarry. In this situation, Shammi Kapoor married Neela Devi on 27 June 1969. Neela Devi herself spoke openly about her marriage and relationship with her late husband Shammi Kapoor in an interview.
He revealed in an interview to ETimes in April 2023 that Shammi Kapoor has never forgotten his first love, Geeta Bali. He said- ‘Shammi had told me everything about Geeta even before proposing to me. Geeta and Shammi’s marriage lasted only 8-9 years, but he died suddenly. This was a big shock for Shammi. After Geeta’s death, he stayed with Bhai Raj Kapoor for about 6 months, where his wife Krishna took care of him.
Neela Devi said in her interview- ‘Gita Bali was a mature woman and took care of Shammi’s every need. He encouraged them to succeed. Both Geeta and Shammi were very fond of singing and this hobby brought them close. Not only this, both of them had a very good sense of humor. He was shooting for Rangin Raate in Ranikhet. Geeta had no role in the film, but she agreed to become a boy to be with him. The heroine of the film was Mala Sinha. Both started an affair. Shammi proposes Geeta for marriage and she too agrees. Then both of them got married at midnight.
Shammi Kapoor married Geeta Bali in 1955.
Neela Devi said- ‘Shammi Kapoor did not drink alcohol for 21 days between 1st and 21st January every year in memory of Geeta Bali. Because, she fell ill on 1st January itself and died on 21st of this month.
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Tags: Bollywood, bollywood news, Entertainment, Shammi Kapoor
First published: October 22, 2023, 09:42 IST