Neelam Kothari, who was educated at Island School and lived in Bangkok during her teenage years, began her acting career after being approached by director Ramesh Behl while on vacation in Mumbai. She made her acting debut with the film Jawaani in 1984, alongside Karan Shah, Tina Munim’s nephew.
In a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, Neelam opened up about her discomfort with the modern trend of entourages in the film industry. She shared that while an entourage may appear glamorous, with bodyguards and makeup teams, she personally doesn’t enjoy having people around her all the time.
Neelam explained, “Even when I’m shooting, and the makeup artist or hairdresser comes for touch-ups, I’m like, ‘Just go, just leave me alone, move away.’”
‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives’ Season 3 Trailer: Neelam Kothari and Bhavana Pandey starrer ‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives’ Official Trailer
She also reflected on how, during her early career in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the setup was simpler, with just a makeup artist, a hairdresser, and a spot boy. She found this more manageable and less overwhelming. For Neelam, that simplicity is still preferable to today’s more elaborate arrangements, which she believes should be manageable.
In another interview, Neelam discussed how the film industry in her early years was heavily male-dominated. She shared her experiences of dealing with this male dominance during the ‘80s and ‘90s when there were few women in key behind-the-scenes roles. Speaking to Business Today, she expressed her happiness with the current state of the industry, where women are increasingly taking on leading roles as writers, directors, artists, and more.
Neelam was recently seen in ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 3‘, alongside Shalini Passi, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Pandey, and Seema Sajdeh.