We have been demeaning the word ‘stepmom’ all our lives, thanks to the prevalent stereotype we have been watching in movies. From a malicious stepmom in children’s storybooks to a vicious stepmom in desi movies, we all have common thinking about stepmoms: they are evil. However, that evil image of the word is fast fading with changing times.
Whether it’s on-screen or off-screen, it’s not an easy task to be a stepmother. Being a stepmother is definitely not a cakewalk and it takes a lot of strength in order to accept their stepkids. Here are a number of famous celebrity mothers who became stepmoms.
1. Kareena Kapoor Khan
Well, everyone knows how Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan fell in love on the sets of their movie Tashan and tied the knot in 2012. When the duo got hitched, the actress became a stepmom to his children which he had with his first wife. The actor was previously married to actress Amrita Singh and had two children together, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. However, after being together for thirteen years, they ended up in a messy divorce in 2004. Kareena Kapoor Khan shares a good rapport with her stepchildren and are often seen together. Both the children were even present at their wedding ceremony. Interestingly, Kareena Kapoor Khan is just 13 years older than Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara Ali Khan.
2. Supriya Pathak Kapur
Known for her path-breaking performances, Supriya Pathak Kapur is not just an amazing actress but is also a doting mother. While filming Sagar Sarhadi’s Agla Mausam in 1986, she met her current husband Pankaj Kapur and got hitched in 1988. The couple has two kids, Sanah Kapur and Ruhaan Kapur. Pankaj Kapur was formerly married to actress Neelima Azeem and had a son, Shahid Kapoor. Supriya Pathak Kapur and Shahid Kapoor share a warm and healthy relationship. They even shared screen space in the movie Mausam. In an interview, Supriya Pathak Kapur praised Shahid Kapoor and said that he is the main anchor of their family. On the other hand, Shahid Kapoor was seen hugging and congratulating his stepmom for bagging an award for her outstanding performance in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela.
3. Kiran Rao
After being married for fifteen long years, Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan called it quits this year. The couple, who got hitched in 2005, released a joint statement where they announced their divorce and thanked their family and friends for their support. The duo first met on the sets of the movie Lagaan, where Kiran Rao was one of the movie’s assistant directors and Aamir Khan was the lead actor. However, Aamir Khan was already married to Reena Dutta back then. Aamir Khan and Reena Dutta got married in 1986 and had two kids together, Junaid and Ira. Nevertheless, the couple got divorced in 2002 and Reena Dutta took custody of both her children. Kiran Rao is on great terms with her stepchildren and even praised Reena Dutta for her brilliant parenting skills.
4. Shabana Azmi
The famous writer Javed Akhtar and actress Shabana Azmi got married in 1984. The legendary writer met Shabana Azmi for the very first time at her father and famous poet, Kaifi Azmi’s home. However, nothing could happen between them as he was already married back then. That’s correct. Javed Akhtar met his first wife, Honey Irani, during the shooting of the movie Seeta Aur Geeta where he was working as a screenwriter. The duo tied the knot in 1972 and has two children together, Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar. They, however, got separated in 1978. Shabana Azmi has been extremely supportive of her stepchildren’s career and even makes appearances at their movie screenings. Back in 2014, Farhan Akhtar walked the ramp for Shabana Azmi’s charity organisation, Mijwan.
5. Manyata Dutt
After dating for two long years, Sanjay Dutt and Manyata Dutt tied the knot in 2008. The duo soon welcomed their twins, Shahraan and Iqra. From Sanjay Dutt’s battle against cancer to the period when he was in jail, the couple has been through a number of hardships. Before starting his beautiful family, Sanjay Dutt was married to actress and model Richa Sharma. They got married in 1987 and even had a daughter, Trishala Dutt. However, she, unfortunately, passed away due to a brain tumour in 1996. Manyata Dutt and Trishala Dutt share a loving bond as they are often seen liking and commenting on each other’s social media posts. Reportedly, the two share a loving and warm relationship.
6. Helen
Salim Khan married his first wife Sushila Charak, who later changed her name to Salma Khan, in 1964. They had four kids together: Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan and Alvira Khan Agnihotri. In 1980, Salim Khan fell in love with the dancing queen of the ‘60s, Helen Ann Richardson and he tied the knot with her. The couple adopted Arpita Khan a couple of years later. According to a report, Salma Khan and her children were pretty upset with Salim Khan’s decision to marry Helen. At first, they kept their distance from her but then eventually accepted her as a part of their family. In an old interview, Salman Khan revealed that he hated when his mother would wait for his father to come home after he was married to Helen. However, Salman Khan now shares a great bond with her stepmom. He is often seen making short videos with her and even wished her on mother’s day.
7. Soni Razdan
Mahesh Bhatt and his first wife Lorraine Bright, who later changed her name to Kiran Bhatt, got married back when they were just 20-years-old. It is often said that their romance was the inspiration for the movie Aashiqui. The couple welcomed their two children, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. However, his extra-marital affair with Parveen Babi became the main reason for the trouble in their paradise. When they parted ways after two years, he met his second wife Soni Razdan. Without divorcing his first wife, he adopted his mother’s religion and converted into a Muslim in order to marry Soni Razdan. The couple had two daughters, Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt. Soni Razdan shares a pleasant equation with her stepchildren. The entire family is often seen celebrating numerous occasions together.
8. Hema Malini
In 1954, Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur tied the knot and welcomed their four children: Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijeta Deol and Ajeeta Deol. In 1970, Dharmendra fell in love with the dream girl Hema Malini on the sets of the movie Tum Haseen Main Jawan. However, he was still married to his first wife, who refused to give him a divorce. They both decided to convert to Islam in 1980 and even had two daughters together, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. According to a report, Hema Malini shares a beautiful and cordial relationship with her stepsons. She even revealed that when she had met with an accident, Sunny Deol was the first person to arrive and made sure that the doctor was there.
9. Parveen Dusanj
Kabir Bedi has been married four times. The actor married Protima Bedi in 1969 and had two children, Pooja Bedi and Siddharth Bedi. However, the couple parted ways in 1977 after he fell in love deeply with actress Parveen Babi. In 1980, he again tied the knot with fashion designer Susan Humphreys and had a son, Adam Bedi. In 1990, he married radio presenter Nikki Bedi and divorced in 2005. On his 70th birthday in 2016, he got hitched to Parveen Dusanj. Interestingly, Parveen Dusanj is younger than Kabir Bedi’s daughter Pooja Bedi. According to reports, Pooja Bedi was not happy with Kabir Bedi’s wedding to Parveen Dusanj and even called her stepmother a ‘wicked witch’ in a tweet. She, however, deleted her tweet and congratulated the couple on their wedding.
10. Leena Chandavarkar
The legendary singer Kishore Kumar got hitched four times. In 1951, he married his first wife singer and actress Ruma Guha Thakurta aka Ruma Ghosh. In 1952, the couple welcomed their first child, Amit Kumar. In 1976, he married actress Yogita Bali. However, their marriage did not last and they got divorced after two years. In 1960, he married the prominent actress Madhubala, who was just 27 years old back then. The duo remained married until she passed away in 1969 due to a heart attack. In 1980, the singer married actress Leena Chandavarkar and had another son, Sumit Kumar. Interestingly, Leena Chandavarkar is just two years older than her stepson Amit Kumar. It was even said that Amit Kumar along with his wife and daughter, Sumit Kumar, Ruma Guha Thakurta and Leena Chandavarkar used to live together.
11. Ratna Pathak Shah
Naseeruddin Shah was just 19-years-old when he tied the knot with 34-years-old Parveen Murad, the half-sister of the late actress Surekha Sikri in 1969. The couple even had a daughter, Heeba, whom he did not meet for 12 long years after she was born. In 1970, Naseeruddin Shah fell in deep love with Ratna Pathak, the daughter of prominent actress Dina Pathak. After co-starring in numerous movies together, the duo lived together for many years and finally got hitched in 1982. The duo has two sons, Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah. After her mother passed away, Heeba came to live with Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah. The couple, along with their three kids, lives together now.
