Ishaan Khatter opens up about being ‘born in mixed-faith household’, mother’s ‘liberal Muslim’ upbringing and values

Actor Ishaan Khatter opened up about being raised in a mixed-faith household, and recalled witnessing his single mother's strife after she separated from his father, Rajesh Khattar.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: October 7, 2025 01:52 PM IST

3 min read

Ishaan Khatter and Shahid Kapoor pose with their mother, Neliima Azeem.

Actor Ishaan Khatter opened up about his mixed-faith background, and said that he doesn’t understand why religion is used as a tool to divide the public. In an interview, he said that his mother, Neliima Azeem, grew up in a ‘liberal Muslim household’, and that she was the one who educated him about India’s diversity. He also reflected on witnessing the hardships she experienced after divorcing his father, Rajesh Khattar. Ishaan said that the most difficult period of his life came when he was just around four years old, because that was when he first became aware of the financial hardships his mother was going through to raise him and his half brother, Shahid Kapoor.

Chatting with Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, he was asked what religion has meant to him over the years, especially since his new film, Homebound, deals with themes of both caste and religion. Ishaan said with a sigh, “There are a few aspects, and I’ll tie them all in. What’s most beautiful about (director) Neeraj Ghaywan’s gaze is that he’s not pointing any fingers, or trying to indict. That’s not the goal of this film. He genuinely wants to empathise with everybody, including his adversaries. He wants to sit down and have a conversation. This film is not an argument; it’s a conversation.”

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Ishaan said that society needs to have more civilised conversations about divisive subjects, and added, “Religion, for me, has meant many things. Identity, which is a theme of Homebound, ties in with religion. I was born in a mixed-faith household. That, to me, is my idea of my country: unity in diversity. It’s our strength, and it’s what’s beautiful about us as a people. It’s a big part of our identity that’s important to protect. Religion is, and should be, a personal thing. Of course, it unites so many people together, and that’s what’s beautiful about it. But when it’s used to divide, I take a step back.”

Looking back at his own mother’s artistic career, Ishaan said, “I grew up watching Pandit Birju Maharaj and my mother performing kathak, and it’s there in my mom so intrinsically. I’ve got most of my education about festivals and the history behind them from my mom. She was born in a very liberal Muslim household.” He also cited the example of the real people who inspired his and Vishal Jethwa’s characters, who were friends despite their different religious backgrounds.

Ishaan said that religion is becoming ‘more of an excuse to divide people’, and that he finds this very ‘sad’. In the same interview, Ishaan also expressed gratitude and admiration for the hardships his mother experienced as a single mother over the years. “I remember mom doubling up as both parents, and she was also a woman, living her own life and navigating those years. But she sacrificed most of who she was to put the mother first,” he said.

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