/> Not too many people are aware of the turmoil and agony that Arjun Kapoor has been going through in the last one month after his lovely mother Mona's death.

And Arjun has not spoken about it to anyone. Not even to the people closest to him.

However a close friend of the Kapoor family reveals, "The tragedy shattered Arjun as he and his sister Anshul were very close to their mother. For the last ten years she brought them up as a single parent.

It was Mona's dream to see her daughter graduate from her college in New York and her son make his screen debut. A cruel date with fate snatched her away months before she could realize both her children's dreams. "

Arjun and Anshul were bereft, motherless and rudderless at a critical juncture in their lives. This is where father Boney Kapoor requested Shabana Azmi to step in to help him navigate his children through this terrible crisis at a time when they were stepping into the most decisive phase of their young lives.

Boney Kapoor and Shabana Azmi go back a long way. They were in the same batch in college together and have remained very close friends over the years.

Says a mutual friend, "Shabana has been there for Boney from the time they were in college. She was part of his first production Hum Paanch.

She was present at Boney and Mona's wedding and was there when both of Boney and Mona's children were born. Arjun and Anshul have virtually grown up in front of Shabana. Boney and Anil both turn to Shabana and her husband Javed Akhtar for advice. So it was only logical that Boney seek Shabana's support in this hour of need. "



Shabana happily agreed to provide every kind of support to Boney's two children. Setting aside her various commitments, this week she flew to New York to attend Anshula's graduation.

Shabana who is understandably reluctant to talk about the experience says, "Yes I had gone to New York to attend my friend Mona Kapoor's daughter Anshula's graduation at the Barnard College. President Obama was the chief guest. "

Arjun, lamentably couldn't be there for his sister since he had to be in India for the promotion of Ishaqzaade.

But we hear from a very close friend of the family that Boney intends to take a very keen interest in the lives of his children from his first marriage. And he has his second wife Sridevi's support playing both mother and father to Arjun and Anshula.

"After all Mona played the two roles for years, " says the friend.