Parineeti Chopra Says Audiences Are Not Cancelling Mothers as Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone Continue Working

Parineeti Chopra has also discussed the changing nature of Bollywood and how people view actresses after becoming a mother and she mentions the careers of Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone as examples of how motherhood does not impede a woman’s professional career.

Parineeti Chopra on Alia, Deepika's Work After Motherhood
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The former also speaks to the new kind of actress in Bollywood who are doing a job while they are still a mom and still doing what she has to do.

Discussing actresses’ work after becoming mothers, Chopra said audiences are not cancelling mothers. Her observations come at a time when several of the leading Bollywood actresses are returning to films and other professional roles after gaining motherhood. And the shift in perception of women celebrities reflects how viewers’ perceptions of them have evolved over the years.

Alia Bhatt, who became a mother in 2022, has still been one of the most powerful figures in the Hindi film industry. After motherhood, she came back to acting and has continued to work on big projects. Her career has shown that being a parent doesn’t mean quitting mainstream cinema or reducing professional aspirations.

Deepika Padukone has also remained an industry pillar since she became a mother. And her return to the industry has attracted considerable attention, because she is one of Bollywood’s most successful actors. And it’s her career that shows how actresses can remain professionally active while at the same time dealing with big changes in their personal lives.

Chopra’s comments indicate a sea change in the way audiences perceive women in entertainment. In past decades, motherhood was often perceived as the end of an actress’s career and women had fewer work opportunities once they became pregnant. But audiences are more likely to be OK if we see actresses keep working at different stages of life.

The shift is also connected to changing storytelling in Indian cinema. Now, female characters are being written with more nuance, so actresses are able to portray women with different roles, responsibilities and dreams. This has given performers the opportunity to stay relevant beyond a narrow age bracket or a particular stage of their career.

Social media is also part of that shift. So actors have the opportunity to talk to the audience directly and share stories of their professional lives in a way that no longer requires the media to tell them everything about it in a narrative they want to tell them. This has helped to normalise the discourse about motherhood, work-life balance and returning to the profession.

In the world of actresses, however, there are still practical challenges after motherhood as well. Film schedule changes, promotional duties, travel and long working hours can force one to be strategic. So, you can’t make a career of it if you are not accepted by your audience and the job is flexible enough for you.

Chopra’s remarks come in the context of an industry that has more than ever had representation and equality. It’s no longer so much about whether a woman can return after becoming a mother but can the industry create an atmosphere where women don’t have to choose between career and family.

Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone are two of the actors who have been able to carry on with careers after being mothers and not only do their careers reflect a wider culture of women being able to choose what they want but also what they want when their career is over.

Parineeti Chopra’s observation underpins the changing relationship between Bollywood and its audiences. And viewers are more willing to embrace actors through different stages of their lives, and motherhood is less of a perceived career barrier for female stars.

As the Hindi film industry continues to evolve, actresses that stay professional after motherhood could help to change the gender orientation of the industry towards women and their careers. Working mothers in cinema are increasingly visible, and this is something that can put into question the old paradigm that actresses’ careers should start when, how or where they should end.

Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, and other actresses are not the only ones in the conversation, so the topic of these actresses’ careers too. It is part of a wider shift in popular culture in which motherhood and career ambition are now more of an endearing and mutually compatible relationship and less of an antithesis.

Parineeti Chopra

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