Can we please stop obsessing over the pregnancy of Bollywood actresses?

There was a time in Bollywood, when the moment an actress got married, her career was assumed to be over. It was only after divas like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji, and many others, pulled a successful stint in the film industry post-marriage, that this taboo was done with. These actresses have proved that they can still conquer B-Town with their impeccable performances, and marriage isn’t a hindrance in their career. Thanks to them, now no one can point a finger and say that an actress’ career is over, because she got married.

However, there is yet another part of their lives that has started being under constant scrutiny. Media has become like that nagging midwife who constantly pokes one about the impending pregnancy, and once that is achieved, the impending motherhood. From writing about the pregnancy term, to the eventual birth and criticising post-pregnancy weight, we’ve been there, done that. We too are a part of media, but we strongly feel that it’s time we should move on to more productive means of journalism, rather than constantly scanning our female actors when they are pregnant.

Just a few days ago, there was an official announcement by Saif Ali Khan, confirming the pregnancy of his very gorgeous wife, and a very versatile actress, Kareena Kapoor Khan. The media started having a field day immediately after the announcement. The biggest question that was raised was whether Kareena would be opting out of Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Veere Di Wedding’. Well, though she later clarified that she would resume shooting in August, what we are appalled at is the mentality that she will not be taking her career seriously because she is pregnant! If Madhuri Dixit can do a smashing dance like ‘Dola Re’ during her pregnancy, and if we can use technologies like VFX to fake abs on unfit actors, why can’t we do the same for a pregnant actress who is willing to give 100% in her performance?

Yes, we know what you might be thinking. Hectic schedule can take a toll on the health of the actress so she is better off staying at home and resting. Excuse me? We think that if someone has to take a call on the matter, it’s Kareena, or for that matter any other actress who is pregnant. It is her body, and her health. If she feels she can give her career best even during that period, who are we to speculate?

Coming back to the ‘hot shot’ pregnancy of Kareena Kapoor Khan, we read yet another piece which stated that the actress had travelled for the first time, during her pregnancy period. We ask, is it even worth reporting? Come on, the lady has a life. You might argue that given they are public figures, they should be immune to having their lives constantly under the scanner, but we feel that even though they are used to it, we too should have some sense and give them certain amount of privacy.

Moving over from Kareena, let’s talk about Rani Mukerji. Rani had given birth to a healthy baby girl Adira, last December. Everyone, we too (guilty as charged!), wrote on how the actress had gained weight, and was not looking her charming self. The issue is that while writing about our Bollywood actresses, we tend to forget that they too are normal women, who undergo similar body changes. It was a natural thing to gain weight and not look ‘hot’ as per Bollywood standards, but a body which has gone through such a beautiful phase, and created a life, will need some time to get back to its usual self, don’t you think?

We didn’t even spare the most beautiful woman on Earth. If you remember, few years back, there was a huge hullabaloo on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s post-pregnancy weight. So much so that media downright used derogatory language, and literally blamed her for being overweight. Some even went on to the extent of speculating that the ‘Devdas’ actress might be expecting her second child. Aishwarya, on the other hand, took it all very gracefully, and took her own time to get back to a fabulous shape, silencing all those body shamers with her stunning appearance at the Cannes 2014.

If an actress gains weight, we report that she is pregnant. If we see her hand on her stomach, we again start speculating. Isn’t it time that we stop and think, before writing and subsequently publishing the same about them?

We at Bollywood Bubble think that pregnancy is the most beautiful event of a woman’s life provided it is of her own will, and the same goes for our actresses too. We believe that even if one reports, it should be focused on the positive and blooming aspects of the experience of motherhood, rather than being negative about it.

It’s time to change the way we report about our Bollywood actresses’ pregnancies, it’s time we lift the focus from appearances, and shift it to performances.