Listen to what society has determined for you, don’t cross you boundaries. Aren’t we just tired of hearing this? There are some who have proven to be trailblazers when it comes to giving the stereotypes the middle finger.
Here are some female Bollywood celebs who proved that society could never stand in the way of their happiness.
1. Kareena Kapoor Khan by marrying a divorced man who had 2 children.
Kareena spoke about how she was ‘cautioned’ not to marry a divorced man by those around her.
I’m just glad that people are doing things now and talking more about their love. When I wanted to marry Saif, everyone was like, ‘He has two children, he has been divorced. Are you sure you want to do this?’ They were like, ‘Your career will be over.’ And I was like, ‘Such a big crime to be in love? Such a big crime to get married? Let’s do it, let’s see what happens.
-Kareena Kapoor Khan on Koffee With Karan to
2. Sushmita Sen by adopting 2 daughters and becoming a single mother.
Despite being young and single, Sushmita adopted her older daughter at 24, breaking the stereotypes surrounding motherhood.
The wisest decision I made at the age of 24 was to become a mother. It stabilised my life. People think it was a great act of charity and wonderful action but it was self-preservation. It was me protecting myself.
-Sushmita Sen
3. Suhasini Mulay by starting a live-in relationship in her 40s and getting married in her 60s.
The actor is reported to have had a live in relationship in the 1990s and when that didn’t work out, she was single for nearly two decades. But single love has no age, she found her forever after with a doctor when she was 60 years old, on Facebook.
You are getting committed because you want to, not because society is pushing you. There is enough pressure from friends, country men, luckily not from my mother, who I wanted him to meet first. We got married within one and a half months of meeting each other on January 16, 2011. It’s been 10 years now.
-Suhasini Mulay to HT
4. Neena Gupta by raising her daughter as a single mother.
The actor became a single mother out of wedlock when she found herself pregnant with Masaba, more than 30 years ago. And while people were quick to judge her, her father stayed by her side.
A lot of people told me at that time – we will marry you so that your child gets a name. I said “what the f***. What name? I can earn and look after my daughter.
-Neena Gupta to Pinkvilla
5. Raveena Tandon by adopting two daughters as a 21-year-old.
At the age of 21, Raveena adopted two daughters as a single mom and raised them with love and care. When she was questioned about who would marry her when she already had kids, she said they could ‘take it or leave it.’
This was before Mohra (1994). My mother and I used to visit orphanages like Asha Sadan on our weekends. When my cousin passed away he left behind two young daughters, Chaya and Pooja. I didn’t like the way their guardian was treating them so I took them home with me. I didn’t think much of it. It came naturally to me. I wanted to give the girls the life they deserved. I’m not a multibillionaire but I do what I can to help
-Raveena Tandon to Miss Malini
6. Konkona Sen Sharma by choosing to co-parent with her ex-husband.
Not only was she the second actor to flaunt her baby bump on a magazine cover, Konkana also chose to co-parent her son with his father and her ex-husband, Ranvir Shorey after their separation.
7. Farah Khan by becoming the first Indian celeb to openly talk about her IVF kids
This director was one of the first female celebs in India to openly speak about having her children through IVF. She gave birth to triplets – daughters Diva and Anya, and son Czar at the age of 43.
Our choices make us. I became an IVF mom at 43 and I am glad I did so. I wish a great motherhood to all women out there who want to be mothers – naturally or otherwise. An open letter to all the women out there, reminding them that #ItsAWomansCall Are you with me ladies?
-Farah Khan
8. Tanishaa Mukerji by freezing her eggs because she wants to have a child on her own terms.
Recently, the actor revealed that she froze her eggs at the age of 39 because she wanted to have kids someday. Her doctor told her to freeze her eggs only when she had ‘no hope of conceiving a baby’ and she added that it was a personal choice.
Adopt, there’s enough in this world. More people need to go out and talk about this. It’s okay for women to not have children. That’s not the only calling in your life. It’s okay to not get married, not be in a relationship and not define yourself with a man beside you.
-Tanishaa Mukerji
9. Mona Singh who openly stated that she was in no hurry to have kids and has frozen her eggs.
The actor who got married in 2019 revealed that she is not pressed to have kids because she froze her eggs. She wants to travel the world and enjoy her time with her partner.
I have frozen my eggs and now I am free. I did that at the age of 34. Because I have gotten married now, I want to chill with my partner and travel the world with him. I haven’t done that yet. I have always travelled with my family or friends. I want to do that with my husband now. Even though I love kids, if you ask me now, I am not mentally prepared to have one. Later in life, I would definitely think about it.
-Mona Singh
10. Diana Hayden
This former Miss World gave birth to her daughter at the age of 42, after freezing her eggs for 8 years.
I froze my eggs for two reasons: I was busy with my career and at that time and, more important I was very clear that I was going to wait to fall in love and marry before having a baby.
-Diana Hayden
These women didn’t let society hold them back from doing what they want and are an inspiration for talking about it.
