Mother’s Day: Here’s to the single mothers of Bollywood who challenged society norms by setting examples.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day 2020, let’s laud the single moms of Bollywood, who have not only broken stereotypes but have also become inspiration to several others. Parenting is not a cakewalk, however, being a single mother requires even more strength and power. While being a single mother is the hardest job, it is also one of the most empowering and courageous one. On the day that is dedicated to mothers, let’s look at the single moms in Bollywood who have redefined women empowerment.
Karishma Kapoor
After divorcing Sanjay Kapur in 2016, Lolo took cues from mother Babita and took charge of her kids. The actress, who recently made her comeback with ‘Mentalhood’, is a mom of two kids Samiera and Kiaan. Karisma’s ‘Mentalhood’ web series showcased the topsy-turvy ride of the various kinds of mothers that exist and how they manoeuvre their way through unreasonable expectations and eccentricities to raise their children. Speaking about the same, she said, “Out of choice, I wanted to be with my family and children. After a while when I heard this script it was so interesting, the script was about today’s mother and it was so strong. Women of all ages and all those who are mothers will identify with my characters. It is also something which I am going through right now. Young parents and older parents will identify with Mentalhood. My character is today’s mom and as a human, she will do the right thing and is real. I am thoroughly enjoying shooting with all my lovely co-actors.”
Sushmita Sen
The former Miss Universe truly deserves a crown for being as fierce as a lioness. This inspiring mom adopted two daughters after basking in success and being at all-time high of her career. Sushmita’s eldest daughter Renee is 19, while her younger one Alisah is ten. The ‘Main Hoon Na’ actress calls it the best and wisest decision of her love. While the beauty queen has finally found love in model Rohman Shawl, it’s his bond with Sushmita’s adoptive daughters that makes fans root for the lovebirds.
Ekta Kapoor
The head honcho of Balaji Telefilms followed the steps of her brother Tushar Kapoor and opted to be a mother by surrogacy. Ekta Kapoor is the mother of baby boy, Ravie, who she named after her father Jeetendra. Ekta had revealed that she wanted to have kids for a long time but couldn’t conceive, hence went in for surrogacy.
Amrita Singh
Saif Ali Khan was married to actress Amrita Singh for 14 years before heading for a divorce in 2002. The former actress is the mother of Ibrahim and actress Sara Ali Khan. The mother-daughter duo often win hearts over the internet with their goofy Tiktok videos and pictures where they are seen twinning. In a heartfelt post that Sara Ali Khan penned down for her mother, she had expressed gratitude towards Amrita for being her inspiration and anchor.
She wrote, “Mirror mirror- are you mommy or a reflection? The only difference between us- is I always want her attention. She on the other hand is full of love, hugs and affection. And undivided time and energy I sometimes forget to mention. My anchor, my inspiration, the magician that takes away all tension. She has cures for mood swings, hair-fall, dry skin and water retention. Her versatility, commitment, patience, and selflessness is beyond my comprehension. With her around no sadness lasts, no fear persists there can’t be much apprehension-Basically without contention, no need to even mention, mommy is best in every dimension.”
Malaika Arora
Malaika and Arbaaz Khan pulled the plug on their marriage of seventeen years and their then 12-year-old son Arhaan Khan was involved in the much-talked about divorce. The ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ girl has the sole custody of her son Arhaan Khan but the former couple is still on cordial terms. Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan recently reunited for their son’s 17th birthday.
Both Malaika and Arbaaz have made sure their relationships do not affect Arhaan in any way. Arbaaz is dating Georgia Adriani, whereas Malaika and Arjun have also made their relationship public. The mother-of-one, who is often in news for her relationship status with actor Arjun Kapoor, also said that she doesn’t care about trolls.
“Personally, I care a damn. I really I mean if I have to say as crudely, I care a f**k. The only thing that comes to mind is that I just feel bad for people out there who talk or behave a certain way. I mean like you gotta be really messed up in your head or you gotta be really low self-esteem or its gotta be some sort of you know for you to actually sit and belittle somebody or degrade somebody or be nasty,” she said.
Neena Gupta
‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ actress Neena Gupta has been vocal about the backlash and struggles she faced for being a single mom. The veteran actress is a proud mom of fashion designer Masaba Gupta. Masaba is the daughter of legendary West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards and Neena. The two were one of the most talked about couple in the 80’s as they had a child out of the wedlock. Veteran actress Neena Gupta, a single mother, says her father helped raise her daughter Masaba, adding that he had turned out to be her backbone during the “most crucial time of my life”.
“My father played a very important role in raising my daughter, he especially shifted to Mumbai to help me. I cannot express how thankful I am to him. He was my backbone during the most crucial time of my life,” she said.