Kareena Kapoor says biggest taboo for female actors was to get married: 'Now marital status doesn't affect your career'
Kareena Kapoor said marriage was considered the end of a female actor's career earlier, calling it the 'biggest taboo'. The actor is married to Saif Ali Khan and shares two sons with him – Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.
Kareena Kapoor said 'you have to wear your age proudly', when asked about ageism in Bollywood in a recent interview. The actor said that earlier, for female actors, the 'biggest taboo was to get married'. However, she said that is changing now. The actor also opened up about how she makes choices as a working mother, saying no to things, when she does not want to leave her children alone. Also read: Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan fell in love on sets of Tashan but she said no to his wedding proposal twice
Kareena Kapoor married Saif Ali Khan, who was earlier married to actor Amrita Singh, in 2012. They became parents to Taimur Ali Khan in 2016, and younger son Jehangir Ali Khan in 2021. In a recent interview, Kareena recalled how marriage was considered the end of a female actor's career at one point.
When asked if Bollywood was finally changing its approach to ageism, Kareena told Harper's Bazaar India, “I think so. You have to wear your age proudly. Today, women have become brave. For female actors, the biggest taboo was to get married... but now your marital status doesn't affect your career. Filmmakers are now taking risks and willing to work on off-beat scripts, and give different people a chance. In the end, it is all about feeling and looking confident.”
Kareena also spoke about achieving ‘work-life balance’ as a working mother. She said, “I don’t think there is a formula to achieving work-life balance, there’s no secret to it. It is up to you to decide what you will or won't do. I want to be able to say no to the things that I don’t want to do, because I don't feel like leaving my kids alone or because I don't want to be seen at some awards show. I want to be able to choose — because I'd rather sit at home with my husband and watch a show or have a glass of wine. That’s one of the biggest changes I have gone through, personally. It is up to me to strike a work-life balance.”
Kareena, who has acted in films such as 3 Idiots (2009), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Jab We Met (2007), among many others, is working on her next, The Crew. The film also features Tabu and Kriti Sanon, and is backed by Rhea Kapoor. Kareena's upcoming projects include Hansal Mehta's next. Meanwhile, Devotion of Suspect X, which marks Kareena's OTT debut and is directed by Sujoy Ghosh, is also expected to be out this year. It is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Japanese author Keigo Higashino. Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat also star in Netflix project.
