On Mother’s Day today, we spoke to Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, who gave birth to her son Vayu in August 2022. Sonam shared her thoughts regarding motherhood and mothers in the industry.
When she was asked how motherhood impacted her life, she stated, “I think I’ve become a more rounded human being because I’ve tried to be a better person to set a good example for my son, and the only way to be a good mom or dad is to set the right moral compass for them by doing the right thing yourself and setting a good example, and I think that has really changed me, and I’m more vigilant about doing the right thing all the time.”
Talking about the changing dynamics in the industry around balancing career and motherhood, she said, “I think the industry doesn’t have enough acceptance for moms. I don’t think it’s only the Indian film industry; every industry needs to have a little more empathy and openness to moms’ concerns. Just because you become a mother doesn’t mean that you have to stop working or that you will not be able to do a good job or devote a good amount of devotion to your job.
She spoke about her personal experiences and said, “I know that I wanted to take some time off because of the toll that giving birth takes on your body and taking care of a new human being takes on your mental, emotional, and physical health.”
She spoke about the importance of maternity leave and said, “So, you need to take that maternity leave, and that should be the norm, but at the same time, that doesn’t mean that I’m not giving 100 percent to my job, and I hope that every industry understands that women are more capable than men of taking care of everything, including themselves, the child, and their work.”
She also talked about her favourite on-screen moms in pop culture and said, “Sridevi in Mom; I love Aunt May’s character in Spider-Man; I think Marisa Tomei did an amazing job; and Marge Simpson from The Simpsons.”
See Also: Anand Ahuja shares an adorable video of Sonam Kapoor playing with son Vayu, watch