Actresses who rule both onscreen and at home: Aishwarya, Genelia, Juhi

The genesis of this paranoia lies in the professional history of actresses—almost all yesteryear actresses happily gave up an acting career soon after they were married. Neetu Kapoor, Jaya Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Sridevi are just a few names that come to mind. Few like Sharmila Tagore and Hema Malini were exceptions to the rule and obviously a small number. Bhagyashree who became an overnight star after the success of Maine Pyaar Kiya, instead of pursuing a career in films gave up soon after, while Chitrangada Singh who was already married at the time of her debut in Hazaaron Khwaeishein Aisi, disappeared after the film only to make a comeback long after in another film by her mentor Sudhir Mishra.

It was also one of the filmi quirks that married actresses—sometimes they tied the knot in a quiet ceremony—would choose to live a lie and pretend they were single till the acting offers dried up. The belief that married actresses were not seen as desirable by the male audience was the bane of actresses headed for the altar.

But of late, a walk down the aisle does not necessarily mean the end of the professional road for actresses—Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, Rani Mukerji are examples that reinforce our statement. It is a happy scenario to have actresses speak of their weddings rather publicly—as Dia Mirza did at the recent edition of Screen The Big Picture. In fact, all the aforementioned actresses are much in demand with roles being written keeping them in mind. Sure, they may not be as prolific as they were in the singleton phase of their lives, but directors are keen to cast them in films regardless. Hindi film industry has changed over time, and old practices, fortunately have given way to newer and better ones. So here’s looking at some of the actresses who play several parts in their own lives—the heroine, wife, mother and then some more

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

A beautiful life

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

When Aishwarya Rai, the world’s most beautiful woman decided to marry B-Town’s most desirable bachelor, Abhishek Bachchan, almost everyone agreed that it was a match made in heaven. After all, she was the eternal, flawless beauty while he was not only a rising star, but also scion to one of the most illustrious families in the country. Be that as it may, the question of will she, won’t she (give up her career after marriage) plagued every producer and director’s mind.

Hindi cinema’s leading ladies have had a history of post-marital retirement after all. However, all such doubts proved to be unfounded when Rai Bachchan not only finished Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar which became a resounding hit, but also went on to sign up a clutch of films like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy, Mani Ratnam’s Raavan and Shankar’s film Robot (Endhiran) opposite Rajinikanth. She had to drop out of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine due to her pregnancy, and for a brief period, her acting assignments were on a hold. But the actress, so well-known for her meticulous planning was not sitting at home cooling her heels–her modelling commiments, old and new carried on like earlier times.

The only difference being that often she was accompanied by little Aaradhya on her numerous globetrotting visits to Cannes International Film Festival as the brand ambassador for L’Oreal, and to Glasgow Commonwealth Games as part of her commitment to Longines. Back home, she is the face of Kalyan Jewellers and realty brand, Lodha’s project ‘The Park’ too. She also shot an ad film for TTK Prestige with hubby Abhishek Bachchan and was the supportive wife when matches for his pro-Kabaddi League team were on.

In the interim, some talk of a film helmed by ad film-maker Prahlad Kakkar were doing the rounds, but the first real announcement of her comeback was made with Sanjay Gupta’s film titled Jazbaa starring Irrfan Khan and John Abraham.
For this lovely lady, work is worship.

Genelia Deshmukh

Marital bliss

Genelia Deshmukh

Love blossomed on the sets of Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003), Genelia D’Souza’s debut film in which she starred opposite Riteish Deshmukh. After being together for several years, the duo finally brought their relationship out of the closet and tied the knot in 2012. Hailing from a Catholic family, the actress has however seamlessly blended into one of the high profile political family in Maharashtra stepping back from the archlights.

Being married into a high profile political family, D’Souza’s career did take a backseat and one rarely saw her in movies, except for a rare cameo in the recent Salman Khan starrer Jai Ho. When Deshmukh decided to make his acting debut in the Marathi film Lai Bhaari, she stepped in as a co-producer. In fact, Dehmukh even credits his performance in Ek Villain, in which he plays a villanious role to D’Souza who encouraged him and on her insistence agreed to do the film.

D’Souza has also been associated with brands like Fanta, Perk, Garnier Fairness Cream, Dabur Vatika. While, there was talk about the actor making a comeback to films, news of her pregnancy has put everything on hold. The couple is expecting their first child soon post which D’Souza will be seen in Housefull 3 opposite her husband. The film is expected to go on the floors by the end of the year or early next year.

Juhi Chawla

Spreading her wings

Juhi Chawla

It was not the end of her career when Juhi Chawla tied the knot with industrialist Jay Mehta in 1995 when she was at the peak of her career. Definitely a bold step to take especially when Hindi film heroines are considered passe once married, for Chawla, it never became a hurdle and in fact, some of her best works in terms of cinematic content came post-marriage. Juggling, mainstream movies Chawla ventured into ‘parallel cinema’ with films like Jhankaar Beats (2003), My Brother Nikhil (2005) Bas Ek Pal (2006), I Am (2011) and the recent Gulaab Gang (2014).

The chirpy Chawla (a soubriquet often used to describe her vivacious personality), belonged to the triumvirate consisting of Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit who reigned during the ’80s and ’90s. Her success graph did slacken between 1994-96 when films like Naajayaz, Loafer and Daraar were damp squibs at the box-office. But with romantic comedies like Yes Boss, Deewana Mastana and Ishq, the actress was back in the reckoning. The 2000s saw the actor step into different genres and regional language cinema. She was critically acclaimed for her portrayals in films like 3 Deewarein, 7½ Phere, My Brother Nikhil and Paheli (2005). She won the Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for 3 Deewarein.

Her foray into regional cinema saw her playing pivotal roles in Punjabi films like Shaheed Uddham Singh (2000), Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004), Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris (2006) and Sukhmani – Hope for Life (2010). She was also seen in the Hollywood film A Hundred Yard Journey playing the role of Om Puri’s wife.

Besides being a full-fledged actor, Chawla did try her hand at production and set up Dreamz Unlimited with her co-star of many films and friend Shah Rukh Khan. The duo produced a number of films like Chalte Chalte, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Asoka, after which she stepped back, preferring to concentrate on acting. In 2008, the actress along with her husband became co-owners of the Indian Premier League team, Kolkata Knight Riders along with Shah Rukh Khan.

Amol Palekar who directed her in Paheli best described her as, “Juhi’s character is extremely sensitive, she doesn’t shout from the rooftop, is a balance of firmness, and is the perfect depiction of the strength of a woman.”

Kajol

Family matters

Kajol

Criticised by the media about tying the knot at the peak of her career with Ajay Devgn in 1999, Kajol preferred to keep her counsel and settled to domestic bliss. While, she did not completely stop acting, the actress did cut down on her acting assignments, preferring instead to concentrate on home and hearth and bringing up her two children, Nysa and Yug.

Post marriage, she was seen in Raju Chacha, her home production, produced under the banner of Ajay Devgn Films Limited. The actress who shares a special bond with Karan Johar was also seen in Dharma Productions’ Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham playing a pivotal character. Although her presence on the big screen is erratic, Johar who considers Kajol as his lucky mascot, has always been able to coax the actress to do cameos, and she was seen in films like Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Kal Ho Naa Ho and the more recent Student of the Year. She was also seen in a cameo in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om

That the actress preferred to move away from masala entertainers and became more selective was evident when she did films like like Fanaa (2006), We Are Family and My Name is Khan in 2010 and the quirky adventure Toonpur ka Superhero that she did post marriage. When asked about her reticence to do films and the secret to her successful marriage at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, she said, “There has to be one who talks, and the other who listens.”

Kareena Kapoor Khan

K(h)an do it

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Be it films or marriage to Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor has always managed to make headlines. In February 2013, she released her memoir The Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva.

While the rumour mills were full of stories speculating about the course her career would take post her marriage to Khan, Kapoor proved her detractors wrong as she concentrated on her acting assignments. Although, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein and Satyagraha that released post her marriage did not do well, her recently released Singham Returns did well at the BO. The actress who is busy with her acting projects is also quite active on the fashion scene, having walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra, besides doing several brand endorsements for Globus, Citizen watches, Lakme and Garnier among others. Born in the Kapoor khandaan, where none of their women worked in films after marriage, Kareena along with sister Karishma were perhaps the first ones to break the tradition, unlike her mother, yesteryear actress, Babita who had given up her film career after marriage.

It is to her credit that Kapoor has easily slipped into the role of a Begum and is a friend to Khan’s two children Sara and Ibrahim. Talking about the rapport she shares with the children on Koffee with Karan, Kapoor Khan said. “I am like a friend to them. At times me and Sara chat over a glass of champagne. That’s the way Saif wanted and that’s the way I wanted it.”

Konkona Sen Sharma

On a serious note

Konkona Sen Sharma

She is an actress who is known for doing meaningful art house cinema. After doing films like Amu, Mr and Mrs Iyer, Wake Up Sid, Page 3, Konkona Sen Sharma continued doing good work post her marriage to actor Ranvir Shorey in 2010 and after motherhood. Although she made her debut with the Bengali film Ek Je Aachhe Kanya in 2000, the actress has effortlessly slipped into playing characters that were not run-of-the-mill, and has met with both critical as well as commercial success.

That the actress loves to experiment is amply evident from the choice of films that she has undertaken. Post marriage too, the actress instead of settling down to domesticity, has acted in noteworthy films like Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, 7 Khoon Maaf, Goynar Baksho, Gaur Hari Dastaan among others. She sprung a surprise playing the character of Diana in Ek Thi Daayan playing Emraan Hashmi’s stepmom, a role not many actresses would want to play at an early stage in their career. That today’s actresses are braver and do not mind breaking stereotypes is amply evident in the changing trends that one is witness to in Hindi cinema.

Sen Sharma is now poised to add yet another feather to her cap, and shall be helming Death In The Gunj, the script that she had penned and that was selected at the National Script Lab held by NFDC (The National Film Development Corporation).

Madhuri Dixit-Nene

A different role

Madhuri Dixit-Nene

Few expected Madhuri Dixit to return to India when she tied the knot with Sriram Nene, a Denver based Cardiologist in 1999. It all started during one of her visits to India when Madhuri Dixit dropped by to meet Yash Chopra, and Aditya Chopra suggested writing the script of Aaja Nachle (her comeback film) keeping Madhuri in mind. “I think they have less to loose once they get married, then they don’t have to just play a romantic lead, you have the option of exploring more mature roles,” explains director Anil Mehta (Aaja Nachle) as he talks about how on the contrary, an actress’s scope to try out varied roles increases once she’s married.

For Dixit-Nene juggling her movie career, and children was quite a task, and many a times, her children visited her on the sets. She had even enrolled them in a school, so that their studies were not hampered.
Indeed, it is quite a difficult task for a married actress, who is keen on making a comeback after a hiatus of several years. And for Dixit-Nene to make that move which not only involved uprooting her family, but also finding her feet in the industry again was a decision fraught with insecurity.

Even as her film career took time to catch momentum, the dhak dhak girl cast her spell on television. Since 2011, she has been the judge on the reality dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. Earlier, Dixit Nene had also hosted a show Kahin Na Kahi Koi Hai in 2002. Her portrayals in films like Dedh Ishquiya and Gulaab Gang (2014) and a dance number in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani were critically acclaimed. The dancing diva as she is popularly called has also established an on-line dance academy, Dance with Madhuri.com that teaches dance to aspiring students.

Rani Mukerji

A brave front

Rani Mukerji

It’s been a long time since her debut in 1997 with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, that the light-eyed beauty, Rani Mukerji made her presence felt. Notable for her performances in films like Black, No One Killed Jessica, Saathiya, Veer Zara, Talassh: The Answer Lies Within, the actress was sporadically seen on the big screen till she came back with a power-packed performance in Mardaani.

After a long courtship of ten years, the actress who tied the knot with YashRaj Films, scion Aditya Chopra, in a fairy tale wedding in Italy in April this year, has been keeping a low profile for quite sometime. While, speculations about her career taking a backseat, were rife, the actress did try to make a valiant comeback with Aiyya. Post which she was seen in Reema Kagti’s Talaash.

Critics and the audience alike have applaued her performance of a brave cop in Mardaani, a Yash Raj Films production. Rani has sung the National Anthem with those fearless cops who protect civillians and is in a way an ode to them. The anthem is being played at a famous multiplex in Mumbai. While talks about a sequel to Mardaani is doing the rounds, the actress is basking in her newly married status admitting in an earlier interview to Screen, “Things have changed and of course there is more responsibility. Earlier I could leave home without worrying about what is being cooked or what needs to be cooked. I used to just ask mom to organise everything, but now it’s the other way round. Living with Adi, now I have to take care of everything.”

Meanwhile, the actress is also actively involved in the fashion store Diva’ni, a collaboration between Yash Raj Films and Karol Bagh Saree House, that was inaugurated in July last year in Mumbai.

Sushmita Sen

Following her heart

Sushmita Sen

Whether it was setting an example by being the first Indian to wear the crown of Miss Universe in 1994 and gifted herself a heavy studded diamond ring; Sushmita Sen has been known to follow her heart, and for the bold choices she makes. Known to walk her own path, the unmarried actress took the bold decision to become an unmarried mother when she adopted a girl, Renee in 2000 and also fought a custody battle for the child. Being a single unmarried mother was no mean feat, and despite being derided by society, she once again adopted another girl child, Alishah in 2010. That Sen cocked-a- snook at societal norms and paid little heed to the repercussions that it would have on her film career, mattered little to the spunky lady.

Her persona more often translates into the choice of roles that she takes. Therefore, it was no surprise when Sen played a surrogate mother in Meghna Gulzar’s Filhaal. “Her being mother was a ironic coincidence. Personality wise, she matched upto Tabu, who had already been cast in Filhaal”, said Gulzar,
Although her film commitments are few and far between, Sen who is quite active on the ramp and doing endorsements will be seen in a Bengali film Jodi Emon Hoto. She also plans to buy the rights of the film and remake it in Hindi.

The actor, who is a fitness freak and a social activist has quite a few things on her plate. Associated with several NGOs, Sen was awarded The Mother Teresa International Award by NGO, The Harmony Foundation for her efforts towards achieving social justice last year. Extremely vocal about her stand on adoption and the girl child, she has even told her daughters that although she is not their biological mother, her children “are born from her heart.”

Vidya Balan

A meeting of minds

Vidya Balan

It was a hat-trick of sorts when Vidya Balan won four Screen Awards in a row—Paa (2010), Ishqiya (2011), The Dirty Picture (2012) and Kahaani (2013). Always known to go her own way, be it in personal or professional choices, Balan joined the league of actresses who decided to tie the knot with the Managing Director, Siddharth Roy Kapur of Disney India at the peak of her career.

While many thought that this was a sucidical move on her part as far as her career was concerned, Balan has, as is her won’t, continued to relentlessly work with single-minded devotion boldly experimenting with roles in films post marriage. Unlike most actresses who began their career by playing teenyboppers in romantic films, Balan’s intense performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Parineeta got her recognition. Whether it was her portrayal as Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture, or her evocative performance of the pregnant lady hunting for her husband in Kahaani, Balan does not believe in following norms.

Although some of her films like Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Ghanchakkar, Bobby Jasoos did average business, Balan’s philosophy of life reflects in her choice of films. “We, as women, have been sold these ideas that motherhood is the most beautiful thing in the world, but all these myths get shattered once you really have a baby and have to look after one. I saw it happen to my sister when she had her twins. The amount of work she put in was exhausting to say the least. But after becoming an aunt, I find babies very beautiful. But having one of my own? Not in the near future. And there’s no question of doing lesser number of films, as I do very few films anyway,” she had once said in an interview to Screen.