Glam world pressure: Why is Kareena Kapoor in such a tearing hurry to get back to work?

 

Kareena Kapoor became a mother this January. She has named her son Taimur, a name which was scrutinised minutely by the media and her fans. However, all these things don’t seem to be affecting the new mother as she is in a bit of a hurry to remove those maternity pants and get back into the glitzy gowns. At an award function earlier this year she announced on stage that she would be back to work within a month of her delivery.  

 

Now, if one were to observe, this is especially common in the glamour industry. Already keeping up appearances after pregnancy is a task and if the actress is not seen on screen within a year of her becoming a mother then she becomes a forgotten topic. So it is with working women the world over.

 

Actresses have a the luxury of indulging in a  longer maternity leave when compared to normal working women who need to report to work within 3 or 6 months after delivery, depending on the company policy. But celebrities also come with their share of baggage  - the fear of not being able to act again; not being wanted to play the role of the main lead opposite a 40-year-old actor; not being considered for work and at the end of the day, it is the same story for them as well – they also need a job that pays the bills.

 

A new mother, in the first six months of motherhood, has her hands full. She has to deal with postpartum depression, a sagging body, a crying, hungry, cranky baby, and then the nagging guilt of not being able to be with her baby when it needs her most. On top of that when you add in work pressure then the cocktail becomes quite lethal – ending in the woman giving up on one of her priorities. And in this case it happens to be motherhood.

 

The human body goes through several changes when a mother brings a child into the world. Probably Kareena has some magic potion to heal her body immediately. In Bollywood there is extra pressure for the heroines like Kareena, Kajol, Aishwarya, Madhuri, Sridevi, etc because newer actresses like Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra etc are always there to fill in the gaps. Being considered for a ‘comeback’ movie is a cause of worry for many and so many women give up on the joys of motherhood to ensure their position in society and at the workplace remains intact.

 

Now judging by the bank balance on both the Kapoor and the Khan sides there should be no immediate financial emergency that is causing her to return to work so why the tearing hurry to return to films? Like the size zero trend, is this going to be a new trend as well Kareena? Her other colleagues like Rani Mukerji, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri, Shilpa Shetty also became mothers but they took the needed rest before coming back to work. 

 

While many women are loathe to get back to work post maternity leaves, financial reasons, fear of becoming outdated on the job, fear of being overlooked for a raise or promotion and most of all fear of being left out at work drives working mothers to resume their jobs as soon as possible. And nowadays it is the age of the multi-tasking woman - the one who 'effortlessly' juggles home, family, kids, work, finances and personal ambitions. Is Kareena one among them? Let's wait and watch.