Mumbai: Parineeti Chopra has spoken about the changing perception of motherhood in the Hindi film industry, arguing that becoming a parent should not determine an actress’s professional opportunities.
The actor recently filmed Netflix’s upcoming thriller series Shaque: Trust No One while pregnant with her son Neer. In an interview with Mid-Day, Chopra discussed the support she received from the show’s producers and director while filming action sequences during her pregnancy.
She also pointed to several leading actresses, including Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif, as examples of performers who have continued their careers after becoming mothers.
Parineeti Chopra recalls filming Shaque during pregnancy
According to Chopra, her pregnancy required an early conversation with the makers of Shaque: Trust No One about how the production could be adapted.
The actor explained that she discussed the physical activities she would need to avoid and the adjustments that would be necessary to continue working safely.
She credited producers Siddharth P Malhotra and Sapna Malhotra for responding to those concerns and working with director Rensil D’Silva to modify the action requirements.
“I told them, ‘These are certain things I’ll now have to do, and certain things I’ll have to avoid. How can we make this work?’ Here is when producers like Siddharth and Sapna matter because their minds switched to management mode.”
Chopra said the team found creative ways to retain the action elements while taking her circumstances into account.
“They immediately spoke to our director [Rensil D’Silva] and started creatively finding solutions because I had to do a lot of action in this show. We’ve done all of it, but in a way that was safe for me,” she told Mid-Day.
Chopra says filmmakers should support pregnant actors
The actor also spoke about the responsibility she believes filmmakers have when an actress is pregnant.
Chopra acknowledged that the level of support can differ from one production to another. She said an actress should not be made to feel guilty about becoming a mother, particularly during a period that can already involve significant physical and emotional changes.
“There are certain filmmakers who might make the mother feel guilty. It’s the craziest thing to do to her during this emotional time,” Chopra said.
Her comments highlight a broader discussion within the entertainment industry about workplace accommodations for performers during pregnancy and the ability of productions to adjust schedules, choreography and physical requirements when necessary.
Parineeti Chopra names actresses who continued working after motherhood
Chopra believes the idea that motherhood automatically restricts an actress’s career is changing.
She cited Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Katrina Kaif while discussing actresses who have continued to work after becoming mothers.
“All of us — Alia [Bhatt], my cousin Priyanka [Chopra], Deepika [Padukone], Kareena [Kapoor Khan], and now Katrina [Kaif] — are here to prove that motherhood only inspires us to do more.”
Chopra also said that audiences continue to watch actresses after they become mothers, challenging the assumption that motherhood necessarily reduces an actor’s professional prospects.
“The audience is not cancelling mothers, [saying] they don’t want to see us on screen anymore. Nothing else that happens in my life impacts my career. So why should having a baby impact it?”
Her comments reflect her personal view that parenthood and an acting career do not need to be treated as mutually exclusive.
Parineeti Chopra praises Karan Johar for supporting Alia Bhatt
Chopra also referred to Alia Bhatt’s experience while working on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani during her pregnancy.
She praised filmmaker Karan Johar for supporting Bhatt and accommodating her circumstances during production.
The example, Chopra suggested, illustrates how production teams can make practical adjustments when an actor is expecting a child without necessarily bringing a project to a halt.
What is Shaque: Trust No One about?
Shaque: Trust No One marks Parineeti Chopra’s debut in a series lead role.
The Netflix thriller is directed by Rensil D’Silva and also stars Jennifer Winget and Tahir Raj Bhasin.
Netflix’s official synopsis describes the story as follows:
“Nine years after her baby is abducted, a mother’s relentless search uncovers secrets around her and tests whether she can trust what she sees.”
The thriller combines a missing-child investigation with questions surrounding trust and perception, with Chopra playing the central character.
For Chopra, the project is notable not only as her series debut but also because of the circumstances under which she completed the demanding shoot.
Her experience has now become part of a wider conversation about how the film and television industry accommodates actors during pregnancy and whether motherhood should influence perceptions of their careers.
