'No No No....I am not going to talk about Aishwarya Rai B. being pregnant even if you pay me for it' (that is what I thought when I first heard the news but I am an extremely accommodating person who can easily slide to a new position that is more convenient and comfortable). When I saw people going all crazy and bonkers over the news, I decided that I had to speak up in support of a pregnant sistah!!
I imagined myself as a pregnant celebrity (say Ash) at a time when I still haven't told anyone about it... then I go out in a dress with folds and make the biggest mistake of my life because everyone notices that I have gained a few grams that the folds are not able to enfold!! Soon, the whole world starts talking about it (as if we have been attacked by aliens) because otherwise I have such a perfect ten figure!! The millions of guesses create a deafening din of a chant of ' she's preggie, she's preggie' which continues to haunt me till my preggie status is made official by an authoritative family member who tweets very often. Scary???
This is nothing... After the official declaration, people will go from crazy to berserk to downright deranged and my baby's due date/ sex/ health/ future etc will be conjectured on by experts and quacks of all fields...(just like all those extremely intellectual discussions on destinies of political personalities or the 'end of the world' predictions that make rounds in every third grade TV channel)
So that decides it...I am better off being 'a pregnant me' than 'a pregnant Ash'...for the following pertinent reasons:
However, having said all this, if I were in her place, there would be one positive point - I would at least feel the pressure of quickly losing weight post delivery...(this won't happen as I am no Aishwarya Rai- just a lazy bum)
All my sympathies with Ash regarding this press fiasco...and huge congratulations to the two families!! I hope she does get a lot of time to throw tantrums and feel like a normal pregnant woman!!!
A message to the super- excited press and public - even all your collective excitement can't match the exhilaration that the to-be-parents are feeling!!! but it is only as good to know that everybody is happy with your news, as it is hurtful to hear people joking about it for no reason at all!!
So let her be people!!!
An article in ToI about this- namesake of my blog:
Pregnant Pause
(having said all that, I want to clarify that I have no particular fondness for the parents-to-be though I am a huge (really huge) admirer of the paternal grandfather-to-be...but this is an important matter of speaking for other contemporary expectant parents even if they are celebrities!!)
I imagined myself as a pregnant celebrity (say Ash) at a time when I still haven't told anyone about it... then I go out in a dress with folds and make the biggest mistake of my life because everyone notices that I have gained a few grams that the folds are not able to enfold!! Soon, the whole world starts talking about it (as if we have been attacked by aliens) because otherwise I have such a perfect ten figure!! The millions of guesses create a deafening din of a chant of ' she's preggie, she's preggie' which continues to haunt me till my preggie status is made official by an authoritative family member who tweets very often. Scary???
This is nothing... After the official declaration, people will go from crazy to berserk to downright deranged and my baby's due date/ sex/ health/ future etc will be conjectured on by experts and quacks of all fields...(just like all those extremely intellectual discussions on destinies of political personalities or the 'end of the world' predictions that make rounds in every third grade TV channel)
So that decides it...I am better off being 'a pregnant me' than 'a pregnant Ash'...for the following pertinent reasons:
- At least nobody noticed till the third month that I had put on a few grams...one of the benefits of being pleasantly plump!!
- My right to be grumpy and moody has not been partially forsaken like Ash's on account of her celebrity status - so she'll have to appear all stylish and glowing esp. as the whole country is following her preggieness so closely - poor thing!!!
- Trust me I'm glad I am not a celebrity - there are long periods of time in one's pregnancy when one wants to mope, snap, get irritated at nothing, growl, grunt, wear comfortable cotton rags, laze....I'm sure Aishwarya will also long for these but her hands and emotions shall be tied down by the public gaze!! (shudder shudder!)
- I am still on the right side of the thirties and yet face the risks of a complicated pregnancy - I hope Ash who is almost 38 has a hassle free one notwithstanding the public pressure..
- On having farted or burped with supernatural sound effects (as it happens frequently during pregnancy) in a meeting, I can happily look around slightly embarrassed and get understanding glances and 'doesn't matters' from everybody around. Now imagine Ash farting or burping in a press conference!! Not a lovely picture - but these are some audible bodily functions that pregnant women can't help sometimes!!
However, having said all this, if I were in her place, there would be one positive point - I would at least feel the pressure of quickly losing weight post delivery...(this won't happen as I am no Aishwarya Rai- just a lazy bum)
All my sympathies with Ash regarding this press fiasco...and huge congratulations to the two families!! I hope she does get a lot of time to throw tantrums and feel like a normal pregnant woman!!!
A message to the super- excited press and public - even all your collective excitement can't match the exhilaration that the to-be-parents are feeling!!! but it is only as good to know that everybody is happy with your news, as it is hurtful to hear people joking about it for no reason at all!!
So let her be people!!!
An article in ToI about this- namesake of my blog:
Pregnant Pause
(having said all that, I want to clarify that I have no particular fondness for the parents-to-be though I am a huge (really huge) admirer of the paternal grandfather-to-be...but this is an important matter of speaking for other contemporary expectant parents even if they are celebrities!!)
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-01/news-interviews/29726026_1_aishwarya-rai-pregnancy-clause
ReplyDeleteI think that if there is any pregnancy clause introduced in future contracts of female actors, it should say ' the directors and producers of this film/venture agree to postpone it by 12 months in case the actor becomes pregnant'...Now wouldn't that be something to match Scandinavian countries in terms of promoting women in all professional fields!!
Yesterday heard the debate over the 'pregnancy clause' issue on NDTV- The Buck stops here...
ReplyDeleteHaving a pregnancy clause does not solve any problems. Vipul Shah was right in saying that men also have to be held accountable for delays in any projects caused by their personal problems. So, may be there could be a 'contingency clause' in case of delay or postponement where if there are any losses, they have to be partially borne by the concerned person. That sounds fair. In fact, I ask Madhur Bhandarkar that if he had had a pregnancy clause in this contract and Ash had signed it too, would the film go on without any delay???
I wouldn't expect somebody who is above 35 years of age to go for an abortion of her first pregnancy just because there is a silly 'pregnancy clause' in a film project. As it is the film will have to be shelved or postponed. She has a right to decide on this. She can promise to get back in shape and do the film - after 7-8 months!! really can't understand what all this hulla is about!! the money that the film has lost, it will get 10 times of it due to this kind of publicity!!