Actress Recalls ‘Insensitivity’ of Indian Producer
When actress Radhika Apte announced that she was pregnant with her first child last October, the news seemed to displease an Indian producer she was working with on a project.
“He responded coldly and even insisted I wear tight-fitting clothes despite my discomfort and bloating,” she said. “I was in my first trimester and had constant cravings, I was eating a lot, be it rice or pasta, and going through the usual physical changes, but instead of understanding, I was met with insensitivity.”
The actress shared her experience last month at a ‘Freedom to Feed’ event organized by Neha Dhupia in Mumbai. As reported by IANS, Apte said that she wasn’t even allowed to see a doctor when she was in pain while filming. During her pregnancy, she also worked on another project with a Hollywood filmmaker who was “so supportive,” she said.
“When I mentioned I was eating more than usual and might look like a completely different person by the end of the shoot, he laughed and said, ‘Don’t worry, even if you’re another person by the end of this project, it’s fine. Because you’re pregnant.’ That reassurance and warmth meant the world to me.” She said she was not looking for special treatment from producers, but “just kindness and basic humanity.” Dhupia launched Freedom to Feed in 2019 to help fight the stigma around public breastfeeding.
More of ChaiTime here:
http://www.khabar.com/magazine/chaitime/
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
