Thought I would never be able to work again: Pari

Parineeti Chopra recalls crying for 3 hours after leaving baby for work

Actress Parineeti Chopra opened up about the emotions she experienced the first time she had to leave her baby and return to work. She revealed that she cried for three hours during the journey, describing the experience as “crippling physical pain” rather than simply mom guilt.  Parineeti spoke about motherhood, the expectations placed on working mothers, and how becoming a parent has changed the way she looks at her latest series, Shaque: Trust No One.

Recalling the first time she travelled away from her son after spending months with him around the clock, Parineeti told India Today, “The very first time that I had to leave my baby, and this was after many, many months of postpartum, being at home 24/7, day and night,” she said, adding, “When I left him for the first time, I don’t remember that flight to Bombay. I don’t remember it. I don’t know when I walked through the airport, boarded the flight, landed, reached home. I have no memory. I was only sobbing for three hours.” The actress said the feeling went far beyond what is usually described as “mom guilt”.

Actor addresses pressure on working mothers

Chopra explained that there was no reason for her to worry about her child’s safety, as he was at home with his family. “The baby’s fine. They’re nothing to do with your absence. The family’s fine. Everybody’s having a blast,” she said. She added that her family would even encourage her to stay away for longer. “But the mom guilt is crazy,” she added. According to Parineeti, the pressure faced by mothers comes from both biological instincts and societal expectations. “I think it’s, of course, biological, but it’s also societal,” she said. She also recalled being questioned about her child whenever she was out working. “There are a lot of women who will come up to me and say, ‘So, where’s your baby?’ And I’m like, ‘He’s at home.’ And that’s just not allowed,” the actor added.

I thought I would never be able to work again. I would never be able to do anything again. It’s not guilt. It’s crippling physical pain that you feel leaving your baby

— Parineeti Chopra