Daily Times

Malaika Arora denied that getting married early impacted her career and if anything, it ‘enhanced’ her life and made her an example for future generations.

She said in a recent podcast that because of her inherently ‘glamorous’ persona, she redefined concepts such as marriage and pregnancy, and made them ‘look glamorous’.

She told Namrata Zakaria on her podcast, Tell Me How You Did It, “My answer would be ‘no’. It’s never, ever been a hindrance. It never was a hindrance. I’m proof of that. Not in any way has it come in the choices that I’ve made. Being married, or when I was married, or when I decided to have a child, I don’t think any of it had any bearing on my professional life. People around me had a lot more to say, but it didn’t have any bearing on my professional life.”

About bucking the trend and having a child, she said, “Back then, there were very few of us who were married with kids. Very, very few. Nobody would take that plunge. Now, of course, it has changed; women are married, with kids, working through and after.

The whole concept has changed. But back then, it was different. I said, ‘I’m not going to let it bother me, I’m not going to let it stop what I want to do’. I worked through my pregnancy. I was on MTV, I did shows, I did all of it. I think I travelled the most when I was pregnant.”

Malaika was married to actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan from 1998 to 2017. They have one son together, Arhaan.

Since 2016, Malaika has been in a relationship with actor Arjun Kapoor. She is best known for her special dance numbers in popular films such as Dil Se and Dabangg. She is also a regular fixture on reality television, having appeared as a judge on India’s Best Dancer, India’s Got Talent, and Jhalak Dikhlaa Ja.