It’s not easy balancing career with motherhood, but Neha Dhupia is managing it well. The actress, who is a mother of two, shares, “It’s a sea change once you have children. If you think you’re going to find your balance after becoming a mother of two toddlers, you’re living in a mythical world. My parents are at home looking after my children while I’m out working. Working mums get judged all the time — I’ve had people ask me questions at events. You are subjected to these jabs constantly. If you’re with your kids for two hours, give it 100 per cent. If you’re at work for eight hours, give it 100 per cent.”

Talking about what inspires her to work for women’s empowerment through initiatives like Freedom to Feed, Neha says, “When we had our first child, I slipped into postpartum depression, and I didn’t even know how to address it. I wish there was a simple form for new mums asking about their mental health. Therefore, I started this community. Today, we have thousands of mothers with us. We get experts to talk about their life stories and mums can learn from them.”

On another note, addressing the invasiveness of pap culture, Neha shares a disturbing incident. “Once an elderly lady filmed me sleeping on a flight. I was frightened when I woke up. People should have boundaries,” she says.

However, she’s candid about the relationship between actors and visibility and adds, “We also want to put ourselves out there, right? Being there, being visible, it’s a big part of what we do. When did we suddenly become camera-shy? This is what we do — we love the camera. How’s the camera ever going to love us back? That’s our medium to the world.”

She adds, “I have utmost respect for paps in Mumbai. When our children are there, they ask if I want them clicked. You’ll never see any pap photos of my kids because they respect my children. If there’s misrepresentation or AI involved in projecting me in the wrong way, I will speak up.”