Durga Puja, this year, is rather special for actor Bipasha Basu Singh Grover, as she and her husband, actor Karan Singh Grover await the arrival of their little one.

“This year has been blessed by Maa Durga. Our baby is going to arrive soon,” the mum to-be tells us, and goes on to share an incident she holds very close to her heart: “Last year, in November, we had a beautiful darshan of Maa Vaishno Devi, and Karan and I prayed to have a baby. When we got to know of my pregnancy and I went for my first ultrasound, the due date turned out to be the same date on which we were there (in Vaishno Devi)! Maa Durga is a part of our lives.”

Given the stage of pregnancy she is in at present, Bipasha has been told by her doctors not to venture out much. And that means no pandal hopping, either. “I’m pretty close to my due date. Even though I want to go, my size doesn’t permit me. Also, I don’t have clothes. Any time I have to step out, I’ve to think what to wear! But, the main reason (for not stepping out) is the health of the baby. I’d prefer to not to expose myself much to the viruses around, at this point,” she says.

Pujo has always been very special for the 43-year-old. She recalls, “Though I was born in Delhi, we used to travel to Kolkata for this (Pujo). I’ve been a devotee of Maa Durga from a very young age. My mum gave me a Durga locket, and I don’t go anywhere without it. I miss the celebrations in Kolkata. It’s beautiful in Mumbai, too, but I still miss the fervour there.”

Bipasha Basu is Monica Geller of Friends. The mother-to-be has an Excel sheet ready for tasks to do, a practice she has inherited from her mom, and like Chandler Bing, husband Karan Singh Grover’s busy taking notes while sportingly teasing his extremely organised wife. Amid theongoing renovation at their home to suit the needs of their baby, Bipasha spoke to Bombay Times about motherhood, women facing pressures like constant reminders of their biological clock ticking, others’ expectations, judgemental social media and more. Excerpts:

Karan and I were clear from the beginning that we wanted a baby. I don’t have any thoughts on why it is so late or why it took time. For me, this is the right time. I believe this is when we were supposed to have our baby. We believe in manifestation. From the time we have wanted a child, we have hoped for a baby girl. I know a baby is a beautiful gift, and we are supposed to be in acceptance of any gender, and the bigger picture is that, but we call our baby ‘she’. We believe it’s a she, and we have believed that since the time we decided to have a baby.

My daily routine has changed. All pregnancies are different. A lot of pregnant women can do many activities. I have been told not to do much. I don’t have a physically active pregnancy, but I am active mentally. I am always multitasking. Slowing myself down was tough initially because I am an extremely active person. I know the need of the hour and right now, I am doing what’s right for my baby and I have made changes in my lifestyle accordingly. After you deliver the child, there is no need to give up your professional life. I won’t. I did take a long break to have a baby and enjoy my married life. I know that as soon as I have my baby and get the hang of being a new mom, I will get back to work immediately.

Karan and I are soulmates. We are great friends. We have been evolving as people since the time we met. We have been together for almost eight years. This new journey of parenthood is going to help evolve our equation even more. Throughout the pregnancy, Karan has been a hands-on husband. He would not let me do anything because I was extremely sick initially. He has evolved a lot during this phase because he has never seen me this inactive. He had to look into everything — house, work, my condition, doctor, appointments… all of it. That’s the way a relationship should be.

There are zillions of things that I would like to carry forward from my mom. Cleanliness is next to godliness. It cleanses your life also, and she taught us that. A clean way of living makes you value yourself and everything around you. It detoxes your mind. She taught us to value time. I am always on time, even when others are late. I love that about my mother. I would want my child to learn that. These are basic things that take you a long way, professionally and personally. Things like eating home food and learning to cook so that your child eats nutritious food... all these little things are actually building blocks of life. My mother is extremely organised, so that also has helped me a lot. It simplifies andlessens the chaos in your life. She prioritised love and bonding time with family over everything. The core of every relationship should be love and pure love.

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Talking about this new, exciting chapter in his life, Karan says, “Honestly, I’ve been completely consumed by and in awe of this ongoing miracle that is the most precious and, at the same time, the very basic experience of life. We know it as the creation of life. I feel grateful and blessed to be able to witness this amazing journey, which is nothing short of a fairytale, even though an ordeal for my wife. I see her transform from being my girl to a creator of human life, which I feel can only be described as something divine. Soon we will have a little monkey baby of our own, made by us. I feel life is changing, and it is getting better in every possible way. I’m a part of it and a witness to it, for which I’m eternally grateful. I think with all of this to experience, the only thing I’ve not had thoughts about isbeing a father. I guess this is what it is when you get to know you will become a father soon. One day a guy is just a guy, and then on another beautiful, unforgettable day, you’re just so much more. You’re a father… a parent! It is amazing.”

Actor-couple Bipasha Basu Singh Grover and Karan Singh Grover, who announced their pregnancy on Wednesday, say they had been trying for a baby for a long time but put it on hold when the world was hit by the pandemic. Talking exclusively to us about this new chapter, Bipasha reveals that it was, in 2021 when she and Karan again thought about starting a family.

“The plan was definitely to focus on that (having a baby). I did not take up any kind of work at first because I wanted to have a baby, [but] then I started working again. So, it took me a little time. But we completely dropped the idea in 2020 because we didn’t know where the world was going [due to Coronavirus]. So, for one year, we took a break from trying [to conceive]. And in 2021, we decided to try again, and God has been kind. We conceived!”

The 43-year-old doesn’t reveal when the baby is due, but we have got to know that she is in her second trimester and is five months pregnant currently. Recalling the moment she found out she was pregnant, she shares, “It was a very emotional day. I remember Karan and I running to my mother’s house. She was the first person I wanted to tell. Everyone was emotional. It has been my mother’s dream that Karan and I have a baby. I always had faith that it would happen. I am more than grateful for this.”

The couple got married in 2016 and this will be their first child. Bipasha harks back and says that she is aware that she got married a little later than the usual norm, but asserts, “When you find a partner late in life and settle down late, as a person you are extremely mature and responsible, and you know when exactly you will be responsible enough to give birth to another life. It was a proper decision between us. We decided to not have one until we are able enough.”

Bipasha is considered one of the fittest artistes in Hindi films. Ask her how she is feeling about all the changes that happen during pregnancy, and she says, “There have been a lot of changes, and I am absolutely comfortable with everything.”

While there has been buzz that B-Town couple, Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover are expecting their first child, they didn’t address the rumours. Instead, the two decided to surprise everyone by sharing their big news on social media yesterday.

They dropped photos from a pregnancy shoot on social media, and wrote, “A new time, a new phase, a new light adds another unique shade to our prism of life. Making us a little more whole than we used to be. We began this life individually and then we met each other and from then we were two. Too much love for only two, seemed a little unfair for us to see…so soon, we who once were two will now become three. A creation manifested by our love, our baby will join us soon and add to our glee (sic). ”

They sported matching oversized white shirts for the shoot. A number of people from the film industry chimed in to give the couple their good wishes for the new phase in their life. In their note, Bipasha and Karan thanked their well-wishers and said, “Thank you all, for your unconditional love, your prayers and good wishes as they are and will always be a part of us. Thank you for being a part of our lives and manifesting with us another beautiful life, our baby. Durga Durga (sic).”

Bipasha and Karan met on the sets of the film Alone in 2015. They tied the knot in 2016.

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Actor Bipasha Basu Singh Grover and her husband, actor Karan Singh Grover, have finally put speculations to rest. The couple took to their respective social media handles on Tuesday morning to reveal that they are soon going to be parents.

Alongside pictures of Karan, 40, holding Bipasha, 43, while she flaunts her baby bump, they shared a post that read, “A new time, a new phase, a new light adds another unique shade to our prism of life. Making us a little more whole than we used to be. We began this life individually and then we met each other and from then we were two. Too much love for only two, seemed a little unfair for us to see…so soon, we who once were two will now become three. A creation manifested by our love, our baby will join us soon and add to our glee. Thank you all, for your unconditional love, your prayers and good wishes as they are and will always be a part of us. Thank you for being a part of our lives and manifesting with us another beautiful life, our baby. Durga Durga (sic).”

The duo got married in 2016 after dating for a year and rumours about them expecting their first child have done the rounds many times ever since.

Every time a married woman gains weight doesn’t mean she is pregnant. This misconception is something actor Bipasha Basu Singh Grover constantly battles. “My family life is important. I know there have been a lot of speculations about me being pregnant, on and off, when I put on weight,” the actor tells us.

Though she is among the celebs who are looked up to for their fitness, the Race (2008) actor says she likes to take it easy at times. “I know I’m an ambassador of fitness. But there is a time when I can let go and live life a little bit. It’s not that I’m becoming unhealthy. But the speculations are always going to be there till the time people see me with a baby,” she says.

She married actor Karan Singh Grover in 2016 and understands that people wish well for her. “They are wishing that I have a family, and it is a sweet thought. If that’s supposed to happen, it will happen. The constant scrutiny doesn’t bother me. It’s just that I’m not pregnant, so that’s sad,” expresses the 42-year-old.

When it comes to work life, she was last seen in a web project, Dangerous, last year. She admits that the pandemic affected her. “I’ve not done anything for a long time. Covid-19 definitely put a halt in my head. So, I was not even reading any scripts. But now I’m open to it,” says the actor.