Bharti Singh surprised everyone by returning to the shoot of Hunarbaaz - Desh Ki Shaan just 12 days after delivering her baby boy on April 3. Leaving a newborn at home can, no doubt, be difficult for any mother. It was no different for her.

“I won’t deny that it was very tough to leave my 12-day-old baby at home. I was extremely emotional and cried a lot when I left for work. But, thanks to technology and science, I could do a lot of things for my baby even while being physically absent. There are cameras installed in the house. So, I could watch him. I pumped milk before leaving, which sufficed for the day. He sleeps all day. I have been on stage since I conceived. So, by default, my child has also been on stage since he was conceived. Naturally, he is used to noise, shorsharabe mein bhi so jaata hai. Also, Haarsh (Limbachiyaa) and I are fortunate to have our families by our side to take care of the baby. In fact, the two grannies are always fighting amongst themselves for a chance to pamper him (laughs)!”

Ask her, if motherhood has changed her at all, and she nods in excitement. She says, “Zindagi ke har padaav par changes aate hain. When you are single, you are carefree, but when you get married, other responsibilities get added. I guess that’s God’s way of training you for motherhood.”

Bharti adds, “Motherhood has changed me in more ways than one. I have started taking quick showers, as I want to rush to be with my child and see what he is up to. I keep staring at him when he is asleep. It feels like a miracle that he was in my womb for nine months and I gave birth to him. It angers me when someone tells me ‘Arre, he looks just like Haarsh.’ For nine months it was me carrying him in my body and how come now he looks like Haarsh? He looks like me when he is asleep and resembles Haarsh when is awake. Hamaara bachcha uske mummy aur daddy ki tarah chalaak hai (laughs!).”

Now that she is a mother, will her flirtatious acts with male celebs on her show continue? “When I got pregnant, I would feel shy ki logon ko lagega ki pet mein baby hai phir bhi flirt kar rahi hai. Now that the baby is born, I will get back to my histrionics (laughs!). Also, how can someone not praise beauty? It’s all a part of my act. Toh flirting toh chaalu hi rahegi, woh bhi Haarsh ke saamne ekdum bindaas. After all, he is the one who writes those lines,” she cracks up.

After remaining tight-lipped about her pregnancy, comedienne Bharti Singh has finally confirmed that she is all set to welcome her first child with her husband, Haarsh Limbhachiyaa. She took to social media to announce the big development recently. Talking to Bombay Times about the happy news, she says, “I am five months pregnant and the baby is due at the end of April. I had to be guarded about it, as our families didn’t want me to talk about it until I had completed four months. In fact, we disclosed the news to them after I completed three months.”

Bharti, who tied the knot with Haarsh in 2017, has often joked with him about becoming parents on various reality shows they have hosted together. So, how excited is the dad-to-be? “Yes, I would often jokingly tell him on stage, ‘Kab mummy banayega, kab papa banega?’ In fact, even during the shoot of Dance Deewane, when we learnt about our pregnancy, everyone continued with the joke.”

Bharti says, “I would laugh, thinking ki kya bataau sabko ki we are already pregnant. Haarsh was in tears when I shared the news with him. He loves kids. Mere se zyada iss bachhe ki maa Haarsh hai. He is very excited about the new phase. I am experiencing severe mood swings and morning sickness, but Haarsh has been pampering and taking extra care of me through it all (smiles!). It’s a beautiful and challenging phase,” she answers.

She was also in the news for her weight loss. She had shed almost 15 kgs in a year. Ask her if the weight loss was the first step towards pregnancy and she replies, “During the pandemic, I realised that I had become healthy and fit. I suffer from asthma. So, I decided to work on myself and lose weight for a healthier lifestyle. We hadn’t planned to go the family way. However, a child is God’s gift and this is His blessing. I find it so funny. Main kal tak bachchi thi, logon ke saath flirt karti thi aur ab sab kuch khatam ho gaya (laughs!).”

The couple will be seen hosting Hunarbaaz — Desh Ki Shaan. Bharti shares, “I am glad that we are working during my pregnancy. I want to work till the ninth month of my pregnancy. Hamaara bachcha bhi hamaari mehnat mehsoos kar raha hai and I hope the child grows up to become as hard-working as us. I hope and pray that bachcha apne papa ki tarah mehnati nikle. Haarsh has started putting more hours into work. We want to do as much work as possible before the baby is born so that we get ample time to spend with our bundle of joy.”

Seven years after she made her first small screen debut with India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj, in which she mentored the aspiring actors, Parineeti Chopra is all set to don the hat of a judge on a reality show.

She will join Mithun Chakraborty and Karan Johar to judge the first season of Hunarbaaz - Desh Ki Shaan, a reality show which will see people from across India showcase their talent.

As reported by us, the makers of the reality show were in talks with several actresses to join the judging panel. They had even approached Kareena Kapoor Khan. However, their wait for finalising the third judge has ended with Parineeti.