Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; April 27, 2019)

Neither pregnancy nor motherhood has slowed down Neha Dhupia. In fact, she has become super busy now! Currently, she is juggling a Colors Infinity chat show with being a hands-on mom to her five-month-old daughter Mehr and is also in the midst of shifting houses. “My life is crazy right now and I am loving it. Recently, I judged a beauty pageant in which contestants were asked, ‘What is the one thing you would do if you had superpower?’ They gave cliched answers, like changing the climate, but if you ask me, I would like to stop time! I am trying to do a lot of things together, so I need more time,” she laughs.

Ask her how she is managing everything and she gives the credit to her baby girl and husband Angad Bedi. “My daughter has already travelled to 15 cities already, nine of which were by road! And she has not troubled me at all. At three months, she knew her mum has a lot to do, and she is the sweetest person. My husband is so co-operative. You need a secure man to stand by you at all times. We have had to pull double shifts looking after Mehr and work,” she explains.

Not surprising, as nine days after she delivered her baby girl, Neha was back to work and started shooting for the adventure-reality show Roadies. And since she was nursing her daughter, she took her along, too. “I really thank the channels and the producers of my shows for the support. I had ongoing contracts with then and not for a second did they think about dropping me post motherhood. Instead, they provided me all the support on the sets. Times have changed now,” she says.

However, there were some people who trolled her for the weight that she gained post delivery. “I may not look like what some people expect me to but that is fine,” says the actress who is in a happy space.

Talking about the chat show, which will have Janhvi Kapoor and her sister Khushi appearing together in the first episode, Neha says that it was sweet to interview the Dhadak actress’ sister.  “It was Khushi’s first time on TV and she was nervous, honest, cautious and vulnerable. I found it very cool. As for Janhvi, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Both of them share a great equation and it felt like I had walked into their apartment,” says the Tumhari Sulu actress, who got Janhvi to do push-ups on screen. Neha also has a surprise in store for Ishaan Khatter’s female fans who can look forward to the actor taking off his shirt in another episode. Interestingly, he appears with Rajkummar Rao as his BFF. “You can make out they are new to it as they are still getting to know each other,” says the host.

To a query on when she is planning to host the next season of her podcast #NoFilterNeha, the actress laughs, “I hope we have a season 4! Of course, there’s no reason not to, but I am not revealing anything now.” What she is more excited about right now is her first marriage anniversary.  “On May 10, we will complete one year of marriage and we are planning to go on a holiday,” she says signing off.

Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi talk about marriage, listening to parenting advice and how they would ideally like to bring up Mehr, their daughter
Ashwini Deshmukh (TIMES LIFE; December 16, 2018)

Marriage and parenthood – you’ve taken on a lot of responsibility in a year, Angad.
ANGAD: I don’t view Neha as a responsibility. This is something I wished to do. It gives me satisfaction. I love her and I’m happy to see her smile. I’ve been commitment phobic all my life. I didn’t settle down with anyone else because it wasn’t meant to be. It never came to me as clearly as it came with Neha.

What was your first reaction when you discovered you would be turning parents?
NEHA: I didn’t have a Bollywood kind of reaction; I had a Hollywood-like reaction. There were no tears of joy rolling down my cheeks. It was more like ‘Oh my God! What am I going to do now?’ It took a while to sink in. At no point did I have an iota of doubt about going ahead with it. Angad was the man with whom I wanted to spend my life. And we were doing the most beautiful thing together – having a child.
ANGAD: There are two things. First is that you want to start a family. The second is with the right person. I’ve been in various relationships earlier. If I felt at home, it was always with Neha. If two people are the right match for each other, the Universe conspires to bring them together. When she told me she was pregnant, I felt I’d hit a jackpot. It was of utmost importance to be her strength.

Did you go through mood swings during your pregnancy? How supportive has Angad been?
NEHA: I cannot put it in words how supportive and amazing he has been. I was about five-months pregnant shooting for a film. It was raining heavily that day and I panicked. He just dropped his plans for the day and accompanied me to the studio. He sat there in my trailer all day. He wanted to be by my side. I doubt if I can give so much physically, mentally and emotionally to a relationship. Whether it’s a craving, a breakdown or anything else, he’s there. They say, ‘We are pregnant’. Angad symbolised that.
ANGAD: The good thing about Neha is that she flares up but calms down soon too. It’s normal to have mood swings. In her case they are far and few.

Neha, you’ve worked round the clock…
NEHA: I respect expectant mothers who want to stay at home. My parents, my doctor and friends assured me that I could work till the last day. The fact that you are strong enough to give life doesn’t make you weak. I went to the gym and also swam. I did get a bit emotional. Like I cried while watching a film.
ANGAD: It’s great to work during pregnancy. She’s set a new benchmark for women. She’s a strong personality, who believes it’s not a weakness.

Did you feel like putting your feet up and relaxing sometimes?
NEHA: I did. There were times when I felt I had taken on too much. I’ve worked so much through my pregnancy, done physically demanding stuff for TV shows, hosted a fashion-related show, shot for a film... I’ve worked in all shapes and sizes. When you have a start like that your child is ready to face the world. I believe this baby is going to be the most beautiful project of our lives. We need to give it our hundred per cent no matter what. Angad and I say in jest that we want a gold medallist for the country. Hopefully, one day our daughter (Mehr) will be in the Olympic squad.

Q. What parenting tips have you received?
NEHA: The one person I take advice from the most is Soha (Ali Khan). Actually, everyone has a parenthood tip. There’s no such thing as bad parenting. The mother who goes to work is amazing. The mother who wants to spend the rest of her life with her kid is also amazing. Same goes for the man. Earlier, we shared the tips we received with each other. Now, we keep nodding and pretend we’re listening. We’re so bored of parenting advice.
Angad: I smile and nod and then just switch off. Suno sabki, karo apni. That’s what my father (renowned cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi) tells me. He wants me to experience this beautiful chapter on my own. He says I’ll learn from my mistakes. He asks me to be calm and patient.

So, who’s going to play the good cop and the bad cop?
NEHA: Angad will play the filmi cop. He’ll reach when the situation has been taken care of. But I’ll be the real cop.

Do your other accomplishments compare with the high of being a mother?
NEHA: It’s apples and oranges if you ask me to compare my career to us getting married and having a child. Karan (Johar) told me this is like the interval of a film. He said, ‘Go get married, start a family and trust me the second half will be beautiful’. You can’t equate this to anything else in the world.
ANGAD: You achieve success, money, stardom... But you’ll enjoy these only when you have someone to share them with. Nothing can give the satisfaction that your family or holding your child can give you.

What preparations went on to welcome Mehr?
NEHA: We made a nursery and renovated the house. Earlier, it used to be a single’s apartment. We got flooded with gifts for the baby at the baby shower. Mehr has more clothes than her father and is inching close to what her mother possesses. We have arranged for help. I’ve asked my mother to stay with me for a couple of months. Angad and I remind ourselves that our entire lives shouldn’t get consumed. We had barely just started dating. It’s not like we’ve been married for years. Ours is young love yet.
ANGAD: No amount of preparation is good enough. Our upbringing is old school. So she’s got a balance of old school and new-age parenting. We haven’t referred to a single book or the internet for parenting guidelines because beyond a point it doesn’t make sense. One should rely on natural instinct.

What are the things you’d like to be particular about?
NEHA: Bedtime will be 7.30 pm. We’ll try to keep her away from the iPad as much as possible. Also tantrums reflect how you’ve raised the child. So, discipline is a must.
ANGAD: Since we want her to be a gold medallist, it won’t happen on the phone or on the iPad. It will happen on the ground. We’d rather spend time with the child than shove a phone in her hands just because we want some free time.
NEHA: We are going to keep her away from sugar because then the 7.30 pm bedtime will go for a toss. So, only natural sugars. We want the grandparents to spend time with Mehr. That’s where children learn values and culture.

What qualities would you like the child to inherit from you?
NEHA: Angad has a heart of gold. He’s compassionate and disciplined. It doesn’t matter if your child is going to Harvard or brings back a gold medal. She’s got to be a good human being. I hope my child inherits this from his dad. Angad’s selfless.
ANGAD: There’s discipline in Neha courtesy her dad, who was in the Indian Navy. I’d love my child to have that and a sense of gratitude. I’d like her to have a middle-class upbringing. It’s not about what we can provide; it’s about appreciating the value of time, money and friendship. People like being around Neha. I want my child to be like that.

In her first interview after motherhood, Neha on returning to the set within aweek of delivery and Bollywood’s attitude shift towards to-be-mums
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 8, 2018)

“EaT, sh**, sleep. Repeat. That’s her routine,” laughs Neha Dhupia, as she talks of her three-week-old daughter, Mehr. The new mommy explains that it was her child’s uncomplicated routine that helped her return to the set eight days after delivery. While it was feasible for Dhupia to honour her brand endorsement commitments, social media users were quick to troll her for ‘not dedicating enough time to the baby’.

Insisting that she didn’t feel the need for a maternity break, she reasons, “People need to know there’s no bad mom, and no bad way of bringing up your child. The one who goes to work is as much a supermom as the one who stays at home and nurses her little one. People’s opinions are irrelevant. I remember doing my first shoot at home. I ensured the crew was quiet, and I kept an eye on the watch to make sure I was done with the shoot before she wakes up.”

Even before her delivery, Dhupia was hard at work, juggling her podcast, No Filter Neha, with her film commitments. She is glad to be part of the new brand of Bollywood women who have brought about a shift in how pregnant women are perceived. “The directors who hire us, the brands we work with — they have all undergone a shift in approach. My happiness is derived from work, so I was out and about until Diwali. People used to ask me when I will take rest, but I didn’t feel the need. People who need to rest, must. I looked up to Kareena [Kapoor Khan] as an inspiration with regard to how she conducted herself during pregnancy. I hope I too have inspired women in deciding what they want.”

That her maternal instinct has kicked in is evident as Dhupia says that little Mehr is “my motive to rush back home after every shoot. Recently, I had a shoot in South Bombay and I started crying before heading out, wondering when I will see Mehr next. Right now, I am a big ball of mush. Kids can be your strength and weakness, and new mothers are always oscillating between these emotions.”

The baby was born on Sunday, close to noon; among the early visitors at the hospital was Soha Ali Khan and her year-old daughter Inaaya
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 19, 2018)

Three weddings happened in May this year. Along with Sonam Kapoor with Anand Ahuja and singer-composer Himesh Reshammiya and actress Sonia Kapoor, Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi also tied the knot in a hush-hush Anand Karaj ceremony at a Gurdwara in South Delhi on May 10. Soon there were speculations that Neha was in the family way. After a lot of hide-and-seek, the actor finally confirmed the news on August 24 with a tongue-in-cheek tweet, “Ha! Turns out this rumour is true. #3ofus.” A little over six months later, the couple became proud parents to a baby girl. She was born on Sunday at around 11.30 am at a Khar hospital.

While Angad didn’t take our calls or responded to our messages, a friend of the couple told Mirror that both Neha and he are ecstatic. “Neha’s family was present at the hospital during the delivery while Angad’s parents are expected to reach Mumbai from Delhi on Sunday night or by Monday morning. The new parents are yet to zero down on the name for their daughter but have a few options handy. Their close friend Soha Ali Khan, along with husband Kunal Kemmu, visited Neha as soon as the news broke. Soha returned to the hospital again in the evening, this time with her daughter Inaaya,” informs a source.

In October, Neha had admitted that filmmaker Karan Johar had played a Cupid for the couple when he had taken them aside at a party and screamed, “Can you not see this? Are you blind?” She had laughed and added, “You should’ve seen the look on Angad’s face. He had ‘I told you so!’ tattooed on his forehead.”

She went on to admit that when she finally gave in, her beau didn’t go down on one knee, telling her that he had already wasted four years trying to persuade her. “Before you change your mind, pick an outfit because we’re getting married in 2 days!” Angad told her and that was how the deed was done.

More recently while being quizzed by his better half on her chat show, Angad admitted that he wears his heart on his sleeve. “If I want to do something, I go ahead and do it. I think I learnt that from my dad (legendary Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi). My in-laws were already convinced four-five years ago. It wasn’t hard to convince my parents either. They really wanted me to settle down, start a family, and raise children,” he confided, adding that only the wife took forever to decide.

However, once she said “yes” things have made swift progress. The baby’s come along, papa’s ready to change diapers and be on night shifts. He has also put together a playlist for the baby which features only Diljit Dosanjh songs.
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DNA (November 19, 2018)

Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi were blessed with a baby girl at around 11.30 am yesterday. The actress delivered the baby at Women’s Hospital, Khar. A source says that both, mother and daughter, are doing fine. Neha and Angad tied the knot this May in an intimate ceremony. They took to social media to announce their marriage. Speculation was rife that the Tumhari Sulu actress was pregnant during her nuptials. However, Neha’s father had denied it. In August, the couple announced the pregnancy, and recently, on her podcast, Angad confirmed that she was expecting when they got married.

Neha continued to work through her pregnancy. She not only promoted Helicopter Eela, in which she shared screen space with Kajol, but also attended various events and shot the third season of her podcast. The actress was, however, missing from a recent bash that Karan Johar had hosted at his residence. Her husband, Angad, made up for her absence. He was overheard telling others that since Neha’s due date was around the corner, she was taking it easy.

In an earlier interview with After Hrs, the would-be mother spoke about the couple’s aspirations for their baby. She had said, “Angad and I are so inclined towards sports that we would love to see our child eventually represent the country in the Olympics squad. I always wanted to wear an India T-shirt and bring glory to the country but that dream remained unfulfilled. We are hoping our child is fit, healthy and disciplined to do that.”