Karisma Kapoor To Sushmita Sen: Meet The Single Mothers Of Bollywood We Adore

It's difficult to be a single mother in a culture that continually evaluates you. Along with raising their children alone, single women often have to deal with social pressure over their marital status. For women who live their whole lives in the spotlight, the scrutiny is only getting worse. It's never going to be simple to raise a child alone.

When you're a celebrity, like a Bollywood actor, you must bear the burden as the audience witnesses your problems. In contrast, there are women in this industry who have actually shown us how not to give a damn when it comes to the criticism that society holds single mothers in high regard.

There are actors in the television and film industry who are proud single mothers. Nisha Rawal who accused her ex-spouse Karan Mehra of domestic abuse is now raising their son Kavish. The original Komolika of Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Urvashi Dholakia, wed at age 17 and gave birth to twin boys at age 18. After a year and a half of marriage, she and her husband split, and she has been raising her sons ever since.

Here are some of the celebrities who are raising their kids as single parent and are winging it in spite of being under scrutiny and limelight.

Single Parents Of Bollywood

Juhi Parmar

Juhi Parmar is well-known in the Indian television industry, has been in a number of shows, and is best known for her role as Kumkum in Kumkum-Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan. She married actor and businessman Sachin Shroff in a palace in Jaipur on February 15, 2009. The couple's daughter, Samaira, was born on January 27, 2013.

At the start of January 2018, Parmar acknowledged that they had just filed for divorce. The couple fought for several months before being granted a divorce in July 2018. Later, Parmar got custody of their daughter. Her nine-year-old daughter, Samairra Parmar, is being raised by her.

She shares a lot of fun Instagram posts with her daughter, and recently she shared how she feels about single parenting in a post. She wrote, " Remember single parenting maybe lesser hands but my hands multiply, my responsibility doubles! But I shall not leave any stone unturned just like any other single parent out there….So Accept and keep your judgements at bay."

Juhi Parmar and her daughter Samairra

Ekta Kapoor

Ekta Kapoor revealed in a conversation that she opted to save her eggs at the age of 36. She had previously stated that she felt a calling and wasn't sure if she would get married or not. Ravie was born via surrogate to Kapoor on January 27, 2019. Ekta claimed that having her brother embrace (Tusshar Kapoor) single parenting gave her more confidence to do the same.

This even helped grow her parents, renowned actor Jeetendra and television producer Shobhaa Kapoor, who are distinct personalities.
When Kapoor opted to become a single mother, she said that several remarks had surfaced. She emphasised how, despite all the talk, she wanted to be the one to live her life in a way that didn't harm others and in such a way that others wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

Malaika Arora

In 1998, Malaika Arora married Arbaaz Khan and they welcomed their son Arhaan Khan in 2002.  According to the deal signed in the Bandra Family Court, after the divorce, Arora will have custody of the son, and Arbaaz Khan will be allowed to see him occasionally. She discussed being a single mother to her son Arhaan following her divorce in an interview, revealing that she realised she had to be a single "working" mother in order to be a single mother.

Arora has been running Malaika Arora Ventures (MAV) since 2021 and is currently working on her first book on nutrition. MAV aims to make active investments in lifestyle, health, and wellness businesses. She additionally appears in reality TV programmes.

Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen, the former Miss Universe, made headlines when she originally revealed that she would be adopting a girl child at the age of 24. Many people questioned whether it would be a good idea for her to become a mother at such a young age and that too, as a single mother, when her career was taking off. Renee is Sushmita's oldest daughter, and Alisah is her youngest.

As Sen once said when discussing her decision to adopt a child at a young age, "The wisest decision I made at the age of 24 was to become a mother. It stabilised my life. People think it was a great act of charity and wonderful action, but it was self-preservation. It was me protecting myself. "

Sushmita Sen With Her Daughters Renee and Alisah (Instagram)

Suggested Reading: Why Does Single Parenting Still Meet Resistance From Our Society?

Sakshi Tanwar

Sakshi Tanwar, who is known for works like Bade Achche Lagte Hain, Dangal, and Mai, adopted a nine-month-old girl in 2018. She goes by the name Dityaa, which is another name for the goddess Lakshmi. With the actor's parents' approval and the help of his family and friends, she announced the adoption of a newborn girl. The actor then stated, "She is the fulfilment of all my prayers, and having her in my life makes me feel blessed."

The actor added in her statement and expressed her emotions and talked openly about being a single mother at this point in her life. "It's like any other parent that experiences this. I believe I am not unique. I am a parent just like any other. I experienced the same stage that other parents do."

Shweta Tiwari

The actor, who gained fame on television with Kasautii Zindagi Kay, is a popular face in the Indian television industry. In 1998, Tiwari married actor Raja Chaudhary, with whom she had a daughter named Palak in 2000. However, she accused her husband of domestic violence in 2007 and filed a lawsuit.

Shweta Tiwari got remarried in 2013. She was happily married to Abhinav Kohli until she gave birth to her son, Reyansh, in 2016. In addition to filing for divorce, the couple fought a custody battle for a long period of time. Tiwari is parenting her children by herself after receiving custody of both of them.

Shweta Tiwari with her children Palak and Reyansh

Karisma Kapoor

Karisma Kapoor wed industrialist Sunjay Kapur on September 29, 2003. The couple welcomed a girl, Samaira, in 2005, and Kiaan, a son, in 2010. The couple filed for divorce peacefully in 2014. The couple filed applications to withdraw their consent to it in November 2015. In 2016, the couple's divorce was completed, and Kapoor is raising her kids alone.

Kapoor once stated, "If your children are really small, you can get away with using an excuse like "Dad is out of town" or "Sleeping in the office that night." However, older children are highly perceptive, so I believe you should explain to them why you are divorced and why you both still love him while living apart."

She added, "In my opinion, you should not consider a separation or divorce to be the worst thing that could have happened to you and your family. The most important thing is to raise a child that is optimistic, self-reliant, polite, and intelligent."