Redefining The Term 'Good Mum': Genelia Deshmukh Talks Motherhood

Genelia Deshmukh, who rejoined the film industry after a ten-year hiatus, has been a rulebreaker throughout. Be it marrying Riteish Deshmukh at the peak of her career or transitioning back to her successful acting career after motherhood, she has always set major goals by breaking conventional stereotypes. In the latest episode of The Rulebreaker Show, hosted by Shaili Chopra, founder of SheThePeople and Gytree, Genelia opened up about her journey of motherhood.

Genelia on Being a Mother

Challenging the conventional ideology behind being a perfect mother, Genelia shared how even imperfections can be beautiful. "Somewhere, I think as women, we want to live up to perfection. I think there's a lot of beauty in imperfection, and there's a lot that comes through it," she expressed. "I am not perfect. I have days when I think that this [parenting] is really tough, and other days I feel like, wow, there's nothing else I want to do but this."

Genelia shared how there was pressure on her to be a good mother. She reflected on how, when her elder son Riaan was born in 2014, she was completely different compared to when her younger son Rahyl was born in 2016.

"When I became a mum, the pressure on me to be a 'good mum'. I don't know what that term means, still. Me being a mum for the first time around and me being a mum for the second time around were two different places. I think first, I was just listening to everyone, which is a good thing, but the want was to be what they saw me. I think the second time around, I realized that this is me, and this is the kind of mum I want to be."

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In 2022, Genelia made her comeback to full-time acting alongside her husband Riteish Deshmukh in the film Mister Mummy. Her Marathi film debut, Ved opposite Riteish, went on to become the highest-grossing Marathi film. With her latest remarkable presence in Sitaare Zameen Par, Genelia has unofficially announced that she is back to rule the screen and hearts once again.

Views expressed by the author are their own.