I was wary of sharing stuff online, says Ankita
Iknow people who live for social media, but my life is not for or on social media,” says Ankita Bhargava, who didn’t share her daughter Mehr’s face in her social media posts.
Bhargava admits that she wasn’t comfortable in doing so. “I was wary of sharing stuff online, it’s a personal thing. But one fine day, Karan (Patel; actor-husband) shared her photo online. There’s been a lot of love for Mehr since she was born, but there are many negative people out there as well. I see one negative comment and it stays with you and you forget all the love,” she adds.
Being a hands-on mum, Bhargava shares that there are no assumptions about motherhood.
“My journey has been easy because I did things that Mehr wanted. I didn’t need to lean on anyone for advice. I listened to her and it worked beautifully. I love being a mother. I was always a pet person but now I have Naughty, our dog and Mehr,” she says.
Bhargava had gained 22kgs during pregnancy and it began affecting her ankles and knees. So, she worked on “getting healthier by the time Mehr turns one”.
While she has not gone back to acting just yet, Bhargava has started a business as she wanted to be a working mum. “I do intend to act, but maybe not for a few years. But the entrepreneurial bug got the better of me and I got bit ambitious and stepped out of my comfort zone.”
She adds, “As for societal pressures on a new mum, more than anything else, some people got miffed with me as I stopped calling them as I didn’t have the energy or time. That response didn’t make any sense. It irked me. If you are not going to help me, then don’t complain about keeping in touch.”
Lakshmi Manchu is not one who is afraid to speak her mind, but that doesn’t come without repercussions. The actor says she has come to realise that haters will continue to hate, irrespective of what she does, and asserts that she is not “in the business of making everybody like” her.
The actor, who has starred in Telugu as well as English films, has spoken up about a lot of issues about women. In fact, she was one of the first few celebrities to slam the media trial of actor Rhea Chakraborty, who was accused of abetment to suicide in the death of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
“Speaking your mind is picking a fight because people are so intolerant,” Manchu tells us. “What I have realised is that haters are going to hate. People who don’t know me are going to hate me for what they think that I should be, or when people have an opinion about how celebrities should be or should behave,” she adds.
The actor says that she chooses to look at the brighter side. “Some love my clothes, some don’t. Some love the way I speak, some don’t. I cannot be in the business of making everybody like me. I can only like me for what I am and stand up for what I believe in. I can’t pay attention to the haters. I have a lot of love supporting and surrounding me. So, I choose to look at that.”
Ask her if detaching is that easy for her and she mentions that one learns with time.
“When you are beaten up pretty badly, healing teaches you these things. When you heal from the hurt that has been caused and the learning that happens with being a celebrity or people taking advantage of you or violating your space, and sometimes not knowing how to draw boundaries... you learn and you learn very quickly,” the Basmati Blues (2017) and Kaatrin Mozhi (2018) actor says.
The daughter of Telugu cinema's veteran actor Mohan Babu, Manchu feels that as a celebrity, she has a responsibility to use her voice.
“We are given this voice, where so many people want to be in our place . So many want to be where I am standing. I should make the most of it and spread as much joy as possible. I have to admit that I’m addicted to that. I am addicted to spreading joy,” she says.