9 Celebrities Who Chose Not To Follow The Traditional Path To Marriage And Motherhood

Written by , BA (Media & Communication) Niharika Nayak BA (Media & Communication) Experience: 4 years
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“You should settle down and have kids before you reach thirty, or it will be too late for you!” “My friends’ father’s cousin’s son would be the perfect match for you!” Aren’t you tired of hearing ridiculous comments like this every day? Plenty of people will tell you that you need to get married at a certain age to have children, but this doesn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of women who’ve chosen to take a different route and not follow what society had to say to them. From IVF to surrogacy and freezing their eggs, here are nine Bollywood celebrities who chose a different path to motherhood:

1. Sushmita Sen Raised Both Her Adopted Daughters As A Single Mother

Sushmita Sen Raised Both Her Adopted Daughters As A Single Mother
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Image: Instagram @sushmitasen47

Sushmit adopted her older daughter Renee at the young age of 24 while making a name for herself in her career. She was single at the time, and many nay-sayers criticized her for adopting a child without a partner, but Sushmita paid them no heed. She has stated that deciding to adopt and become a mother was the wisest decision she had ever made. She added that embracing motherhood helped her stabilize her life.

2. Kareena Kapoor Tied The Knot With A Divorcé With Two Kids

Kareena Kapoor Tied The Knot With A Divorcé With Two Kids
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Image: kareenakapoorkhan / Instagram

Kareena revealed how many people cautioned her on her decision to marry a divorced man. Many even brought up how Saif had two young kids with his ex-wife and that they would never accept Kareena as a mother figure. Others even dared to tell Kareena that her career would be over if she got married to him. To them, Kareena had to say, “Such a big crime to be in love? Such a big crime to get married? Let’s do it, let’s see what happens”. The pair tied the knot, and Kareena is on excellent terms with her step-children, Sara and Ibrahim. She and Saif went on to have two children of their own as well.

3. Suhasini Mulay Remained In A Live-In Relationship Before Tying The Knot In Her 60s

Suhasini Mulay Remained In A Live-In Relationship Before Tying The Knot In Her
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Image: Amazon

Suhasini Mulay initially had a live-in relationship in the early 90s, but after her relationship fell apart, she chose to be single for nearly twenty years. Love finally came knocking at her door when she turned 60, and she decided to marry a man named Atul Gurtu in 2011. On her decision, she had stated that choosing to marry at an older age is a decision you’re making yourself and without pressure from others.

4. Neena Gupta Had A Child Out Of Wedlock And Raised Her As A Single Mother

Neena Gupta Had A Child Out Of Wedlock And Raised Her As A Single Mother
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Image: Instagram @masabagupta

Neena Gupta chose to ignore society’s judgment and raise her daughter, Masaba Gupta as a single mother after getting pregnant out of wedlock. Masaba’s father was a married man, and as usual, people chose to judge the other woman, Neena, rather than the man who cheated on his wife with her. Despite facing immense judgment from others, her father chose to stay by her side and helped her raise her child. Neena revealed how many men offered to marry her so that her “child gets a name”. Isn’t it crazy how people think a woman is incapable of raising her own child by herself?

5. Raveena Tandon Adopted Two Daughters At 21 As A Single Woman

Raveena Tandon Adopted Two Daughters At 21 As A Single Woman
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Image: Instagram @officialraveenatandon

At 21, Raveena decided to adopt two girls as a single mother and raise them as her own. Many questioned her decision and said stuping things like, “Who would marry you if you already have kids (as if kids are a burden or baggage)? When Raveena’s cousin passed away, there was nobody left to look after his two daughters. Raveena noticed that the girl’s guardians weren’t treating them well and decided to adopt them herself. She has since become a grandmother through her oldest adoptive daughter and has married and settled down with someone who accepted both her and her children. She also went on to have two biological children with her husband.

6. Konkona Sen Sharma By Choosing To Co-Parent With Her Ex-Husband

Konkona Sen Sharma By Choosing To Co-Parent With Her Ex-Husband
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Image: Instagram @konkona

Kokona stunned many when she got pregnant by Ranveer Shorey and married him afterward. The pair got married in September of 2010, and Konkona delivered their son, Haroon, in March of 2011. Although the couple ended up on the train to splitsville, they co-parent their son together and can give us a lesson or two on how to be kind to your ex!

7. Farah Khan Was The First Indian Celebrity To Speak About Having Kids Through IVF

Farah Khan Was The First Indian Celebrity To Speak About Having Kids Through IVF
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Image: Instagram @farahkhankunder

Farah was the first major celebrity to speak up about having children through IVF. She became a mother to her triplets, Diva, Czar, and Anya, at the age of 43 and stated that she was glad she made this decision. She revealed that she decided to become a mother when she was ready for it and not when society deemed it necessary. The choreographer even released a statement supporting IVF on Instagram and detailed her reasons for choosing it.

8. Lisa Ray Welcomed Her Twins Via A Surrogate

Lisa Ray Welcomed Her Twins Via A Surrogate
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Image: Instagram @lisaraniray

Lisa Ray had admitted that she never saw herself becoming a mother when she was younger and that many of the things in her life have been unplanned. However, after marrying her husband, Jason Dehni, when she was 40, she noticed that her desire to have kids increased. So in 2018, Lisa and Jason chose to become parents via a surrogate. They named their daughters, Sufi and Soleil. Lisa had revealed that she could not carry her children herself due to being on lifelong medication after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009.

9. Diana Hayden Gave Birth To Her Daughter At 42 After Freezing Her Eggs

Former Miss World, Diana Hayden, gave birth to her first daughter when she was 42. Diana had frozen her eggs for eight years and waited to reach the right point in her career before she decided to have kids. She also had twins one year later.

Many of these women didn’t let society hold them back from doing what they wanted. They chose to be an inspiration to the rest of the community and do things differently, and we really respect them for it. Do let us know all of your thoughts in the comment section below!

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