Kareena Kapoor on having tell Aamir Khan about her pregnancy (Source: Express Photo by Prakash Yeram). Kareena Kapoor Khan opened up about a moment during the Covid-19 pandemic when she found out she was pregnant with her second child Jehangir while still shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha. She recalled feeling nervous about how her pregnancy might impact the project.. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, she said, “I got pregnant in Covid I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re in the middle of this movie, and I have to call up Aamir (Khan) and tell him that, it’s Covid, and we’re 50-60% into the movie, and I’m pregnant.’ And Saif (Ali Khan) looked at me and he said, ‘I think it’s Aamir, and you should tell him,’” Kareena shared. She added, “We’re stuck in a situation that we don’t know when this lockdown is going to open or what has happened. And you don’t even have to say it’s a mistake. Things happen. And he was like, ‘Don’t be scared. Pick up the phone’.” Kareena then recalled telling Aamir, “If you want to replace me, you can. This is it. And I’m a mother, and I want to have my second child.”. She then stated that Aamir did not have a problem with her taking a break. “And he was like, ‘I’m so happy for you. We’re going to do this and we’re going to do this together, and I’m going to wait for you. Whatever it takes, we’ll make this happen.’ I felt that there are people in this industry who value you for just going on with your life.”. Balancing motherhood with work responsibilities is never simple, and for women working in high-pressure environments, this decision can be fraught with guilt, fear, and uncertainty.. Why do many women feel anxiety or guilt about disclosing a pregnancy at work?. Gurleen Baruah, existential psychotherapist at That Culture Thing, tells indianexpress.com, “Many women feel anxiety or guilt about disclosing a pregnancy at work because, despite legal protections, they still face the very real threat of the ‘motherhood penalty.’ This bias plays out in subtle and overt ways — being passed over for promotions, losing key roles, or being quietly replaced under the guise of ‘business needs.’ Studies have shown that pregnant women and new mothers are often perceived as less committed, less competent, or too ‘distracted’ for leadership, even when their performance hasn’t changed. This persistent penalty — sometimes called the ‘pink slip tax’ — sends a clear message: your reproductive choices can still cost you your career.”. This reveals how deeply society continues to tie a woman’s value to uninterrupted productivity, she states. “The guilt isn’t coming from the pregnancy itself — it’s coming from internalised expectations to be endlessly available, self-sacrificing, and invulnerable.”. Wanting to expand their families vs. the fear of being professionally penalised for it. To emotionally navigate the conflict between
