'Six months after the wedding, I had a baby; So what?': Neha Dhupia slams trolls over pregnancy timeline

Mumbai: Actor Neha Dhupia has finally addressed the lingering online chatter surrounding her wedding to Angad Bedi and the birth of their daughter, Mehr and she’s not holding back.

In a recent interview with Mid-Day, Neha opened up about the criticism and judgment she faced for being pregnant before marriage, a topic that became the focus of social media conversations when the couple tied the knot in a hush-hush ceremony in 2018 and welcomed their baby just six months later.

“I married Angad [Bedi, actor-husband], and after six months we welcomed our daughter [Mehr]. But the biggest conversation around our wedding was, ‘How did the baby come in six months? Ye ho kaise gaya?’” she recalled, adding that the curiosity around her personal life often overshadowed the love and joy that should have marked the beginning of their journey as parents.

Despite the trolling, Neha said she has learned to take it in stride. “Even now, I see stories and tags on female actors who get pregnant before marriage. I feel, at least, I’m on the same list as Neena Gupta and Alia Bhatt. But honestly, this is ridiculous,” she added.

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Both Neena Gupta and Alia Bhatt have faced similar public scrutiny. Neena had her daughter Masaba Gupta with West Indies cricket legend Vivian Richards outside of marriage, while Alia welcomed her daughter Raha with actor Ranbir Kapoor months after their 2022 wedding.

Rather than be silenced by criticism, Neha chose to channel the negativity into action. The backlash inspired her to launch ‘Freedom to Feed’, an initiative focused on creating awareness around pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum recovery.

“We need to normalise discussions around women’s health instead of treating them as taboo,” Neha said. “If I’m being trolled for talking about things that affect half the population, then so be it. I’m not going to stop.”