Alia Bhatt admits she is “control freak”; shares thoughts on parenting pressure and facing anxiety for daughter Raha

In a recent conversation, Alia Bhatt talked about her five-month-old daughter Raha and what is her opinion on balancing between being an actor and a mother.

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

April 26, 2023 - 8:43 PM IST

Throughout 2022, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt managed to be in the headlines constantly. From the release of Ayan Mukherji’s dream project Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva to becoming a producer and more, the year was indeed eventful for her. Besides growing professionally, the actress also moved forward in her personal life. She not only tied the knot with long-time beau Ranbir Kapoor but also welcomed their first child, a baby girl, whom they name Raha Kapoor.

Alia Bhatt admits she is “control freak”; shares thoughts on parenting pressure and facing anxiety for daughter Raha

Since then, Alia and Ranbir have often spoken about embracing parenthood. In fact, in a recent interview, Bhatt opened up on facing anxiety for her daughter Raha while “balancing” between being a mom and an actor. “I’m not putting too much pressure on either Raha or myself to be together as a family unit with Ranbir all the time. She’s just five months old and I’m so impressed with how well-behaved and peaceful she is. And on days when she isn’t, that’s fine too, because she’s a baby and has the right to have good and bad days,” said the actress-turned-producer in an interaction with Vogue.

The Darlings actress further added, “Similarly, I, as a mum, have the right to have great and terrible days too—even though it’s very difficult for me to not have it together at all times because I’m such a control freak. I always want to ace things and usually have everything under check. I guess what grounds me is how passionate I am about my work.”

According to Alia, she experiences mother's guilt whenever she has to leave Raha for work and feels the weight of performing well in both her roles as a mother and an actress.

The Raazi actress continued and said, “It does make me anxious to think whether I am doing right by my baby and work. There’s so much pressure on women to ace both…almost like this old-school dogma that once you have a baby, you have to martyr your career or you’re not a model mum. It’s very important for new mothers to get that time off work to gather their bearings, and it’s equally crucial for corporations and industries to grant them that time instead of writing them off.”

Alia acknowledged that even though she has all the resources to balance her roles effectively, feeling pressure and self-doubt is inevitable. She mentioned that she constantly wonders about others' opinions and whether they genuinely believe she is doing well or merely trying to be polite. Despite there being no external judgment, Alia expressed that she is critical of herself.

She also added that to manage her mental health, she attends therapy every week, where she discusses these fears. This process has helped her understand that it's an ongoing journey, and there is no magic solution. Alia believes that every day, one must rebuild themselves, piece by piece. She concluded by saying that nobody has all the answers, and it's important to acknowledge that.

Also Read: Alia Bhatt reveals that Ranbir Kapoor is “constantly nervous that Raha forget him”; says, “Sometimes it gets difficult for me to even hold Raha for a second”