Chahatt Khanna on dearth of good work: Female actors suffer professionally after marriage

About a year back, actor Chahatt Khanna, a single mother two daughters, Zohar and Amaira, took to social media to ask for work. While she has bagged a handful of music videos in the recent past, the post hasn’t translated to meaningful work for her.

Talking to us, she says, “It hasn’t got me the kind of work I was looking for; I’m still looking. I don’t mind doing any kind of good work, be it on any platforms – television, films or the web.”

Khanna, who has been through two divorces in the past, believes that has also got to do with the dearth of work since entertainment business is prone to judging and stereotyping actors. “Female actors have to suffer professionally after marriage and motherhood. And being a divorcee adds another layer. It does bother me at sometimes. Things are changing now but we’ve a long way to go,” she says.

But what angers the Qubool Hai and Prassthanam (2019) actor are the labels that often come a woman’s way. “It’s strange that a woman with children is called a lady but if there’s someone elder to you but doesn’t have children, she will be referred to as a girl. That irritates me a lot. That’s also reflected on the work coming your way,” she rues.

The actor, whose first marriage was at the age of 20, agrees that bringing up two growing daughters is no cakewalk. And she often wonders why she married so early. “The pressure of bringing my daughters up on my own is still there and that will always be there. But whatever happens, happens for the best, I think. I try to look at the positive side… if I didn’t get married, I wouldn’t have had Zohar and Amaira with me,” she ends.