Sharmila Tagore recalls being asked how her husband allowed her to work after wedding, says ‘nobody asks’ Kareena Kapoor

Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore explained how difficult it was for her to deal with judgments when she was working in films a few decades ago. In a new interview, Sharmila said that she had the support of her husband, late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan. (Also Read | Sharmila Tagore says ‘special scripts’ are written for Amitabh Bachchan, not Waheeda Rehman)

Sharmila compared the past and the current approach towards female actors working after marriage. She said that while she was questioned, her daughter-in-law, actor Kareena Kapoor, and daughter Soha Ali Khan don’t face such queries.

In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Sharmila said, “I had a lot of support from my family, my husband, who always gave me space, always supported me in everything. I didn’t have to explain myself. So I had that kind of support. I have been very blessed with that. My mother wasn’t allowed to go to a co-ed university, she had to do her MA privately. I have been asked, ‘How did your husband allow you to work after you got married’. My daughter nobody asks her, she lives her…, my daughter-in-law.”

She also added, “Things are changing. We are going forward. Society is sometimes slow to change, once change becomes the norm, then change also escalates, which is happening now world over. The male gaze is still there, the male domination is still there. India lives in many centuries so different pockets of India believes in different kind of process. The wonderful city of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata the bigger cities have a different perspective. All in all, I think we are in a better place.”

Sharmila married Mansoor in December 1968. They became parents to Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan, and Soha Ali Khan. Saif married Kareena Kapoor in 2012. They have two sons, Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan. Soha married actor Kunal Khemu in 2015. They are parents to a daughter, Inaaya Naumi Khemmu.

Sharmila is making her comeback into films with Gulmohar after her 2010’s Break Ke Baad. Directed by Rahul V Chittella, the family drama also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Amol Palekar, Suraj Sharma, Simran Rishi Bagga and Kaveri Seth. It is produced by Star Studios, in association with Chalkboard Entertainment and Autonomous Works. Gulmohar will release on Disney+ Hotstar on March 3.