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Women's Day Exclusive: Pearle Maaney gets candid on motherhood, being bullied during pregnancy & more
In a freewheeling conversation, Pearle Maaney also opened up on how negative comments took a toll on her mental health during pregnancy.
Onscreen, we see a lot of filmmakers constantly striving to bring new and exciting titles on how women are shattering the glass ceiling. As we celebrate the spirit of womanhood this International Women's Day 2022, we have Malayalam actress Pearle Maaney who has powerfully taken her work, marriage, and motherhood in her stride.
In an interview with Pinkvilla, Pearle Maaney, who dons multiple hats of being an anchor, actor, wife, and mother, delves deep into discussions like pregnancy, motherhood, and work-life balance.
I was being bullied and it was more on Facebook. It was a trash crowd.
Pearle Maaney
How is motherhood treating you? "More than motherhood treating me it's like Nila is treating me. On a serious note, it is not an easy job...there is so much emotionally, physically and a lot of investment needed when it comes to time. It's rewarding equally because the bond with the baby is so beautiful. It's a beautiful journey but a lot goes behind being a mother. It's not easy as we all thought and I felt. I have a lot of respect for my mom and all the mothers out there," said Pearle who is married to her Bigg Boss Malayalam co-contestant and actor Srinish Aravind.
The actress likes to keep herself busy all the time. Asked how does she balance work and life, Pearle says, "I have to prioritise than balance it. I have been working since I was 18 and I'm someone who had been working all the time. The only time I got off work was during the COVID pandemic and even then I was doing something or other with writing singing, editing my projects. I also had Ludo released when I was pregnant. But ever since Nila happened, I started making conscious efforts to slow down a little bit. I didn't want to juggle the role of motherhood for the first few months at least. I think motherhood is more important than your career because you have a human moulding inside you and completely dependent on you. I'm only taking work that is important at the moment. I have a lot of friends who say I'm not able to work within 6-7 months of having a baby. I tell them, you have achieved much more beautiful than your career, you are a mother so enjoy that. I'm not talking about the people who have to work with no option to earn bread. I'm talking about the people who are privileged and can relax back. Some mothers have to start working within a month for financial reasons but if you are blessed with the financial support that you have, enjoy motherhood."
Are you finicky about Nila's food, bedtime, etc? "Not at all! I don't like to pamper her much but be more social. I make sure she interacts with everybody, especially because she is a baby born during the pandemic. If she is crying and looks at me, I still make sure she interacts with new faces. About food, well she eats everything that I eat. There are days when she doesn't sleep, so I move with her clock. Every child is different. Probably my next child will not be like Nila. Every kid requires a different kind of care," says Ludo actress.
Kajal Aggarwal recently penned a long note on facing trolls, body-shamed during her pregnancy, and how pregnant women are made to feel uncomfortable. Asked if she faced any of these, Pearle replies, "yes, of course, I had to go through this. When I was pregnant, I had to promote Ludo. During the promotions, I used to dress up, wear designer clothes, and post those photos online. More than criticised, I was being bullied and it was more on Facebook. It was a trash crowd. I called a particular channel that was posting the photos every day as a part of promotions. I asked them to not and they agreed. They used to post photos even then but were monitoring the comments. It was upsetting me because my sister and parents used to share screenshots of it with me. I was like why a pregnant woman cannot dress the way she wants. There were comments where I was asked why am I working just sit and relax. This should be a woman's choice."
During her pregnancy, Srinish was away for shoots. Sharing on the same, the yummy mummy says, "It was the most difficult time because he used to pamper me more than my mom. I was missing pampering when he used to be on shoots but we stayed connected on video calls. It was ok, not that bad. He is a very good husband and I think I'm very lucky on that. I wish more men were like him."
The Valimai actress says she was running behind success before being a mom but now, she feels content.
"Right now, I'm at a very happy space. I feel like I have everything I ever wanted to because when Nila came into my life, I felt content. Before, I was rushing and running behind success to prove it to people and myself. For me, my daughter is everything now."
While a lot of celebs avoid posting photos of their babies and keep them away from the media glare, Pearle and Srinish did it otherwise.
Revealing on what made them do this, Pearle shares, "Usually people avoid it but it's also their choice. In my case, I and Srini both met on Bigg Boss and people have been watching us together since then. We lived there for 100 days and fans were with us throughout the journey. Before we had Nila, we discussed this and decided to show her face right when she was born. The fans out there are like a family, so we did it for them. Even when she was in my womb, I was getting so many messages and blessings for her. That's her destiny and I can't change it anymore. If I had not shared her photos anywhere, I would have become a mad lady here. I can't make her wear parda (cover the face) or cover myself while stepping out."
In a freewheeling conversation, Pearle Maaney also opened up on how negative comments took a toll on her mental health during pregnancy.
"Negative comments affected me a lot, usually they don't but Srinish helped me a lot to keep calm. He handled it beautifully. During COVID it was not easy but he was there all the time. I was in a very bad situation when photos of my pregnancy from Ludo promotions were being reposted on all YT channels and the comments would be bad."
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