"They don't have to worry about childbirth": Meenakshi Seshadri on Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor's career longevity

The 'Damini' of Bollywood, Meenakshi Seshadri is a prominent actress who debuted in the 1980s and quickly rose to fame, working alongside several A-list male stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra, Anil Kapoor, and Shatrughan Sinha.

After a successful career in Bollywood, she chose to step away from the limelight in 1996 to focus on her personal life and later settled in the USA.

Now, at 60, Meenakshi is planning a return to the film industry.

In a recent interview, Meenakshi Seshadri talked about why her male co-stars, including Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor, remain active in the industry despite being older than her.

"They don’t have to worry about childbirth or pregnancy, or raising children," she explained.

During an interview with Lehren Retro, the veteran actress elaborated on the various reasons that contribute to the long careers of male actors.

"There are quite a few reasons why male actors have a longer run in the industry. Even with Dharmendra, Jeetendra, and Amitabh Bachchan’s generation, they are still at it. Another factor is that men are not really the ones who are doing domestic duties at home. So, they can completely devote themselves to their careers. The third reason is that they don’t have to worry about childbirth or pregnancy, or raising children. All of this becomes the woman’s responsibility. So, there you go, this is exactly why these heroes are still going strong," she expanded on the topic.

She added later, "And, of course, people still like them. It is the most important factor."

She also talked about her experience working with her senior co-stars, "Everyone told me that Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha are temperamental and egoistic, but I didn’t find that at all. Or they thought of me as a child and were extra nice. During the shooting of Hoshiyar in Chennai, I had to wrap up the shooting and take a flight to Mumbai to shoot another film. My one scene was left with Shatrughan Sinha, and I requested him to come at 6 am. He never arrives on the set that early, but he came that day. After wrapping up the scene, he told me not to tell anyone about this as they wouldn’t believe he came on the set early."

Meenakshi Seshadri featured in about 70 films during her 13-year run in the industry. Her notable works include blockbusters like Hero, Meri Jung, Shahenshah, and National Award winning Damini.

In 1998, she made a guest appearance in the film Swami Vivekananda, and later, she appeared in the 2016 film Ghayal: Once Again.

Now, after a 27-year hiatus, Meenakshi is set to make a comeback to the silver screen.

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In an interview with ETimes, Meenakshi expressed her curiosity and excitement about the roles she might be offered upon her return. "I think current filmmakers will want to know what I am like nowadays, what my artistic expression is before anybody decides to write a script for me," she said.