Malaika Arora on being age-shamed: “It’s triggering when people call you ‘buddhiya’”

Malaika Arora said: “People call me ‘buddhiya’. I mean how can you even say something like that to somebody? Kabhi kabhi ye trigger karta hai, bahut hi insensitive hai

Even after spending decades in the entertainment industry, Malaika Arora, 51, continues to remain in the public eye for her work and high glamour quotient. While she is widely appreciated by the audience, there are always naysayers to deal with. In a recent chat with Pinkvilla, the actress opened up about staying relevant for over 20 years and facing trolls, who often hurt her sentiments with age-shaming.

In the chat, Malaika shared that being in the business for so long requires pushing the envelope and constantly reinventing oneself, which doesn’t come easy. She admitted there are days when she feels bogged down by a lack of work opportunities or by those around her, but she has to pick herself up and keep going. What worked in her favour though, she believes, is that she takes criticism in her stride and is open to change.

The actress didn’t hesitate to share that it often bothers her when people age-shame. She said, “People call me ‘buddhiya’. I mean how can you even say something like that to somebody? Kabhi kabhi ye trigger karta hai, bahut hi insensitive hai (Sometimes it triggers, it’s insensitive). People don’t realise what may upset you. You put on a brave face and they only see that persona.”

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Malaika confessed these things have made her cry and wonder if she is in the right place. However, she said it’s always momentary. After a while, she pushes herself to move on and put it behind her.

“I feel you should take these things not only in your stride but as examples where you want to turn around and tell somebody, ‘Go ahead to say what you want to say, I will be better than that'. I will prove to you that I can be better and I can probably do anything and everything under the sun,” she added.

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Malaika shared that what keeps her going is the support of her loved ones, especially her son Arhaan Khan. She said, “He is always like, 'What is the big deal, Mom? It is fine if somebody is saying that. Why are you letting it affect you or upset you?’"

She added that his words help her switch gears. “After that, my mind mechanisms to deal with such situations kicks in and I say to myself, ‘Let's move forward and put this behind me. Tomorrow is a new day.’”