Actor Anil Kapoor tells his two unmarried daughters - Sonam and Rhea - not to be "old fashioned" whenever marriage comes up as a topic of discussion.
"He has never asked me to marry. I asked him, dad how do you feel that Sonam and I will marry one day. He said, 'don't be so outdated 'beta', you're so old fashioned'," Rhea said.
"He has never put any pressure. All he says is work hard and make a fantastic body. That's my father's major dream for me," she adds.
Rhea, who has produced Aisha and Khoobsurat, says her father would never worry about their school results.
"It is very funny but apart from my career, my father's biggest dream for me was to have six packs. I still remember I used to come back from college and I was like 'this is my GPA'. He would look at me and say, 'just be fit beta.' I was studious in school but there was no reaction at all."
To which Anil replied, "It's not about the six packs. If you're healthy, you're happy, it is beautiful. All your professional and personal ambitions will be fulfilled if you're feeling good. Don't take stress."
Rhea said while growing up, she could never figure out if her father's film became a hit or flop as the 60-year-old actor never let his children get affected.
"'Don't react, work hard and move on', he always says that. He is positive, doesn't have temper, doesn't take stress. Everyone says your dad looks so young, I think that's one of the reasons. He doesn't ponder over any negativity," she says.
Rhea and Anil were speaking at the Ensure Dreams Survey Conference. Neena Gupta and her daughter Masaba were also present at the event.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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