Actor and reality television star Maheep Kapoor made her digital debut at the age of 48 with Karan Johar’s Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. The reality series became a huge success and has since completed three seasons. In a recent conversation on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast, Maheep opened up about stepping into the spotlight in her late 40s and the intense online scrutiny that followed.
Maheep Kapoor talks about pressure of staying young
When asked whether she feels the pressure to stay young, both personally and professionally, Maheep admitted, “100%.” She elaborated, “Bollywood Wives happened to me when I was 48. It is a very insecure time for a woman. We are ageing, pre-menopause. And when Karan told me, I was like, ‘Couldn’t you have come a bit earlier?’ Then, on top of this, suddenly you are scrutinised, you get those trolls and have people pointing out your flaws.”
She added, “I was bombarded with that and all I wanted to say was, ‘Screw you.’ What surprised me was that there were a lot of women among the trolls as well. Now I realise it stems from a lot of insecurity. It’s a privilege to get older. Women should be proud of it, own it and flaunt it. After Bollywood Wives, I became a little more ruthless. I was out there in middle age, not in my 20s, when I was very hot. To put yourself out there in your late 40s isn’t easy. And yes, we have this problem that women can’t age.”
Maheep further explained that men are often perceived as becoming more attractive with age. Citing George Clooney and David Beckham as examples, she said that despite their wrinkles and grey hair, they are still widely regarded as handsome. She pointed out that women in the entertainment industry, however, are rarely afforded the same acceptance as they grow older.
About Maheep Kapoor
Maheep is known for being candid about her personal life. The former model and actor married actor Sanjay Kapoor in 1997. The couple have two children, daughter Shanaya Kapoor and son Jahaan Kapoor.
She rose to fame after appearing in the first season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives alongside her friends Seema Sajdeh, Neelam Kothari and Bhavana Pandey. In the second season, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives follows the personal and professional lives of Maheep, Bhavana, Seema and Neelam. The series premiered on Netflix on 27 November 2020, with the second season releasing on 2 September 2022. The third season, which premiered in 2024, introduced a “Mumbai vs Delhi” theme and featured new cast members Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Shalini Passi and Kalyani Saha Chawla alongside returning stars Seema, Maheep, Neelam and Bhavana.