‘Don’t understand this’: Divyanka Tripathi on post-pregnancy body expectations

Actress Divyanka Tripathi, known for the television series Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, says she does not understand why women are expected to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies soon after childbirth.

Tripathi and husband Vivek Dahiya welcomed twin sons on May 26, after ten years of marriage.

Speaking to PTI during an interview, Tripathi said, “I don’t know whether society is evolving or not; I just don’t understand this. Also, to some extent, unrealistic expectations are reinforced by the standards established by actors.”

“For instance, if someone asks me, ‘Wow, you bounced back in the third month,’ I will tell you, ‘It’s not wow.’ I want to show the realistic picture, it is not easy. You experience body pain, brain fog, and you really need your family’s support,” she added.

Tripathi also opened up about the physical changes and the time and effort involved in recovering after childbirth, saying she had initially expected the process to be quicker. She said, “I feel I’m a new human being altogether. Now, I’ve got to make every single part of my body new again.”

“But it takes time, and it is important that we give a woman that time to recover from this phase and support her. Holding her back by saying, ‘No, you can’t do this, just sit at home,’ is also not right. Whatever a woman feels like doing, she should be supported,” Tripathi noted.

Tripathi and Vivek met on the sets of the TV drama show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and tied the knot in 2016.

Tripathi made her acting debut with the Zee TV show Banoo Main Teri Dulhann in 2006, which shot her to fame. After that, she went on to star in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein.

Meanwhile, Vivek is known for his role as ACP Abhishek Singh in Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and Rajbeer Bundela in Kavach...Kaali Shaktiyon Se.

Dahiya emphasised the importance of teamwork and mutual support in achieving shared goals, saying, “I think no man or woman can work alone; only by working together will we be able to reach where we want to.”

On the work front, Tripathi and Vivek are currently appearing on the reality show Pati Patni Aur Panga, which is currently airing on the Colors TV channel and streaming on JioHotstar.