Actress Manasi Parekh will soon be seen on the big screen in Paresh Rawal’s Gujarati film Dear Father. The movie marks Manasi’s second Gujarati film and will mark Paresh Rawal’s return to the Gujarati industry after 40 years. However, recently, Manasi opened up about being a working mother and revealed that she had to be away from her daughter for 32 days as she was busy with the shooting. The actress also explained how she organises things for her daughter and mentioned even her meals are listed so that there is no trouble while she is away at work.
“I think every working woman is figuring out ways to make sure that they can work without any guilt and at the same time their child is taken care of. And I am also one of those working women. When I was shooting for Dear Father, I had to be away from home for almost 32 days. And that’s the longest I’ve been without my daughter. So I made sure to keep everything prepared for her. I recorded stories for her on the Ipad so that she could listen to my voice when sleeping, I made a menu and a properly organised list of meals for her and also made sure that a family member is around her all the time, she said.
Admitting that this is not an ideal situation for anybody, Manasi added and if a child tells a mother that he/she is missing her, the parent starts to feel guilty. “It is not easy. Because once they get older, they convey that they miss you and that they feel alone. And then you feel even more guilty. So what I do now is I keep reading books to Nirvi about working mothers. In a way, I kind of prepare her mentally about the concept of being independent. That there will be times when her Mom has to go to work and when she isn’t working, she will spend all spare time with her,” she added.
Manasi also talked about the support she gets from her family and added that they collectively help her manage things in a better way. “I have a great family system. I have a great support system in Parthiv, who is very hands-on when I’m not around. My Mom is always ready to step in and we spend weekends at her place. So it’s a combination of a great support system, very good staff and family that’s always around and that’s how I manage my shoots and that’s how I manage being a mother as well,” she said.
For the unversed, Manasi Parekh’s daughter Nirvi Gohil is five years old.
Manasi Parekh has worked in several television shows including Sumit Sambhal Lega, Gulaal, Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya, and Do Not Disturb among others. She will be next seen in Dear Father, which is a crime thriller and will be released in theatres on March 4.
