Why I feel Kareena Kapoor Khan is the Ma Bollywood was waiting for

One careful reading of most Bollywood film contracts will have a "no-pregnancy" clause staring you in the face. And, it has taken a Kareena Kapoor Khan to get the blatantly sexist industry to be accepting of a pregnant actress.

In an industry obsessing over such clauses to minimise risks, we have Kareena who got a production house to work on pregnancy insurance cover to get her film Veere di wedding rolling. It could be a first for Bollywood that a cover such as this becomes a reason for delay in filming. Because, our country does not insure pregnant women.

It is certainly not the first time that an Indian Bollywood actress has worked through her pregnancy. Sridevi was pregnant with her first daughter Jhanvi while she continued to meet professional commitments she made before she got pregnant. Juhi Chawla was seven-months pregnant while shooting for Jhankaar Beats where she played the role of a pregnant wife opposite Sanjay Suri. Even Jaya Bachchan was three months pregnant while filming the iconic Sholay. While none of them faltered professionally owing to their pregnancy, neither did they make an impactful comeback in mainstream cinema.

An off-screen mother is far less appealing to the sexist bandwagon of directors and producers and a harrowing experience ensues - an actress goes through the cycle of trauma, hard work and even shaming before she can get back to cinema in a physical form that appeals to the director/producer of a film.

Fit off-screen mothers in the Indian film industry, such as Malaika Arora Khan or Shipla Shetty, can be fashion/fitness icons, popular "item girls" setting the screen on fire and raking in the moolah, but never a leading protagonist.

It took a Jazba and a Sarabjit and a lot of shaming for the once blue-eyed girl of Bollywood cinema Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to finally land a commercial, big-budget project like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - as well as a unique pairing with a much younger actor to get everyone talking about the film and her oomph quotient.Can the leading lady "scorch screens"? That is the defining parametre, mostly and unfortunately. The "comeback" movies are rather low-budget and sometimes a sort of "appeasement" treaty between family friends or "just friends".

And, here's where Kareena Kapoor Khan comes as the positive change that Bollywood desperately needed - one it can no longer do without.

1. Work-life balance: Professionally, the actress has bagged endorsements, walked the ramp flawlessly and when she says "pregnant women can walk and fly", she means it. It was an iconic moment to see her embrace her baby bump in the Sabyasachi lehenga, a treat for the shutterbugs.

2. The "fashionable" pregnancy: Mila Kunis wore the tunic dress to the premiere of Bad Moms and gave all boho-loving moms-to-be fashion goals. But at home, in Bollywood, no A-lister has made "being pregnant" seem normal - just as it should have always been -yet so fashionable and stylish. The gorgeousness in Kareena doesn't fail to surprise because it is effortless. Like a trendsetter, she got the fashion police drooling and left the camera and spellbound in Deme by Gabriella featuring a thigh-high slit.

3. Brand-wise and image-conscious: Kajol endorsing Knorr soup or Yakult meant she instantly gave the mommy vibe. On the other hand, although she endorsed a pregnancy kit brand, Kareena turned down a couple of international and national maternity brands. In a country like ours, you are the brands you endorse. While she is not afraid to flaunt her bump on magazine covers, she is conscious of brand Kareena.

4. Holding on to brand associations: In an industry where brands chase the rising stars, Kareena Kapoor Khan is one actor who hasn't lost a single brand association. Her pout remains a favourite of Lakme. Magnum wouldn't find someone who loves ice-cream more than Kareena. The love remains indisputable.

5. Bringing Hollywood home: Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex in the city or Halle Berry in X men. These women are indispensable to their industry and they know it. And, although Kareena has no Hollywood dreams, looks like she has drawn inspiration from women who don't give up careers, because pregnancy is no disease.

6. No hibernation: Unlike many Bollywood A-listers who play hide-and-seek with the paparazzi and disappoint their fans, Kareena understands the well-meaning phrase "out of sight is out of mind" like no one else.

Flashing a 1,000-watt smile at fans, playing muse to the cameras, she is spotted on date nights, with her girl squad, at events, promotions, magazines, and everywhere else. When was the last we saw Rani Mukherjee? And, who knows Karisma Kapoor's comeback struggle more than Kareena? These are lessons well-learnt.

Kareena Kapoor Khan has been a star like many others. But, she is definitely the first one with a proud baby bump.