Parineeti Chopra Opens Up About Painful Mom Guilt

Parineeti Chopra has spoken candidly about the intense emotions she experienced when she had to leave her  newborn son, Neer, for work after spending months at home with him.

The actress, 37, described the experience as much more than ordinary mom guilt, saying she felt a deep physical pain when she had to separate from her baby for the first time. Chopra recalled that she had spent the early months of motherhood with her son around the clock before returning to her professional commitments.

She said she still remembers how overwhelming the first separation was, revealing that she cried throughout her journey to Mumbai. Chopra admitted that she has almost no memory of the flight, the airport or even reaching her destination because she was consumed by emotion.

According to the actress, she spent around three hours crying after leaving her son and began wondering whether she would ever be able to return to work or resume her normal life.

Chopra explained that the feeling was not simply about guilt. Instead, she described it as a form of “crippling physical pain” that can come with leaving a baby, even when the child is completely safe and well cared for.

She pointed out that her son was fine in her absence and that her family was also doing well. However, knowing that everything was under control did not make the emotional separation any easier for her.

The actress also spoke about the pressure placed on mothers by society after they have children. She questioned why women are often expected to put their careers, ambitions and personal lives on hold once they become mothers.

Chopra recalled how people would ask about her baby whenever they saw her working, highlighting the different expectations often placed on mothers compared with other working professionals.

Her comments shed light on the complicated emotions many new mothers can experience when attempting to balance parenthood and their careers. While returning to work can be an important personal or professional decision, Chopra suggested that the emotional challenges of leaving a young child can be difficult to explain to people who have not experienced them.

Parineeti Chopra and politician Raghav Chadha got married on September 24, 2023, after several months of dating. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Neer, on October 19, 2025.

Chopra has also continued working professionally following the birth of her son. She revealed that she discovered she was pregnant while filming her upcoming project, Shaque: Trust No One. The actress has described the project as particularly meaningful because the film marked a major period in her career while she was also entering a new chapter in her personal life.

Shaque: Trust No One is a seven-episode Netflix series directed by Rensil D’Silva. The project marks Chopra’s debut in a web series and features an ensemble cast including Jennifer Winget, Soni Razdan, Anup Soni, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Sumeet Vyas, Harleen Sethi and Dhruv Choudhry.

The series follows Anvita, a mother whose newborn daughter mysteriously disappears from a hospital. Years later, she continues searching for answers, but her investigation takes an unsettling turn when a series of cryptic clues forces her to question the people around her as well as her own understanding of reality.

For Chopra, the release comes at a significant stage in her life as she balances motherhood with her acting career. Her honest comments about leaving her son have also highlighted the emotional reality behind the challenges faced by working mothers as they return to their professional lives after childbirth.