‘Wouldn't go back to any version of me’

As her daughter Vamika turned five, actress Anushka Sharma reflected on her journey into motherhood, sharing that she cherishes every part of it and wouldn’t trade her version of motherhood for anything in the world.

Anushka, who welcomed her first child Vamika in 2021 with star cricketer Virat Kohli, took to her Instagram stories re-sharing a post about how motherhood changes a person.

The post read, “Let motherhood change you - and take responsibility for this new version of you. The idea that we can keep our old lives, just slightly adjusted, and simply take our babies along… is only partly true. No one mentioned the cost. With tired eyes and a full heart, our needs are not disappearing - they’re being rearranged.

The post mentioned that “mother is a paradox”.

“Love and exhaustion, growth and grief, all living side by side. All these feelings are exhausting enough. It happens in these small, heavy, meaningful moments that shape us- and they deserve space. Because they take so much from us, and we are meant to be seen and held,” the further read.

As she re-shared the post on her stories section, Anushka added the caption: “And I wouldn't go back to any version of me that didn't know you, my child. Jan 11, 2021 (red heart emoji)."

Anushka and Virat got married in Italy in December 2017. She gave birth to a girl, Vamika in 2021, followed by a boy, Akaay in February 2024.

On the acting front, she was last seen in Zero in 2018. Directed by Aanand L. Rai, the film also stars Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Abhay Deol, while R. Madhavan and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub are the supporting cast.

The plot revolves around Bauua Singh, a short man from Meerut who, after having difficulty finding a marriage partner, finds a companion in Aafia Bhinder, a NSAR (a fictional space research facility) scientist with cerebral palsy.

However, film superstar Babita also gets close with him, testing his first relationship, before this love triangle takes them to far-off cities, thrusting Bauua into an adventure to discover both his true love and completeness in a life lived to the fullest.