Mini Mathur has opened up about an important and difficult phase of her career, revealing that her pregnancy once affected a major professional opportunity. The television host and actor, who recently emerged as the winner of the reality show Alliance on Amazon Prime Video, recalled being asked to step away from Indian Idol after she told the makers that she was expecting her second child.
In a recent interview with Hauterrfly for The Male Feminist, Mini spoke about how she was treated when she became pregnant with her daughter Sairah. At the time, she had already completed four seasons of Indian Idol and was expected to return for the fifth season. However, things changed after she informed the team about her pregnancy.
Mini explained, “When I was expecting Sairah, which was after the fourth season of Indian Idol, and I told the team as they were going to start Season 5, that I am pregnant and I am going to be fine during the auditions but by the time we are doing the finale episodes I will be showing. So I was told to not do the season on my face. Reason? Indian audiences will not be able to accept a pregnant host.”
The decision left Mini disappointed because she felt that audiences should have been able to accept a pregnant woman continuing her professional work. She said the experience made her question the thinking behind the decision and how women were viewed in the entertainment industry.
Mini later received an offer to return for the sixth season of Indian Idol, but by then she had lost interest in going back to the show. She said, “I felt very let down, with the fact that these people are not even able to see what is happening in the world. I was called back for Season 6 but by that time my heart was not on the same page. I told that I do not want to be do thar.”
Mini began her television career with Tol Mol Ke Bol alongside R Madhavan before becoming an MTV VJ. She became a familiar face across Indian households through Indian Idol and later expanded her work into films and streaming projects. She has also appeared in shows such as Mind the Malhotras.
Mini has been married to filmmaker Kabir Khan for 28 years. The couple first met while working on a television project for Home TV. Kabir was working as a freelance camera person at the time, while Mini was a presenter.
Speaking about their first meeting on Neha Dhupia’s show No Filter Neha, Kabir recalled that both of them initially went to a production house because they had concerns about their dates for the project. However, after meeting each other and discussing the show, they decided to take part. The project required them to travel across India together, giving them the opportunity to know each other better.
Their relationship eventually grew from that professional meeting into a marriage that has lasted nearly three decades. Meanwhile, Mini’s latest revelation has once again started a conversation about the challenges women can face when balancing pregnancy and their careers.