Actress Bhagyashree has opened up about the emotional toll of homemaking, saying women who run households are rarely acknowledged, praised or appreciated for the daily labour they put in. The 'Maine Pyar Kiya' star made the remarks on the reality show 'Tum Ho Naa', hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal, where she appeared alongside actress Jayati Bhatia.

What Bhagyashree said

Speaking candidly on the show, Bhagyashree reflected on the invisible labour of women who devote themselves to their families. “bahut saari kahaniyaan sunne ko mili, yeh saari auratein joh apna ghar sambhalti hain, apna parivar sambhalti hain, aur kahin-na-kahin hum unko samajhte nahi, hum unko koi auda nahi dete, hum unko saraya nahi karte, hum unko appreciation nahi dete, aur joh wo day-to-day life main pareshaani se jhujti hain, shayad wo dusrein ki pareshani samajhkey, sunke, kahin-na-kain, apne pareshani ka hal bhi dhund leti hain,” she said.

Translated, she noted that she had heard many stories of women who manage their homes and families but are seldom understood, given status, acknowledged, praised or appreciated — and that by listening to others' struggles, they often find solutions to their own.

Jayati Bhatia on the 'safe space' myth

Jayati Bhatia, a familiar face from Indian television, pushed back on the conventional idea that home is a refuge for working women. “sab log kehte hain, ghar safe space hota hain, mere liye shooting space ki jagah safe space thii, lekin ghar aane ke baad mujhe Jayati ka kirdaar nibhana padta tha, ke tum ho naa, tum karlogi na, lekin aage ghar ki superstar koi bolta hi nahin hain,” she said.

In her translation, Bhatia explained that for her, the shooting set was the actual safe space — while home demanded that she keep performing the role of the dependable problem-solver, without ever being called the 'superstar of the house'.

Why the conversation matters

The exchange lands at a moment when the value of unpaid domestic work in India is increasingly part of mainstream policy debate, with successive economic surveys flagging the gap between women's contribution to households and its absence from GDP calculations. Notably, Bhagyashree, who stepped back from full-time acting after her 1989 debut to focus on family, has spoken on similar themes before.

About the show

'Tum Ho Naa', hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal, is built around emotionally charged conversations with women guests across professions. The episode featuring Bhagyashree and Jayati Bhatia leans into the show's central thesis — that women's emotional labour, especially within the home, remains under-recognised.