Candid Kareena on motherhood

The actress will feature with celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar in a chat show to discuss gender bias and how to be a working mum-to-be.

On Monday, while launching Global Citizen India, Kareena Kapoor finally addressed the absurd questions she has been inundated with since news of her pregnancy was confirmed, dismissing them as "intrusive". She was particularly peeved over questions on the gender of her baby. "What difference does it make? I was a girl child and I would love to have a girl. I've done more for my parents than a son would have," she pointed out while Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cheered from the front row.

Never one to mince words, the feisty mum-to-be who will welcome her firstborn with actor-husband Saif Ali Khan in December, will now do a threepart online chat show on which she will field questions from a cross-section of viewers in an attempt to explode misconceptions about impending motherhood. The first episode will air live on September 19 at 5pm; the second one will be live-streamed in mid-November and the finale will be a post-pregnancy talkathon in February.

Joining Kareena will be celebrity nutritionist and author of bestselling books like Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight and The Weight-Loss Tamasha, Rujuta Diwekar, who has been working with the 35-yearold actress since the last decade. "Today, Kareena is a better dietician than I am," Rujuta admits, adding, "She has evolved incredibly over the years. Her approach to eating healthy has moved forward from weight loss to a lifestyle choice that impacts ecology and economy. Her view has expanded to promoting local fruits and sustaining India's traditional farming culture. She's also a UN ambassador and will be speaking up against gender biases that creep into healthy living."

Rujuta points out that India is one of the countries with the highest numbers of diabetic cases in the world. Obesity in children is another growing menace. So Kareena and she will explain how choosing local food over exotic fare is always a better choice. "Kareena will share her own food choices - she's happier eating a homegrown banana, dalchawal or roti sabzi when in Mumbai and will opt for kachori when shooting in Rajasthan and pasta when in London. Kareena's food is simple and right," Rujuta asserted.

She also points out that the actress didn't wait to get pregnant to start eating right and that is a lesson for all Indian women. "Now she wants to use her popularity to impact young girls and mothers across the country. She understands that she is presently living out a beautiful physical and physiological change, but it doesn't have to take anything away from her acting calibre, or give people a reason to question her professional capabilities. She's been eating seasonal food and filming like she always does," the nutritionist concluded.