Actress Maheep Kapoor has opened up about finding fame in her late 40s and facing heavy online criticism following her OTT debut with Netflix series Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives.

Speaking to Soha Ali Khan on her YouTube podcast show, All About Her, Maheep said that age and appearance pressures became more pronounced for her after joining the OTT series in her late 40s.

“Bollywood Wives happened to me when I was 48. It is a very insecure time for a woman. We are ageing, pre-menopause. And when Karan told me, I was like, ‘Couldn’t you have come a bit earlier?’ Then, on top of this, suddenly you are scrutinised, you get those trolls and have people pointing out your flaws.”

Maheep admitted that the constant trolling left her frustrated and tempted to respond sharply.

“I was bombarded with that and all I wanted to say was, ‘Screw you.’ What surprised me was that there were a lot of women among the trolls as well. Now I realise it stems from a lot of insecurity. It’s a privilege to get older. Women should be proud of it, own it and flaunt it.”

“After Bollywood Wives, I became a little more ruthless. I was out there in middle age, not in my 20s, when I was very hot. To put yourself out there in your late 40s isn’t easy. And yes, we have this problem that women can’t age,” she added.

Maheep further discussed the double standards around ageing, saying that while men such as George Clooney and David Beckham are still admired for their looks, women rarely receive the same appreciation as they grow older.

Maheep tied the knot with actor Sanjay Kapoor in 1997, and the couple have two children together — Jahaan and Shanaya Kapoor.