Actress and filmmaker Renu Desai has spoken about the scrutiny she faces as a single mother, raising two children who carry one of the most prominent surnames in Telugu cinema. In a recent interview, she said that her parenting is constantly judged but rarely appreciated.

Speaking to Visual Talks, Renu Desai, who was married to actor and current Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan from 2009 to 2012, spoke candidly about the pressure of raising their son Akira and daughter Aadya largely on her own, and the reality that in India, when children from high-profile families make mistakes, it is the mother who bears the blame.

“Unfortunately, in our country, if kids mess up, it’s always the mother who gets blamed for not raising them right,” Renu Desai said. “Today, Aadya and Akira are good and well-behaved, but no one appreciates that. If something goes wrong, and if they have a bad habit, it’s all on me, that the mother didn’t raise them properly.…