It's considered sacrilege for a woman to date a younger man, says Malaika Arora

Bollywood star and TV host Malaika Arora, who split with Arbaaz Khan in 2016, has received a lot of flak in the Indian media for her relationship with Arjun Kapoor, who is 12 years younger than her. Recently, the actor spoke about the importance of a woman moving on in life after a break-up or divorce and how they are often trolled for making choices, as she was for dating Kapoor due to their age gap.

Arora, 48, and Kapoor, 36, have been dating for a while now. The couple initially kept their relationship under wraps for a long time after hitting it off a year after Arora and Khan called it quits. They made it official in 2019 when the Dil Se star penned a birthday post for Kapoor. Ever since, their relationship has been subjected to many followers questioning their age gap and love life.

The TV host told Hello Magazine for their March issue that it's important for women "to have a life after a break-up or divorce". "There's a misogynist approach to female relationships. It's often considered a sacrilege for a woman to date a younger man," she said.

She also said that she is a "strong woman and a work in progress" and works on herself to ensure that she is stronger, happier and fitter every day. "I'm a reflection of my mother, as I embody her strength and grit, and mirror her life subconsciously. She always told me to live life on my terms and be independent," Arora said.

The actor had previously told the Hindustan Times that she was afraid of being in a relationship after her relationship with her ex-husband fell apart. In an interview in 2019, she had said, "When my marriage ended, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in another relationship and was scared of being heartbroken. But I also wanted to be in love, nurture a relationship, and this new me gave me the confidence to put myself out there and take a chance. I am so glad I did!"

Arora and Khan got married in 1998 and parted ways in 2017 after being married for 19 years. They are parents to 19-year-old Arhaan Khan.