Govitrikar saw a career in films as "natural progression"

Govitrika, who is also a qualified doctor and successful fashion model, won the first Mrs World title for India last year, and saw a career in films as a "natural progression".

But unlike most Indian beauty queens, Govitrikar did not have directors queuing outside her door and it was some time before she broke into films.

Married actors and actresses appear to be treated very differently in India.

Men are encouraged to get married as it is believed that a "family man" image would increase their fan-following, while actresses playing heroines are under pressure to keep their love lives under wraps.

Actress Juhi Chawla denied her marriage until she turned to production, while actors Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan could flaunt their marriages from the start.

Kajol and Shahrukh Khan: Different treatment once they each got married

And the popular actress Kajol did not reveal her wedding plans until it was time to send out the cards.

"Given a chance married actresses can be as successful as unmarried ones," said Aruna Vasudev, editor of South Asian film journal, Cinemaya.

"The problem is not with the fans, but the producers who shy away from signing married women," she said.

The recent success of Kajol's film Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gum proves that marriage has not affected her popularity, but offers of roles have definitely declined.

The lack of willingness on the part of Bollywood producers to experiment with new themes further compounds the problem.

Chawla: Denied her marriage until she turned to production

The main type of role offered to an actress in most mainstream Bollywood is that of an untouched beauty waiting to be swept off her feet by a knight in shining armour.

"The day she gets married, an actress is only offered fringe roles like that of widowed mother or a wicked sister-in-law," said Ms Govitrikar.

A classic case is that of the actress Rakhee, who played the romantic lead with actor Amitabh Bachchan in several films.

But following her marriage, she was left only with the role of mother to Amitabh's character.

Serious roles

"Leave alone marriage, a heroine is even asked to hide her boyfriends, not to smoke and drink in public so that her off-screen image does clash with characters she is offered to play in films", said director Bhatnagar.

With such limitations, a heroine's career rarely stretches to her early 30s, while a hero can easily play youthful characters until his late 40s.

But things are definitely looking up.

New-age directors like Farhan Akhtar, Meghna Gulzar and Mahesh Manjrekar are experimenting with varied themes, offering more central and serious roles to women.

'Capability'

Actresses too are becoming more insistent about their personal lives and time.

"People are realising that ultimately the success and failure of an actor or actress depends on their capability to act, not on what image they can project," said Ms Govitrikar.

And unlike many of her predecessors, Aditi has refused to deny her marriage - and will be making her debut with her 14-month-old baby in her arms.