Bollywood- a monumental entertainment industry- boasts glamour and sophistication. Comprising numerous talented faces, the Bollywood industry has continued to dominate and experience a steady boom over the years. However, behind this larger-than-life scenario, many celebrities must juggle between the demanding roles of an entertainer and a parent. While veteran stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Suneil Shetty and Ajay Devgan have been fulfilling the role of parents for a long time, Bollywood has welcomed many new parents in recent years as well. They include Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, and Bipasha Basu among others.
This National Parents’ Day, let’s celebrate parenthood through the eyes of Bollywood’s most beloved stars who balance their career with happiness and the challenges of family life.
The King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, is father to three kids- Suhana, Aryan and the youngest, AbRam. In a 2015 interview with Forbes India, SRK shared his thoughts on how his kids see him, and the kind of legacy he wants from his children. He said: “My children don't think of me as a special person. I am sure they think of me as a very special father. My father knew zilch of acting. He never thought of films. But I am the biggest film actor in this country. So it does not follow. My son may not be an actor. And it's all right. My daughter can be an actress; she wants to, but she may not. And it's all right. Am I thinking of letting my profession continue? No. My legacy will continue whether they become restaurant owners, sportsmen or whatever."
As a father to Junaid, Ira and Azad, Aamir Khan, Bollywood’s Mr. Perfectionist, feels elated to contribute to the responsibilities of parenthood. In a 2016 interview with the Economic Times, Aamir Khan expressed what a wonderful experience it is to be a father. He recalled his first child Junaid’s birth and how it changed him as a person. After he and his second wife, Kiran Rao had welcomed Azad, Aamir Khan revealed how his “life is so full now.”
Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is a mom to Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan, has time and again mentioned in interviews how her two sons have entirely different personalities. While Taimur has taken after his father, who likes to keep quiet, Jeh has her mother's qualities of being a big foodie. Kareena Kapoor stated in her interview how she tries to imbibe values and lessons of gender inequality, inclusivity and respecting women, within her two sons. She also encourages their participation and involvement in miscellaneous co-curricular activities like Taekwondo, kickboxing and pottery classes.
As a father to Arav and Nitara, Akshay Kumar’s parenting style mainly revolves around instilling principles of independence, gratitude and self-reliance in his kids. He believes in spending quality time with the family. For instance, whenever the city experiences a fresh spell of rain, the actor joins his kids for a pleasant stroll. He gets back home early to gossip with his kids, asking about how their day went; and what they did throughout the entire day. Akshay Kumar has mentioned how important it is for him to spend time with the kids. Another lovely example of Akshay Kumar being a great father is how dutifully he read books to Nitara every night when she was still a kid.
Mother to Raha, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt has expressed how being an actor, a producer, an entrepreneur, and a mother, all at the same time, can be overwhelming. However, since she is the one who has chosen to take on all these responsibilities, she doesn’t like to complain about them. In a 2023 interview with Humans of Bombay, Alia Bhatt mentioned: “Yes, I have a lot of clutter in my mind and I like being on top of things. But as far as the mother thing goes, it is a new experience, and anything new can be challenging. But when I have low energy, just one look at my baby and I have 1000-watt energy. I chose to be an actor, a producer, an entrepreneur and a mother. So I can’t sit and complain and be like ‘Life is very hard’. But life is tough for everyone, life is not always going to be a smooth path. You just have to keep moving, but a good night’s sleep is always the way to recuperate for me.”
Mother to Vamika and Akay, Anushka Sharma in a 2021 interview with Grazia India, expressed how her kids are the reasons behind her laughs. She also shared insights on her parenting style- she believes that her role as a mother to the two kids is to guide and support them. She doesn't endorse micromanaging or controlling the children. She also mentioned how it is important to inculcate values of love and compassion towards everybody in the children.
So this National Parents’ Day, let's take some inspiration from these real-life Bollywood parents. Although these stars have a pretty busy work schedule, they manage to specify a separate time for their children. If you are a busy individual yourself, and wonder how you can give more of your time to your children, then you must go through the interviews of Bollywood parents where they share their insights on parenthood. With this, we would like to wish you a very Happy National Parents’ Day!
