Why We Must Celebrate Single Dads Of Bollywood

Our society is still not adjusted to the idea of single dads but there's hope. Some of Bollywood's top stars are now single fathers by choice. That is truly refreshing in a film industry that has long perpetuated the idea of a ‘huge and happy joint family’.

These dads, despite the social judgement, have embraced parenthood, with or without marriage. Here they are on father's day.

Here are the single dads of B-town who broke all stereotypes:

Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who has often been the favourite target of social media trolls, the stigma around single parents gave the trolls another opportunity. However, defying the myth that marriage and parenthood go hand in hand, the director became a father of two kids via surrogacy.

In a now deleted tweet, a Twitter user claimed that Johar is keeping Yash and Roohi away from motherly love. The filmmaker shut the troll with a befitting reply and pointed out, “My babies are being LOVED and that’s all that matters...and FYI they have a mother!! My mother!”.

Ma’m!! With all due respect! Get a life! There are larger issues the country is combatting at the moment and it can very well do without your narrow mindedness! My babies are being LOVED and that’s all that matters...and FYI they have a mother!! My mother! Get it! ??? https://t.co/UercFh9rQ0

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) February 14, 2019

In a talk show hosted by Arbaaz Khan, he again addressed the question about single parenting and said, "I am a single parent and it comes with its own set of challenges but that doesn’t mean that women and a man have different roles to play".

Tusshar Kapoor

Tusshar Kapoor, too, made the choice of becoming a father before getting married and had a son via surrogacy. The actor who has been criticised for possibly everything over the years, wasn’t spared over his decision which doesn’t affect anyone but him. He was questioned for choosing surrogacy rather than adoption.

Later, on the show What Women Want hosted by Kareena Kapoor, he spoke up about it and said, "I wanted a biological child. Maybe I will adopt in the future, you never know. Never say never to anything. If people who get married and have stereotypical families would like to have their own kids, why can’t I, as a single parent?".

Rahul Dev

Rahul Dev lost his wife Rina in 2009, and became a single parent to his son Siddharth. The actor took a break for four years from work to be there for his son after the demise of his wife. In an interview, he talked about his gap years and said, "In those four and a half years, I fulfilled that. Attending parent-teacher meetings with him, doing classwork with him, education, I did all of that, and I played a father and mother both. He was only 11 at that time. Then, he went to London to educate himself, he did very well there, and he came back last year".

Rahul Bose

Rahul Bose is reportedly a father to six adopted children from a charity institution in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Bose had spoken about the experience in a 2007 interview with IANS and said, "Earlier this year I was there to welcome Pratima, Rukhsar, Matrena, Bindu, Jinu  and Animesh at Rishi Valley (Andhra Pradesh) where they were put for further education. It was an extremely emotional moment in my life".

The actor who is closely associated with several charitable organisations has also launched a scholarship program dedicated to the education of underprivileged children from the Union territory.

Anurag Kashyap

Director Anurag Kashyap, who was previously married to former wife Aarti Bajaj, is a single father to his daughter Aaliyah Kashyap. Although the couple separated in 2009, Kashyap shares a great bond with his daughter. Aaliyah once revealed that she considers her parents her best friends and asserted that they, too, treat her like one which allows her to not hide anything from them.