Celebrating Father's Day: Dad, the superhero

The beauty of the father-child relationship is perfectly captured in reel-life in 102 Not Out. In the film, Amitabh Bachchan’s character can’t stop fathering his 70-year-old son played by Rishi Kapoor. He’s always pampering him, scolding him and even coming to his rescue. Interestingly, these on-screen fathers are terrific fathers in real life too and are fiercely protective of their flock, no matter how old they are.

This love could be seen in veteran filmmaker Raj Kumar Kohli, who was seen walking in and out of courtrooms at the age of 90, trying to get his 45-year-old son Armaan Kohli off the hook for getting into legal trouble.

Shatrughan Sinha, himself a protective father to two sons and a daughter (Sonakshi Sinha), thinks it’s only natural for parents to be concerned for their kids, regardless of their age. He says, “The trick is to know when to stop being intrusive. You can’t go around advising your children after they grow up. They have their own lives but I will be there for them when they need me.”

In the world of politics too, there’s a father-son duo who form a mutual admiration society. Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and son Nara Lokesh are vocal in their support for each other on social media. The CM has even hailed his son as a ‘youth icon’.

Here are some other celebrity fathers who always have their kids’ backs.

Rakesh Roshan
He has been his son Hrithik Roshan’s rock, especially during his divorce and the recent scandal involving Kangana Ranaut. Says Rakesh Roshan, “We’re very close. We’re friends but he has that respect for me. He never crosses the line. If I enter a room while he is relaxing, he will spring to his feet. He is still the same hardworking boy who wraps his omelette in a newspaper and rushes to his shoot in the morning. That kind of dedication is very rare. Any director including me is lucky to have him on board.”

Amitabh Bachchan
When AB Jr’s look from his next movie Manmarziyan was released, Amitabh Bachchan, took to Twitter to express pride. “T 2750 — #Manmarziyaan .. #AbhishekBachchan, your Daadi, Teji Kaur Suri pre-marriage, your par Nana Khazan Singh Suri, your par Naani Amar Kaur Sodhi & all related must feel great pride and love for you .. as do I (sic).”

And it’s not just son Abhishek, but daughter Shweta too he’s very protective about. He’s always by her side at public events and when the two recently acted in an advertisement, he was the first to post pictures and praise his daughetr.

Javed Akhtar
Javed and Farhan Akhtar share a wonderful bond. The recent case in point was their Twitter exchange. Farhan posted one of his random musings and wished his followers a pleasant morning. “Together they braved it through the storm…..with hull half broken, with sails all torn…..no wave nor swell could but drown hope….that night is darkest before the dawn #musing. Have a nice day (sic),” he tweeted.

While many of his followers loved the poem, few couldn’t understand the wordplay and requested him to post a Hindi translation of it. Being a father and a great poet himself, Javed came to Farhan’s rescue and immediately posted the translation, winning over the hearts of netizens.

“Good morning Farhan. Someone has asked for the Hindi translation of your stanza. Here you are: Toofan mein jo nikle thay Vo log nidarr thay /patwaar toote, badbaan taar, bhanwar thay/ Sahil ki aur savere ki ummeed Na doobi / gehre andhere jab ke Bahut pichhle Peher thay (sic),” Javed had posted.

Reminiscing about it fondly, Javed says, “I never thought translating one of Farhan’s poems would be such a big deal. I was having my morning tea when I saw his post and saw that someone asked for a translation. I thought Farhan might be busy, so let me just translate it. This was one of the rare occasions where I helped my kids without asking. Otherwise I don’t interfere in their lives.”

He adds, “I share different equations with Farhan and Zoya. With Farhan, I speak man-to-man. Zoya makes her own decisions but takes my opinions seriously. I am proud to say there is no sign of my work in Zoya’s work. In Zoya, I see a lot of myself. I think she has a logical mind. She comes to her own conclusions in life and sticks by them. I must confess I am not as transparent and straightforward as she is. She just doesn’t lie and that’s an amazing trait. I am proud of both my children,” he says.

David Dhawan
Varun Dhawan’s father, the prolific filmmaker David Dhawan, is very proud to have a son who’s self-made. “I could’ve easily launched Varun in the best of projects. But he was determined to make it on his own. ‘Papa, I don’t want people to say I used your name to become successful,’ he told me. I am so proud of him. He got Karan Johar’s Student Of the Year on his own and agreed  to work with me only when he was established. Of course, I am there for my sons Rohit (a filmmaker) and Varun too. But they take their own decisions in their careers and lives.”

Suresh Babu
Tollywood fathers too are famous for coming to the rescue of their children. Who can forget the infamous Sri Reddy episode involving Abhiram, son of ace producer and studio owner Suresh Babu. But despite the ugly allegations, he stood by his son. “We can’t stop being fathers. We have been brought up to protect and care for our children even if they are adults,” he shares.

Salim Khan
Writer Salim Khan, Salman’s father, has no qualms about protecting his 53-year-old son’s interests. Apparently, every single penny the star earns is given to his father. Says Salim, “All parents are protective of their children. I am equally protective  of all my three sons. But because Salman is Salman, it seems more apparent in his case.”

Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is one of those dads who will stand up for his kids no matter what. Take for instance a recent incident on Twitter where a user made some negative remarks about the trailer of Sanju and its director. While the filmmaker chose to let it go, Rishi Kapoor couldn’t stop himself and unleashed his fury on the poor guy. The actor, in reality, came to the defense of his son Ranbir, who plays the protagonist in the film. Earlier too, Rishi had come to the rescue of his son when a picture of Ranbir smoking with Mahira Khan received attention from trolls. Says Rishi Kapoor, “My son and daughter are independent individuals with minds of their own. If today I was to behave like Pran saab in Bobby, my kids would laugh at my face. Today parental intervention is permissible only to the point where the kids respect your opinion.”

‘It’s our culture’
Giving an insight into the father-child bond, Dr Purnima Nagaraja, a mental health professional, says, “In our culture, a father never stops being a father. It comes naturally to us to assert fatherhood, even if the kids are grown up. Positive and responsible parenting ensures a strong bonding.” Talking about Javed Akhtar,  she adds, “Being an expert in the language, Javed Akhtar would have thought of posting the translation himself rather than letting Farhan post a wrong translation and become the butt of jokes and trolls.”