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4 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 02:12 PM IST
Tusshar Kapoor on being a single dad. (Photo: Tusshar Kapoor/Instagram)
In June 2016, actor Tusshar Kapoor announced that he had welcomed a son through IVF and surrogacy, becoming Bollywood’s first single father to do so. His journey into parenthood later inspired him to pen the book Bachelor Dad. In a recent interview, Tusshar opened up about how the idea first took shape and how he always felt that while marriage wasn’t meant for him, fatherhood certainly was.
Speaking to Meri Saheli, Tusshar shared that being a single father hasn’t been particularly challenging for him. He credits his upbringing and his father, veteran actor Jeetendra, for shaping his personality.
“I am very old school—similar to my father—but at the same time, we are extremely different from each other. After staying in the US for five years, I learnt to live independently. I haven’t even married. I have a child as a single father. However, my father is not like this. He believes in marriage and having a family—he is very old school Indian,” he said.
Tusshar added that he never found single parenting overwhelming. “One kid is not all that challenging. I am not a very social person and don’t particularly enjoy travelling. I became a father at 40. I was mature. It was the right time to embrace fatherhood, unlike how our society starts putting pressure on you from the age of 25.”
On the subject of marriage, Tusshar clarified that while he respects the institution, he doesn’t believe it is meant for everyone.
“I completely believe in marriage as an institution, but it wasn’t for me. My calling was to become a father. When I realised that, there were divine interventions. I bumped into someone, got information, met the doctors, and things just fell into place. It wasn’t planned—I went with the flow. I believed in God and kept faith.”
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At a time when becoming a single father through IVF was still a novelty in the country, Tusshar didn’t feel the need to seek parental approval before making the announcement.
“I had no pressure from my parents because I never thought of asking them. I was 39. I met Prakash Jha on a flight to Tirupati. We weren’t friends but knew each other socially. While returning, our flights were cancelled and we carpooled. On the way, he asked me, ‘If you’re not destined to be a married man, why not think of being a single parent?’ He knew a single woman in his family who had become a parent around the same age.”
That conversation proved pivotal. “I then called up doctors. They counselled me. We took it one step at a time, and eventually, I became a father.”
Though he initially worried about public reaction, Tusshar said the response was overwhelmingly positive and reassuring.
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“In our culture, starting a family is considered auspicious, regardless of how you do it—whether through adoption, marriage, or as a single parent. As conservative Indians, we ultimately accept everything.”
When asked whether his son Laksshya ever questions the absence of a mother, Tusshar shared that he has always chosen honesty.
“I have taught Laksshya that there are all kinds of families. Sometimes parents separate, sometimes one parent passes away, sometimes they live in different cities, and sometimes children are adopted. I have told him the reality in an age-appropriate way. He knows his family is different, but it is just as valid as any other. There is no one ‘normal’ family—every family has its own chaos.”
Following Tusshar’s path, others in the industry—including his sister Ekta Kapoor and filmmaker Karan Johar—also embraced single parenthood through IVF and surrogacy, further normalising alternative family structures in Bollywood.
English (US) ·