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Celeb babies say cheese
Being a celebrity comes at a cost, and while most don’t mind the 24x7 media attention, there’s a grey area when it comes to their babies. For instance, 20-monthold Taimur Ali Khan might be India’s most photographed child, but his not-yet-oneyear-old cousin Inaaya Naumi Kemmu, is kept away from the flashbulbs.
Actor-author Soha Ali Khan, who usually posts photos of daughter Inaaya on social media, lashed out at the paparazzi recently. Her brother Saif Ali Khan, father of Taimur, however, had told the media earlier, “Although it’s a bit intrusive… I just think he [Taimur] has to get used to that, because, in the end, they’re just clicking a few photographs.”
Taimur’s mum, actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, has a different view. She had said in an earlier interview, “I don’t like the fact that Taimur’s every move is monitored... I don’t know how to control it. Having said that, I think he’s becoming more familiar with the camera.”
Celeb babies often wave and smile at the cameras, but since they don’t know what’s happening, parents have to be their protective gear, feels actor Sunny Leone, mum to two-year-old daughter Nisha and infant sons Noah and Asher, with husband Daniel Weber. Sunny says, “I think if a parent asks not to take photos, [the paparazzi] should stop; and if they don’t, as their mother, I can cover [the children] up, so they won’t get the proper photos they want.”
Actor Karanvir Bohra, father to one-year old twins, Bella and Vienna, with wife Teejay Sidhu, tells us that this attention is part and parcel of being a popular figure. He also feels that Indian celebs have it easier than in the West. “In India, the paparazzi are not how they are abroad — [here] they don’t follow you around and hide behind bushes! In my experience so far, Indian media haven’t been intrusive at all. Whenever they’ve wanted to take our children’s photos, they’ve asked first,” says Karanvir.
Photographer Viral Bhayani, who’s in the business of photographing celebrities, tells us, “When a star says no to a picture, we respect that and don’t click them or the kid. For instance, we don’t click (actor Shah Rukh Khan’s young son) AbRam, because his parents don’t want us to. However, we do click Taimur because the parents offer no resistance.” Agreeing to this, photographer Yogen Shah says, “We don’t click if someone refuses. Plus, we make sure to click from a distance, so that there’s no issue with flash.”
However, there are celeb parents who have no problem with the paparazzi. Recently, film-maker Karan Johar uploaded a picture of his twins on Instagram, and captioned it: “Getting ready for the paps!” In the picture, son Yash is adjusting his sunglasses, while daughter Roohi is putting them on.
Similarly, actor Aayush Sharma, father to two-and-ahalf-year-old Ahil, doesn’t mind the flashbulbs. The Loveratri actor says, “It’s the love people give to the family that translates to him. Until now, the paparazzi have always been kind to us. There have been times when he’s sleeping and they turned the flash off, so he wouldn’t get disturbed.”