‘WILL KEEP TRYING TO GET PREGNANT’

Kashmera Shah, a mother to twin boys via surrogacy, jokes that probably her kids didn’t want her to undergo the trouble of nine months

Kashmera Shah is brimming with joy, as she talks about her twin sons, Rayaan and Krishaang, who turned one on June 3. In a chat with us, the actor opens up about how life has changed after becoming a mother, the decision to opt for surrogacy and the stigma attached to it.

Despite 14 failed attempts at IVF, what kept you going?

I knew if I’d give up, these kids would never be born. So, I kept trying till I had the kids. I would have gone beyond 14 attempts also, if it was working out for us.

What’s your take on the stigmas

attached to surrogacy and adoption in our society? That’s due to uneducated minds and superstitious beliefs. Not everybody who opts for surrogacy is doing that to save their figure. There are girls who can’t conceive even at the age of 23 or 24 and that’s because of the stressful lifestyles they lead. And we, as actors, sleep at wrong times, eat wrong things and are constantly in the rat race; plus the option of getting married at 21 is not there [for us]. [Similarly], I wanted to select my own partner and have kids with him. So, it turned out to be late for me.

How did your families react to the decision of going for surrogacy? Krushna’s family didn’t support... I don’t know what were they thinking. I told my family just a month before the kids were born and explained what surrogacy was. They read about it and were excited.

Would you someday want to experience being pregnant?

You know, we still don’t know why I couldn’t conceive. I think my kids just didn’t want me to go through the trouble of nine months. But, 100% I want to experience getting pregnant myself. I won’t stop trying. Though my hands are full with the two munchkins, let’s see [what future holds]!

You wanted to adopt a girl. So, while expecting the twins, did you

secretly wish for a girl?

I had a feeling we would have two girls and were very excited. Krushna was scared and was like, ‘oh my god, these girls would turn out to be like you.’ However, [actually] I never said that I need one boy and one girl; I just [wanted the babies to] be healthy.

Who spoils the kids more and how is Krushna as a father?

We don’t really spoil the kids. They’re very young right now, so we can’t really put rules on them. Krushna was always like a kid. Now, he has become even more of a kid, so I have three kids on my hands — all three boys and Geminians. I’m in a major trouble (laughs).

Actors Kashmera Shah and Krushna Abhishek recently celebrated the first birthday of their twin boys