Parenthood the beginning of life, says Karan Patel
Karan Patel can’t contain his happiness at the birth of his daughter Mehr. The actor, who admits he was hoping for a girl, says, “Rab di Mehr hui”. Being a parent, he says, feels “surreal”.
“It’s still sinking in. Every day is an experience. Right now, she is too small and sleeps through the day. But when she starts responding to sound and light, those interactions will be fun,” Karan says in an exclusive interview, admitting that he and his wife, actor Ankita Bhargava, were anxious due to an earlier miscarriage.
“She is troubling Ankita the most for now and father ka role thode time ke baad start hoga. I have learned how to swaddle her and change diapers, which I do when Ankita gets really tired. Otherwise, I have been putting her to sleep or staying awake when she wakes up and just taking care of her,” the actor adds.
While he may not have much of a role to play in little Mehr’s life right now, Karan already plans to be the “best dad” when she is grown up. “Now that I have a daughter, I want to break taboos that fathers are protective about their daughters. I think, if you give your daughters enough freedom, education and guidance, you don’t have to worry about them,” he says, adding, “Daughters are more level-headed, sane and trustworthy than sons. Fail hoke pitne ke kisse sirf beton ke hote hain, betiyon ke kabhi sune hain kya?”
So does the Yeh Hai Mohabbatein star feel, like several others, that a man’s life is over after marriage and parenthood? No, quite the contrary. “Parenthood is the beginning of life. After having a kid, life takes a turn as you are also living for your children and the well-being of the family. I think it’s the best thing that can happen to anyone. Kids inspire parents to do better and work harder in life,” he says.
Talking about how he and Ankita dealt with this pregnancy after a miscarriage, Karan reveals that everyone was anxious about it, “but we never lost faith in ourselves and we had the support of our well-wishers and loved ones. We were a bit scared but kept praying nothing goes wrong”.
The 36-year-old actor goes on to say, “We were hoping to have a daughter, especially after the unfortunate miscarriage earlier. This time, we did not want to anticipate or pre-plan anything, because if expectations are not met they lead to a lot of heartbreak. We simply waited for our Mehr... which was God’s gift to us after we lost our daughter the last time.”