Father’s Day Special: Celebs On What Their Fathers Means To Them

Our world would have been nothing without our fathers and father figures. They are our caregivers and nurturers, who equally support our mothers to take care of their children. Father's Day on June 18 celebrates and recognises fatherhood and the contribution of fathers in our society. Celebs share about the equation and the advice they have received from their fathers.

Ssudeep Sahir

My father Sandeep Sahir is my closest friend, mentor & guide. I remember my dad telling me that he always wanted to be an Air Force pilot. In fact, he had cleared the entrance but couldn’t go ahead as my grandparents found it too risky a job to take up. Eventually, he did commercial flying for some time but had to quit that too as he was asked to join the family business. He’s been one of my biggest support systems. I remember before I decided to come to Mumbai, he was the one who told me ‘Beta follow your heart. Your heart often knows what’s best for you. I’m extremely fortunate to have him & can’t thank him enough for all the love that I've received from him.

Anupama Solanki

I share a good equation with my father, Tekpal Solanki. He is always telling me to be down-to-earth as nothing is permanent in this universe. Today you are nothing but maybe tomorrow you will be a queen, so never forget your basics. He has always told me to learn as much as possible as a life without knowledge is meaningless. He tells me to never think about shortcuts to achieve success as it's the devil's path, so I should take the right route towards my goal, trust myself, trust God, give my 100% and the rest is my destiny.

Sheeba Akashdeep

My father, Ajay Agarwal, was my best friend while growing up. He was a super strict father but has been my backbone, like the rock of Gibraltar. He has always told me to be honest and compassionate and I will always be the wind beneath your wings. If there’s anything I would do in this world I would confine it to my father and he will make it right. He’s very loving and extremely supportive of all his children.

Esha Gaur

My father’s name is Dr. Tarun Gaur. He is an endodontist. He understands me very well and has been a strong support to me. He is always standing by my side and trusting me blindly. I make sure I live up to that trust and whatever he has taught me till now I stick to it and try to make him proud always. The pieces of advice he has given me is to use money wisely, don't trust anyone blindly, follow my heart, I should choose my career wisely, respect opportunities, never ever lie, cheat or borrow money, and that I should take care of my health as it is very important. Recently, he told me ‘never let anyone take you for granted’. I love him from the bottom of my heart.

Shaan Mishra

I have always shared a great equation with my father, Shashank Mishra. During my school and college days, I used to be very afraid of him. He always used to talk about studies. He wanted me to become an IAS/IPS officer. All these things about studies have always been there in my house. He has given me a lot of advice from his experiences because he has seen a lot of ups and down in his life. My father is a very genuine person and was never interested in the world of glamor. He has always taught me to value money, and that I should choose a career following my heart and mind. He’s a family man. How to maintain bounds--not clear is something that I have learnt from him. He has the purest of hearts and I love and respect him a lot.

Deepika Motwani

My father's name is Harikishen Motwani. My father is our version of Santa Claus since he brings us many gifts and travels because he's been busy with business and because he travelled a lot when I was growing up. The two pieces of advice dad always offered me were that there is no one greater than God and to continue acting ethically even when no one is looking because your character is what will last and all other things will pass away.

Romiit Raaj

Mr. Raviraj Prasher, my father, is a wonderful man who always supported me in whatever I did, including athletics. He was always helpful to everyone, extremely honest, full of life, and had an amazing sense of humour. I believe we picked up these traits by just watching him. I'll never forget the advice my father gave me: "Keep working and always give your best; you never know who is watching you; bigger opportunities are just a call away." The second piece of advice he gave was "always take care of family and keep everyone together." 

Charrul Malik

G.S. Malik is the name of my father. Our equation is really amazing. He never puts anyone under stress or takes in stress from anyone. He is really caring and easygoing. He is well-read and understands when to give children space. He is now a US resident. He frequently advises avoiding taking stress and to have trust and self-confidence. Do what you do best without considering others. These actions show his coolness and his understanding of our need for carefree living.

Lokit Phulwani

My father's name is Shankar Phulwani and I consider myself completely blessed to have him in my life. He has not only been a great friend but also has been a mentor and a guiding light to me throughout. What I am today as a person is because of his experienced and valued advice right from my childhood days. A few pieces of his advice that has helped me tremendously are - he said that always earn people not money, what’s important is to have genuine people around you rather than all the money with loneliness and unhappiness. Another important advice which stayed with me was, to achieve something you have to be calm and patient and not take hasty decisions both personally or professionally.

Muskan Verma

I share a loving relationship, filled with laughter and mutual respect, with my father Surendra Verma. Over the years, he has given me countless pieces of advice that have shaped me to what I have become today. He always told me that ‘hard work will eventually pay off’ and stressed on the importance of putting in the effort to achieve my goals. He taught me that success does not come overnight, but it is the result of consistent hard work and perseverance. Today, I apply this advice to everything I do, be it my career, relationships or personal life. Self-love is more important, is the second thing he taught me. In a world where we are often encouraged to put others first, my father always reminded me of the importance of self-love. He taught me that taking care of myself, both physically and emotionally, is crucial for my well-being and happiness. This advice has helped me prioritize my mental health and take out time for myself, which has been beneficial for my overall growth and success. These pieces of advice have been instrumental in shaping my values and guiding me towards becoming a better person every day. I'm grateful to have a father who has always been there for me, supporting and guiding me through life's challenges.

Aadesh Chaudhary

I shared a good equation with my father, Chaudhary Ranveer Singh. He is always there for me and is the person with whom I share everything with him. He always tells me not to welcome any trouble and that hard work is the key. The other thing he says is to follow the right path and believe in karma.

Chitra Vakil Sharma

I lost my father, Late Dr. B N Vakil, to Covid. He is the only man I have loved the most and will love the most in my life. He is my 1st love. Dad has taught me a lot of things, but the one thing he said that I always follow is not to be scared of failures, keep attempting till I succeed. This is applicable to every phase of my life, both professional and personal. Secondly, dad would always say don't be scared of the opinion of others, learn to say no and be a good listener.

Priya Banerjee

Priya Banerjee shared, "My father is extremely special. I’ve always been told I’m just like my father, and as I grew older I started to realise I truly am, and I feel blessed for that.  I was just back home in Canada for my dad's birthday but unfortunately won’t be there for Father’s Day which is sad but I just came back after spending lots of quality time with him so I’m happy for now".

She further added, " My father has always been extremely inspiring and motivating. When I told him about pursuing acting as a career and moving to an entirely new city and country he never discouraged me. He has always been my constant support in every way not sure what I would do without him".

Rajat Barmecha

He said, "I think my bond with my father is very special. It is the ideal father-son relationship we share because it's funny how in every film of mine like in Udaan, I had a father who was very strict and didn’t want me to follow my dreams. Same with the recent film Kacchey Limbu my father wants me to do something else and then I end up taking a job and in real life, I think it's completely the opposite. How my father has always supported me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. My father is the first person who has always motivated me to even follow the most bizarre dreams of mine. He would let me just go for it and say remember one thing that you should always give your heart and soul into what you're doing and then everything will take care of itself".

He further added, "It doesn't matter what the outcome is, and even when I wanted to become an actor, I think he was one of the biggest support systems I had. So, I think my bond with my father is great and over the years it's just grown from strength to strength. So this Father's day, we might just go out for a meal or we may just order in and my brother is also there so we'll all four will chill and I guess the timings just matched.