Ask any parent and they will tell you that the road to parenthood is not easy. Whether it is conceiving, bearing the child or bringing them up every step is difficult and mired with insecurities for any couple. Kashmera Shah and Krushna Abhishek also had to go through their fair share of problems to become parents. The actors secretly tied the knot in 2012 but did not want to expand their family so early since they were focused on their careers. When they finally did start to plan for a child in 2014 all their attempts at conceiving naturally failed. Finally they opted for In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique to become parents.

Kashmera opened about the problems she faced while trying to conceive and also tried to break the stereotype notion that actresses don’t want to have children as it will ruin their figures. Talking to a daily she said, “Everything was fine with us, but we lead such stressful lives that it often becomes a matter of luck. When Krushna’s dad fell ill, we put the plan on hold for six months. It was a difficult time for us. I went through five (ovum) pick-ups and three (embryo) transfers, but all in vain.” She further added, “In a span of 10 days, I went from size two to eight. I didn’t give it a break and kept trying every month, thereby pumping myself with injections, as I didn’t have the time or luxury to wait. After all, I was not in my 20s anymore. Also, it’s a little dangerous to have a kid when you are older. It took us 13 attempts and two years of constant pain and no work to have our babies. Some people have to go through the struggle and maybe, God wanted to test us.”

Kashmera and Krushna even toyed with the idea of adopting a kid since the procedures were not giving results. The actress said, “It’s harmful to torture your body beyond a point. It was not easy to look pregnant and not be pregnant, as these injections tend to make you bloated. We then decided that if everything failed, we would adopt a girl child.”

However, their doctor and Krushna’s cousins suggested surrogacy and the couple decided to think it through. Kashmera revealed, “My doctor called to tell me to decide about the next move as there were chances of a ban on surrogacy in India. So, we signed the papers and it happened. When an actress opts for surrogacy, people think that we are figure-conscious. But that’s not true. I know how hard it was for me. I empathize with women who are in this profession, as you don’t tend to marry or have kids early usually.”

Krushna feels it’s his father who has returned from the dead as one of his sons. He said, “Coincidentally, four days before he passed away, my father told me that he would return to us as my son. The twins were conceived on the 14th day of his demise. Krishaang reminds me of my dad because he is always smiling.”

Krushna and Kashmera welcomed their twin sons through surrogacy and have named them Rayaan and Krishaang. The actors have rarely spoken about their children before and want to bring them up as normal kids as can be possible without fussing over them needlessly and by not playing helicopter parents.