Shah Rukh

Shah Rukh would pretty much fit any endorsement for the ‘Complete Father’.

He gives his son AbRam a gift every single day of the year – he would actually want to throw open the entire secret toy room to his tot but mom Gauri insists on the one-a-day rule so he doesn’t spoil him. He doesn’t mind his older son Aryan learning ‘bad words’. In fact, he puts all his knowledge picked up as a teen in Delhi to use and teaches Aryan a few new ones as well!

Refreshingly open to his children getting into films, his only condition is that they need to finish their education first. Reason? “I don’t think they invited me to Yale University to be a speaker just because I am SRK the actor, but also because I am educated enough to talk on any subject.” He is the rare parent who avoids giving his kids relationship advice – “Every relationship is different, every f***-up is different, every happiness is different” – and religious advice as well. He tells AbRam stories from both, the Mahabharata and from Islam, hoping that “they learn all the religions on their own and respect it.” As Aryan’s tweet to his father on his birthday put it, “He can play like a kid, give advice like a friend and protect like a bodyguard. Happy Birthday to you. We love you boss man.” We rest our case!

 Karan Johar

Father of twins born via surrogacy, Karan is already teaching his yet to be one-year-olds that it is perfectly okay to be different. “As you grow up, people will try to label you according to colour, looks, religion, popularity, and money. People will gossip about you, but know that no one can label you. Just because you are different, it doesn't make you wrong.” Balancing work with family isn’t just a fancy term – Karan showed how to do it. Determined to see more of his kids while at work, he has set up a crèche at his office. What’s more, the facility is open to the kids of all the employees, and comes fully stocked and staffed by childcare experts. He also firmly believes that parents should give their children the freedom they need, to pursue their dreams and spend their time doing what they like. Helicopter parenting doesn’t always guarantee happy kids.

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Saif Ali Khan

A chilled-out dad, he isn't paranoid about or overtly protective of little Taimur. In fact, Saif Ali Khan is refreshingly open about enjoying his occasional me-time yet adds, “I love being by myself but after a couple of days, I missed having them around.” Not being a finicky parent, doesn’t translate as being an uncaring one. With daughter Sara Ali Khan on the brink of her film debut, he admits, “What worries me is the kind of relationships she is going to have. Or for that matter, how she will deal with failure — will she get upset and cry about them? These are things that niggle at me.” He has advised her to stay true to her job as an artiste, but honestly adds “Kareena pointed out that I started taking interest in my work only recently and found my way. I hope she too finds her way.” He even sounded a word of caution to his dashing young son, Ibrahim some time ago, stating, “I hope he understands that interest on social media is a double edged sword. People are interested in him today because of his family, who his parents are as well as him…He now understands that he needs to be a bit reserved and be seen less unless you have something particular to say.” And he’s probably the only one who hopes that “with the right guidance, maybe he (Taimur) will find his calling in another field!”

Shahid Kapoor

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It has been more than a year but Shahid Kapoor’s fascination with daughter Misha is strong as ever. “Every day is amazing with Misha,” gushes this doting dad, who had gone on paternity leave to take care of his baby girl after her birth. Parenting goes deeper than changing a baby’s diapers every three hours – which, incidentally he also did. Shahid doesn’t want to make the same mistakes with his child, which his dad made with him. “He is an extremely nice person and he has always been a friend to me; those are the things that I would want,” he said of dad Pankaj Kapur, “But he's a bit hyper and he's a bit over-protective. So, those are the two things that I hope I don't do to my child.” Misha has made her inveterate party hearty dad a complete home-lover. “I never want to leave home once I return to my wife and baby,” he admits, adding “I feel like I am ready to protect and even fight for her. I want to be my best for Misha.”