Irrfan Khan: ‘Parenting is the toughest role of my life'

Irrfan’s younger son Ayan wrote a letter to the media inviting them for the trailer launch of Madaari.

Says Irrfan proudly, “It was my marketing team’s idea. We wrote something for him. But when my son Ayan read what we had in mind, he scrapped the entire content and re-wrote the letter himself. Today’s kids know their minds and how to exercise their options.”

So do Irrfan’s sons want to follow in their father’ footsteps? “I am not putting any kind of pressure on my children. They can be actors if they like. Or they can choose whichever career they want. But today’s kids either want to be a popstar like Justin Bieber or they want to be star footballers. You see, children today are exposed to international artists. They all listen to international music and imbibe a kind of cosmopolitanism in their attitude from very young which is very hard for a parent to understand, let alone control.”

Khan says the biggest challenge he faces is to bring up his two sons Babil and Ayan with the correct values.

“But the problem is, how do we define what is correct for our children? Today’s kids are exposed to the entire world through the internet,” says Irrfan.

Rather than stop his sons from gaining access to information Irrfan has given them the freedom to pick and choose what they would like to. “I can’t stop my sons for searching, asking, and seeking answers. It’s up to them to decide to use how much of what they imbibe.”