Shah Rukh Khan- Suhana, Akshay Kumar- Nitara, Shahid Kapoor- Misha: Bollywood Dads and their princesses

When doting dad Akshay Kumar is on a long outdoor schedule, the one person he misses the most is his six-year-old daughter. The khiladi, who’s a hands-on dad to his children — Aarav and Nitara — has time and again admitted, “I want to be around my little daughter as much as possible. She is my 

Princess. I don’t want to miss out on any of her growing-up moments.’’ Of course, his wife, Twinkle, is an exemplary mom who tends to all the needs of her kids. Akki is fully aware that with Nitara’s school schedule, the little one can’t accompany him to all his outdoor shoots. However, if he can zip into town for even the weekend from wherever he is stationed, he makes it a point to spend his Sundays around his baby girl. For him, there is no greater joy than dropping her off to school and picking her up when he is in Mumbai. 

Involved closely with every minute aspect of Nitara’s life, the superstar has been spotted taking her for swimming lessons to a suburban club. And horsing around with her at his own gymnasium like he was doing this Sunday, where she was doing the battle rope exercise. He also has her name tattooed on his back. Now, isn’t that adorable?

When his teenage daughter, who studies in Singapore, was home on her Diwali break, Ajay Devgn was incommunicado to the rest of the world. It’s not the first time this has happened. Very often, the actor has confided in his closest buddies, “If you have anything to say to me, do so before Nysa comes home on her vacation.

When she is around, I have no intention of spending time with anyone else but her.’’ Just goes to show how she’s the focus of his entire existence. Earlier this year, when his girl was away on a school excursion trip and was completely ‘off her family’s radar’, the loving pop was the one who missed her the most. The Bollywood superstar, who has his kids’ names — Nysa and Yug — tattooed on his chest, loves FaceTiming his first-born every day when she is in Singapore. In fact, Kajol and he, who have an apartment in the island city, even fly there at the shortest notice to visit her.

Hindi cinema’s icon, Amitabh Bachchan, is happiest when his daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda is around. Big B has confessed that Shweta is not only the best “actor’’ in the family but also his best friend. The deep bond and great understanding that this father-daughter share is unmatched. He finds her astute and enjoys chatting with her. Those who have been present in the same room with him have noticed how his face lights up when he sees his older child. This is not to say that Amitabh doesn’t care equally about Abhishek. He does. Recently, AB Junior told us how he makes it a point to give his father a warm hug each day because the latter values it. But Shweta is most certainly an equal favourite. 

Saif Ali Khan has Taimur as a ready distraction day on day. And he is equally involved with his adult son Ibrahim, who is his spitting image.  However, the bond the Nawab of Pataudi shares with his 23-year-old daughter Sara Ali Khan is unique. Saif remembers that during her growing up years, Sara would insist on including him in all important moments and decisions in her life. Whether it was something to do with her studies, whom she was dating or even her ‘girl’ problems, Sara was comfortable talking to her dad about it. There was a point as a teenager when she was extremely possessive about her father, too. She still dotes on her dad and is happy to go on vacations with him, but now, she is more dependent on her mother, Amrita Singh.

Shah Rukh Khan, too, has a Saif-like situation at home. While he shares a great equation with Aryan and is a hands-on-parent to AbRam, his weakness is his teenage daughter Suhana. Those who have seen him around her know that she can twist her superstar-father around her little finger. And, though she is currently studying in London, the Bollywood Badshah is on her speed-dial. SRK often flies to the UK capital for a weekend because when Suhana calls, he is never far away.

Roohi Johar, who is not even two, is extremely possessive about her celebrity father Karan Johar. A frequent visitor to the Johar household observed that the moment Karan bends down to lift his son, Yash, Roohi breaks into tears. She can’t be pacified unless he lifts her up, too, or hands over her twin brother to his mother and gives his darling daughter a little bit of extra daddy-time.

Farhan Akhtar is also a great dad. His daughters Shakya and Akira are quite possessive about their filmmaker-actor-musician father. And though they live with their mother, Adhuna Bhabani, after the divorce last year, the girls dote on their father. He often travels with Akira to exotic locales and shares pics of their sojourns on social media. He is even spotted twinning (wearing identical costumes) with them. Moreover, the 44-year-old also posts inspiring messages for both of them. For instance, on Akira’s birthday last year, he posted, “Be all you can be. Be fearless my child, be free.” Earlier, he had penned an open letter to his elder daughter, Shakya, talking about sexual violence and how her body belongs only to her.

Arjun Rampal is crazy about his daughters — Mahikaa and Myra. They live with their mother Mehr Jesia after the glamorous couple decided to separate earlier this year. However, if you hang around Arjun’s office, you will notice the girls drop by with their school friends to spend time around daddy. The actor-producer indulges his girls by taking them along on his work trips overseas. Apparently, he spoils them silly and happily gives them his credit card to shop till they drop. Not only does he have his girls’ names tattooed on him, he also wants nothing short of the moon for his princesses.

Shahid Kapoor admits that his two-year-old Misha is his most favourite person in the world. In an earlier interview to After Hrs, he had confessed that wife Mira was jealous about it. However, he explains that as Mira’s dad also dotes on her, she understands the special bond that fathers and daughters share. Even when they were selecting their new home in Worli, Sasha says that instead of looking more at what Mira and he may fancy, their first thought was finding a safe place for Misha (and of course their son Zain, the newest addition to their family) to play in. “We want Misha to be with other children of her age because that’s how she will grow up to have a regular childhood,’’ explains the proud papa, who is lattoo over his beti.

Hindi cinema icon, Rishi Kapoor, is fond of his older child, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. His wife, Neetu Kapoor, says that even after Riddhima got married and moved to Delhi to live with her in-laws, Chintu would Face-Time her every day without fail. If his first born was too busy and couldn’t take his call, the Bollywood veteran would be upset. After a point, it was Neetu who made him understand that since Riddhima was busy shouldering her responsibilities of being a wife, mother and a daughter-in-law, he needed to be flexible with his face-time routine.