Suraj Pancholi is as much my child as Aathiya, says Suniel Shetty

There have been reports suggesting that Suniel Shetty was unhappy with his daughter Aathiya’s debut happening with the lately-beleaguered Suraj Pancholi.

Rising to the boy’s defence Suniel says, “I never said that! I don’t, for a moment, regret the decision to launch my daughter with Suraj. Why should I? He is as much my child as Aathiya. This (the crisis post Jiah Khan’s suicide) can happen to anyone. God forbid any parent should go through what Aditya and Zarina are going through right now. And I can’t even begin to imagine Jiah’s mother’s grief. Even if my daughter gets a scratch I am inconsolable. To lose one’s child is beyond any comprehension.”

However, Suniel fails to see why Suraj must be blamed for the tragedy. “They had a relationship. Whatever happened between them is known only to them. No second person can take responsibility for an individual’s death. I’ve met Suraj. He’s sweet, soft spoken boy. I don’t see him harming anyone, least of all someone he loved.”

Suniel says he totally stands by the project introducing his daughter Aathiya with Suraj.

“I’ve full faith in the project. In any case it is entirely Salman Khan’s baby. He has taken over the project completely. I’ve taken the backseat as far as Aaithiya’s launch is concerned. We’re letting Salman take all the decisions on behalf  of Aathiya and Suraj.

We start shooting for Hero with my daughter and Suraj in September-October. One thing is for sure. All this controversy makes no difference to the project. Salman knows what he is doing. And I’ve full faith in Salman, the project and in Suraj.”