“There is no one correct way of being a family as long as there is true understanding and support,” says Karan Johar — and that’s exactly the kind of heart-led honesty that runs through his conversations on his podcast ‘Live Your Best Life with Karan Johar’ on Audible.in. From raising twins as a single dad to finding strength in his “found family,” Karan chats about all things modern parenting on Episode 4 of the series, called Modern Families, with Ira Khan, Neha Dhupia and Avantika and Durjoy Dutta.
He shares, “My chat with Ira and Neha has reaffirmed my belief that there is no cookie cutter, one size fits all approach to modern families. It’s about what works for you, it’s about evolving with time and having the awareness, compassion and courage to do what it takes so that everyone in your family can thrive and live their best life.”
This Father’s Day, we turn to five moments where Karan reflects on what it means to parent with empathy:
On Facing The Imminent Questions From His Kids: “I will have to have a chat with my twins, about how they came into this world…“
In an emotional moment with Masaba, Karan opens up on the honest conversations that lie ahead with his kids, Yash and Roohi about their birth. He discusses with Masaba the importance of leading those talks with truth and love, “Those questions have started. And while I’ve been poetic so far about it with them, I’ve said, “You’ve come from Dada’s heart.” He adds, “I will have to have a chat with my twins, about how they came into this world…” as they begin to ask deeper questions about their birth.
On Fashion Feedback From His Kids: “Dada, You Look Like a Clown!”
Even one of Bollywood’s most stylish dads isn’t safe from the brutal honesty of his kids. Karan recalls the times Yash and Roohi have roasted his outfits and how he wouldn’t trade those playful jabs (or warm hugs) for anything. He shares, “Because dressing up back home is an altogether different scenario. I’ll sometimes have my mum telling me to go back to my room and change while Yash and Roohi tell me, “Dada, you look like a clown.” But when I’m traveling, I miss their brutal honesty, their hugs and, most of all, the joy of our little family unit of four.”
On Parenting His Way: “Raising Roohi and Yash with Mum is the single best decision I’ve made in my life”
Karan opens up about building a home with his mother by his side and raising a different-looking family with pride, strength, and unconditional love, proving that what matters most isn’t structure, but support. Speaking of raising a differently structured family, he shares, “Raising Roohi and Yash with Mum is the single best decision I’ve made in my life. Best. But it was certainly not the easiest.”
On Found Families and Forever Bonds: “One of the greatest joys of my life that my children benefit so much from is that the tribe I’ve built through my life. I have this army of really strong relationships”
From Gauri Khan to Farah Khan and Neha Dhupia, Karan celebrates his chosen family who’ve stood by him and his children like a rock. He shares, “I had no siblings, but I did have… a found family. One of the greatest joys of my life that my children benefit so much from is that the tribe I’ve built through my life I have this army of really strong relationships – family who are close to me and to my mom and my kids and they’ve been there for me they’ve been my friends who’ve been so supportive.”
He adds, “for my kids, they couldn’t be further from lacking “a mother’s love” – they have my mum and they have an endless shower of love and support of my found family – Putlu (Kajal Anand), Shweta (Bachchan), Gauri (Khan), Farah (Khan), Neha (Dhupia).”
On Sports Day Jitters and Stepping Up: “I have to kind of figure out how do I balance my strengths and weaknesses so that my children have an all-around existence”
In conversation with Neha Dhupia, Karan Johar tells her, “…one day Yash told me, why don’t you run this race with me? And I was like, oh my God, I’ll lose to my seven-year-old. And then he told me all the other dadas ran the parents’ race.”
He speaks about the small ways he’s challenging himself—to be present, to learn, and to give his children the balanced upbringing he always wished for. Karan says “I have to kind of figure out how do I balance my strengths and weaknesses so that my children have an all-around existence. Dance is my thing but football is not my strength. So, on sports day, I find myself so lost because I feel like how do I make my kids more sporty than I was? Because I know being sporty is amazing. The spirit of sportsmanship, or the health and fitness attached to it is critical. I knew I combated weight issues because I was not sporty and I didn’t play sport. And now I’m like trying very hard to bring in football in their life, or try and bring in athletics in their life.”
Arvind Iyer 
