Suniel Shetty has many iconic films and achievements to his name, but the biggest blessings in his life are his children, actors Athiya Shetty and Ahan Shetty. With Parent’s Day today, the actor insists that no matter how grown up your kids become, the responsibility of being a parent never goes away.
“As a parent, you always have your children’s comfort in the back of your mind driving your decisions. So whether it’s career, health, or parenting, that is something that will always be a concern and that is the beauty of parenthood, the beauty of being a mom, dad, grandma or grandpa,” Suniel Shetty says.
Athiya Shetty began her career as an actor but chose to step back from it to focus on her family after getting married to cricketer KL Rahul and having their daughter Evaarah Vipula Rahul. Ahan Shetty may have had a tumultuous start to his acting journey with Tadap (2022), but he had a revival this year with the success of Border 2. Suniel takes pride in the path that his kids have chosen for themselves,and the growth they have shown, without getting bogged down by the challenges.
“I’m very happy with the way they’ve conducted themselves, the way they’ve projected themselves and the impact that they have on people and the audience and kids their age. But that concern, love, and that feeling of wanting everything to be fairy tale-like for your children, that is something that’ll never change,” he smiles.
The 64-year-old also keeps up with his kids in leading a healthy lifestyle, and getting into fitness has changed him forever. He is loving how it has helped him connect with the current generation. “It motivates me to train harder and work on everything that is important to lead a healthier life. But what is also important is that the youngsters are also realizing that wellness is far cheaper than illness. So, I’m very happy that I have a lot of kids who come to me and appreciate me for my fitness and also say, ‘You know what? We’re gonna go back home and tell Dad, ‘Look at Sunil uncle and how fit he is even at this age.’ I’m glad that I’m an inspiration for them from a health and wellness perspective to lead a clean, great lifestyle. And if I could make a positive impact on kids, I think I would have a blessed life,” he says.
Suniel had a personal promotion when he became a grandfather to Evaarah in March 2025. Ask Suniel if having a granddaughter influenced or changed his work choices in terms of the legacy he wants to leave behind for her, and he says, “Not necessarily just as a grandfather. Even when I became a father or even when I was a son, I carried this image of an actor very responsibly. I made sure that I didn’t do films that I was gonna be embarrassed about tomorrow. Success and failure are not an embarrassment. It’s the roles that you do and that you regret is what embarrassment is all about, and that’s why I chose films which had national pride in it, pride of the uniform, relationships, humor, laughter. Entertainment is the only thing I try to give the audience.”