Taimur, Misha, AbRam, Aaradhya: Bollywood toddlers are breaking the Internet

Famous star parents are no longer secretive about their tots. It’s both a case of peer pressure on social media and a greater sense of openness, say relationship and psychology experts.

It’s raining star kids in Bollywood. While the grown-up lot, including Jhanvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, and Aryan Khan, have a buzz around them because they’re readying for their Bollywood debut, it’s the tiny ones, including Taimur, Misha, AbRam, Aaradhya, among others that are giving the paparazzi the time of their life.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted this picture of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya at Cannes Film, and captioned it, “Bahurani aur hamari Rani .. !!!”

It’s a pleasant surprise that unlike earlier, when Bollywood actors tried to keep their toddlers away from the media, stars are no longer guarded about getting their little ones clicked. In no time, their oh-so-cute pictures start breaking the Internet.

Fans still can’t get over Kareena Kapoor’s son Taimur staring right into the camera while getting clicked during his recent outings. Shahid Kapoor’s baby daughter Misha, too, has been spotted accompanying her parents on lunch dates and happily posing for the shutterbugs. Aaradhya Bachchan, who at five years of age is a ‘senior’ among the juniors, turned out to be a little fashionista when she posed with mommy Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the recent Cannes Film Festival.

Whether there’s a shift in sensibilities or stars are preparing their kids to get used to the paparazzi culture, fans are delighted. Commenting on the current level of openness, Dr Gitanjali Sharma, Gurgaon-based relationship expert, says, “Instead of being over-protective, stars these days are more open about bringing their kids before the media. Also, people used to be very superstitious in the past (a reference to the ‘nazar lag jayegi’ fears of Indian parents), but now they’re coming out of that domain. They give [the children] this exposure, so that they’re used to it once they grow up.”

Could there be any sort of peer pressure, too, that compels these celebrities to let their children be photographed? “Yes, it’s quite possible that peer pressure influences their actions. If they see one star couple flaunting their kids, then the rest also want to match up to it,” adds Dr Sharma.

Interestingly, many star parents themselves photograph their children and post the images on social media, sharing the kids’ growing up moments. Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan’s four-year-old son AbRam seems to have become a pro at posing; his videos at IPL matches scream ‘cuteless overload’ and Shah Rukh shares them on Twitter.

As Ritesh Deshmukh’s younger son Rayhl turned one, mommy Genelia D’Souza posted an adorable pic on Instagram. Tusshar Kapoor shared pictures from son Laksshya’s first birthday party, which was attended by little Taimur. Giving a glimpse of her newborn son Zack Lalvani, Lisa Haydon shared a photo of his tiny hands and pouting lips on Instagram.

A Mumbai-based psychologist, who doesn’t wish to be named, says that the advent of social media has changed things — because of it, there’s so much of exposure. The psychologist adds, “Everything is happening so fast that it’s very difficult to escape the limelight. Bollywood stars have accepted this as part of their life, and somewhere, they know how important it is to share their lives with fans.”

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