Anil Kapoor admits he was absent from kids’ lives, even forgot their birthdays: 'Sunita was like a single parent'

Anil Kapoor reflects on his parenting, admitting he was often absent during his children's upbringing. He credits wife, Sunita, for being a near-single parent.

Actor Anil Kapoor has shared a gutsy moment of self-reflection in a new interview, indicting himself over his parenting skills. The veteran actor, father of three, said he was not there for them as much as she should have been, and praised wife, Sunita Kapoor, for almost functioning like a single parent when their kids were young.

Anil Kapoor with his children, actors Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor.

Anil Kapoor on parenting

In a podcast interview with Lilly Singh, Anil spoke about the role he played in the upbringing of this three children - actors Sonam Kapoor and Harshvardhan Kapoor, and filmmaker Rhea Kapoor. “I was hardly there. If my children say positive things about me, I feel happy that I have raised them well. But as a father, I could have been much better. I should have spent more time. In many ways, Sunita has been like a single parent. I was present, but not the way a father should be,” the actor admitted.

Anil said that he was not clued in to his children’s lives when they were growing up. “I barely knew which class they were in. I wouldn’t remember their birthdays—my wife would remind me. They would ask me, ‘When is my birthday?’ and I would go blank. But they have grown up to be wonderful, happy individuals,” the actor added.

Anil Kapoor’s personal life and family

Anil married costume designer Sunita Kapoor (nee Bhavnani) in 1984. The couple has three children - Sonam, Rhea, and Harrshvardhan. Sonam was the first to follow into her father’s footsteps into Bollywood. She began as an assistant to Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Black, before making her acting debut with Saawariya in 2007. Harrsh made his acting debut with Mirzya in 2016. Rhea has not dabbled in acting, but turned producer with Aisha in 2010.

Anil Kapoor’s recent and upcoming work

Anil was most recently seen in Suresh Triveni’s action drama Subedar, which released on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year. The film saw him earn acclaim for his performance as a retired armyman. Later this year, he will be seen in two films - spy thriller Alpha and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer King.