Athiya Shetty wishes father Suniel Shetty on 60th birthday with childhood pic, thanks him 'for the genes'

Athiya Shetty wished her dad Suniel Shetty on his 60th birthday. She shared throwback pictures and thanked him 'for the genes'.

Actor Athiya Shetty on Wednesday wished her father actor Suniel Shetty with a social media post on his 60th birthday. Taking to Instagram, Athiya shared a picture of her childhood with him and a present day photo, and thanked him 'for the genes'.

Athiya Shetty with her father Suniel Shetty.

In the first black and white picture, Athiya and Suniel posed for a photoshoot. While Athiya wore a denim jacket over a top, Suniel opted for a white shirt. In the second picture, a young Suniel holds up baby Athiya while he rests on the bed. She wore a white top and a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses.

Athiya captioned the post, "Happy 60th, Papa! You are the one I bare my soul to, the one who reads all my thoughts. No words could ever suffice to express my love for you. You have given us the best things in life--your time, your love and your constant care. Thank you for leading by example and supporting us unconditionally. I love you with all my heart. ps: thank you for the genes!!"

Currently in the UK, Athiya has been rumoured to be dating cricketer KL Rahul for a while now. The couple hasn't confirmed their relationship but often react to each other's social media posts. She also recently appeared in a few pictures with him from their stay in the country.

Last year, when Suniel was asked if Athiya is seeing Rahul, he told a leading daily, "I am not having the relationship. You will have to ask Athiya.” He also added, “You come and tell me if it is true, then we will talk about it. You don’t know, how can you ask me then. We (he and wife Mana Shetty) love the kids and the kids they are dating. Absolutely love them and I think more than profession, being happy in life is very important today because that is the space I think that is missing. We were all happy, we grew up happy."

Athiya made her Bollywood debut in 2015 with Hero opposite Sooraj Pancholi. She starred in two other films -- Mubarakan (2017) and Motichoor Chaknachoor (2019).