Imran Khan recently opened up about his struggles as a single dad in a recent conversation with Parineeti Chopra on her show, Mom Talks. The actor who shares custody of his daughter with his ex-wife, Avantika, revealed that she stays with him for 3-4 days a week. However, he has his own set of struggles, as many mothers hesitate to send their kids to a single man’s house.
Imran Khan reflects on how moms hesitate to send their daughters to a single man’s house
During the conversation, Imraan reflected on how difficult it is to arrange playdates for his daughter with her friends. He revealed that whenever he called his daughter’s friend’s mom to set up a playdate, they would always give an excuse. Which eventually led him to realise that mothers might not actually be comfortable with sending their daughters to a single man’s house. He was quoted as saying:
“I would try to make plans. And Imara would ask me, ‘Can you ask this friend if they can come over to play?’ So I would find the number and message one mom: ‘Can so-and-so come over to play?’ And they would say, ‘Sorry, not today.’ Next week again: ‘Hi, can we do it?’, they are like, ‘No, not today.’ So I started to notice that some moms were maybe not so comfortable sending their child, particularly if it’s a girl, to a house where a single man is living.”
Imran Khan on men in our society
During the same conversation, Imran Khan revealed that he does understand what the mothers are hesitant about. He admitted that there are enough “problematic men” in society, and one can understand where their thinking comes from. However, it is extremely heartbreaking for him because week after week, he has to tell his daughter, “Sorry, your friend can’t come.”
Reacting to Imran, Parineeti was surprised by his comment. She shared how things would be extremely different for a single mother. She added, “People would be empathetic. They would think, ‘Oh, she’s a single mother calling, I should send my daughter to play.’ But the same thing, a single father can’t do.” Imran further reflected on the broader emotional gap and the need for support. He was quoted as saying:
“A single father doesn’t have that, which is also part of the unfortunate nature of male relationships. There is a restrictive version of manhood that is taught to all men: men are strong, men are not like that. So within that, some of these more vulnerable parts of yourself maybe don’t get addressed, where a woman will have two or three girlfriends who respond emotionally and support you there. Male relationships, unfortunately, often have that ‘yaar, bro, be a man, don’t be weak.'”
More about Imran Khan’s marriage his with ex-wife, Avantika Malik
Imran previously told The Times of India that his daughter lives with him from Thursday to Sunday since he separated from his wife seven years ago. He revealed that in these years, he has never sought help, has never hired a nanny or other external help, and deeply values the time he spends with her. For the unversed, Imran Khan married Avantika Malik in 2011. In June 2014, the couple welcomed their daughter, Imara. They later separated after an eight-year-long marriage due to irreconcilable differences. He was quoted as saying:
“My ex-wife and I have split custody. From Thursday to Sunday, she is with me. I put her to bed, read to her at night, get her up in the morning, pack her dabba, and drive her to and from school. Because this is the most valuable for me.”
image credit: ImranKhan/IG
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