Farhan Akhtar may be a celebrated name in films and music, but when it comes to parenting , he prefers a calm and private approach. The actor-filmmaker, who shares two daughters with his former wife Adhuna Bhabani , recently spoke about why he chooses to keep them away from public attention and why he wants them to build their own path in life.



Farhan Akhtar reflects on his daughters independenceFarhan and Adhuna were married for 16 years before parting ways in 2016. Even today, they continue to co-parent their daughters, Shakya and Akira, with thought and respect. In a recent interaction with Mid-Day, Farhan spoke warmly about how his daughters are blossoming.



He said, “They are happy girls, growing independently. We are not telling them what they should do. They will find their own feet, they are very confident, independent, beautiful girls.”



Farhan explains keeping his daughters away from the limelightFarhan also shared why he chooses to keep his daughters away from the glare of fame. As someone who comes from a well-known artistic family, he understands how easy it is for children to receive attention simply because of their parents.



Speaking about this, he said, “My intention has always been to keep them away from the spotlight. Attention is something that they need to earn. They should not take it for granted because of who you are. I want them to be more successful than I could imagine, and if they want to be publicly famous, I wish well for them, but it would be nice that they earn that and not get used to being someone’s daughter or related to so and so person. I keep them away from this because I think they need to work towards that.”



Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar After his separation from Adhuna, Farhan married Shibani Dandekar in 2022. Over time, Shibani has formed a warm relationship with Shakya and Akira. In an earlier conversation with Rhea Chakraborty on her podcast Chapter 2, Shibani praised both Farhan and Adhuna for the way they have raised their daughters.



She said, “This is also a huge credit to both their parents. They have raised them to be open-minded, understanding, kind. They aren’t the average young adult teenagers. I am dealing with two girls who have taught me so much.”



Shibani also described her own approach in simple, respectful terms, “My approach was pretty simple. They have an incredible mother, they have an incredible father, the rest of us are just here to kind of fill in and support wherever we can. That’s the way I see my role. Whatever the girls need, whenever their parents need my help, however they need that help, I am here for that.”



Farhan Akhtar’s recent filmFarhan most recent release as an actor, ’120 Bahadur’, arrived in theatres on 21 November 2025. The film features Vivaan Bathena, Ankit Siwach, Eijaz Khan , Ajinkya Deo and Rashi Khanna .