Suniel Shetty's beloved daughter and actor Athiya Shetty is celebrating her 28th birthday today. On her special day here's a little glimpse of a childhood story that will crack you up, of a time when she embarrassed her father with a line from his film.
In 2019, Suniel revealed in an interview that the line ‘Mere do-do baap (I have two fathers)’ from his 1994 film, Gopi Kishan had become a big hit with the audiences. Everywhere he went, people would say the line to him. Back home, even Athiya learned it and kept repeating it despite him telling her not to.
“I never imagined that such simple dialogues and situations would become so iconic. I wonder where the child actor is these days who shot to fame after that scene. He had a very naughty look but I don’t remember his name,” Suniel further added, “Whenever people would see me in public, they would say ‘Mere do do baap’. Even Athiya, after watching the film, started calling me, ‘Mere do do baap’ and I used to keep telling her ‘No no Athiya… it is not funny’. She just loved it and keeps repeating.”
When asked Athiya Shetty what she learned from father Suniel, she replied, “What I admire about him is that he’s not judgmental. He’s extremely motivating and always by my side; he encourages me and my decisions and has never said, ‘I told you so’.” She added, “I discuss my scripts and things I’m unsure of before I take any decision. [My father] has encouraged me to make my decisions for myself. Everyone has their own journey and their ups and downs. I’m going to learn from his mistakes, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be making my own. I know what I want to do when I look at him and his career.”
Suniel Shetty also said that he is fond of his kids' partners and asserted, “We (he and wife Mana Shetty) love the kids and the kids they are dating. Absolutely love them and I think more than a 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.” Speaking about his children's career, Suniel added, “I think after doing 126 movies, one can’t say I have not been doing that many films. I did an overdose of cinema. I needed to take a break. This is a period where I need to focus on my children. Athiya and Ahan’s careers are more important to me. I think I should take it easy and focus on them and share with them whatever I have learned.”
On her birthday, Suniel Shetty wished his 'baby' with a beautiful message shared on his social media pages.