RANBIR KAPOOR

THE NEWEST FATHER IN B-TOWN, THE LOW-KEY ACTOR GUSHES TO HELLO! ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER, ALIA BHATT'S INFLUENCE ON HIS LIFE, AND A SURPRISING FACT ABOUT HIS FUTURE IN CINEMA...

- PUJA TALWAR

Once deemed an eternal bachelor, he's now a devoted family man. Ranbir Kapoor's eyes light up at the mention of his four-month-old daughter Raha, as he excitedly shares, “She’s at that golden period where a child just locks eyes with you and smiles. It’s magical…”

After a rough couple of years, it’s been a good year for the actor on both the professional and personal fronts, though it’s the birth of his daughter that’s at the forefront of his mind.

“A lot has changed for the better. I feel blessed and grateful. It’s a kind of love that I never realised existed. I thought I had reached midlife and didn’t know what more was in store. I fell in love, got married and had the love of family and friends. But what a child evokes in you… You can’t describe it,” he says.

Although he claims to be a better father than husband, he gives Alia Bhatt, his superstar wife, full credit for bringing stability and balance to his life. As the couple celebrates their first anniversary together, Ranbir reveals that becoming parents came naturally to them.

“Alia had a child at the peak of her career. She’s also very ambitious and will continue to do what she did even before we had Raha… We have to balance it out and are really working on our schedules to make it work. We’re privileged in a way and have help. We’ve been parents for just four months, and I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Unarguably one of the most talented actors in the country, Ranbir has had his fair share of hits and misses. While career obituaries were being penned, the mega success of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva