actor: Imran Khan: may be out of movies for a while, but fans are waiting to see him back on screen. He also continues to update people about his life through social media and has been a huge inspiration as a single father. Imran and: Avantika: Malik divorced in 2024 and since then they have been co-parenting their daughter. In an earlier interview with ETimes, Imran spoke about his relationship with his daughter Imara and called her his ‘lighthouse’ amid all the personal struggles he went through during the divorce. The actor has been dating Lekha Washington for some time and in a recent interview, he spoke about how he introduced his son to his girlfriend. Imran revealed that since Lekha had become a part of their lives even before they started dating, the transition was easier, but he still believed it was important to be upfront with Imara about the change in their relationship. He said in an interview with Hindustan Times, “Lekha and I knew each other before we started dating and so Imara knew her too. It’s the context of the relationship that has changed and I want her to know when it happened. It’s part of being transparent. Trying to hide anything from a child is not good.For the actor, honesty and leading by example are essential in parenting. Instead of just teaching children how to behave, he believes parents should model the values ​​they hope to instill. “Kids do what you do and not what you say. That’s why I want to live my life in a way where I show a good example for him. It’s important to talk to children like they are rational, thinking beings and not treat them as inferior.”As Imara grew up, Imran said their relationship developed naturally. With a laugh, he admits that he is no longer the “cool” parent of his friends. “We’ve reached the phase where I’m uncool in front of his friends; I still shout out ‘I love you’, but I’m not cool with his friends,” he laughed.Fatherhood has also changed the way Imran sees films and tells stories. Watching children’s content with her daughter made her more conscious of how women are portrayed on screen. “I started seeing the world through his lens. When I watched cartoons or movies with him, I realized that I didn’t like how female characters were represented. Misogyny was reinforced. This pushed me to start looking for positive representation of women in my films as well,” he admitted.The 43-year-old also shared that she intended to keep Imara out of the spotlight for most of her childhood. It wasn’t until he noticed strangers approaching him that he explained why people recognized him. “I pushed him away a lot. People would react to me and at one point, he asked me, ‘Why do people keep taking pictures with you?’ Then I had to explain to him that I had acted in some movies and people remembered me from there. I didn’t show him any of my films, for him they were still outsiders walking and greeting me.”Technology is another area where Imran believes moderation is important. She said she introduced clear limits around digital devices for her daughter. “I’m a bit conservative in tech adoption. Not just kids, but everyone is too online now. So, I’ve put together tech adoption guidelines for Imara.”Away from the public eye, the father-daughter duo enjoys simple moments together, from rollerblading to hairdressing. Imran admits that learning to manage his daughter’s long hair was an experience in itself.“I don’t have as much hair as her,” the actor laughed, adding, “Learning to shampoo, condition and dry her hair are things I had to learn by doing. I started by doing bad plaits which was embarrassing. But I’m better now. It’s been a whole journey.”
