Many couples in Bollywood are becoming parents in their late 30s and 40s and it is only possible because of the wonders of modern science. Let’s look at some famous Indian celebrities who opted for surrogacy to expand their families.
1. Farah Khan – Shirish Kunder
Bollywood’s ace choreographer and director Farah Khan was in her early 40s when she got married to Shirish Kunder. For two years they tried to have a baby naturally, and eventually turned to IVF.
“IVF is a blessing and I am really thankful as it has changed my life. A lot of factors today make it difficult for some couples to conceive, but we have solutions in the form of treatments,” Farah said in a statement. “And I strongly believe in IVF, it helped me conceive my angels.”
Farah was 43 years old, when she had her triplets on February 11, 2008. It is possible that she used IVF with donor eggs, because at that age eggs are likely to be the causative factor for infertility.
However, the use of donor for eggs has not been confirmed by the lady herself.
We love Farah Khan for her candid humor, and also for how she openly talks about IVF and advises it to other couples who are struggling to conceive.
“When the choice is to either go childless or IVF, there is no room for doubts. I was 43 when I had my kids and my biological clock had stopped ticking long time ago.”
She understands the path of IVF is not easy and suggests that it must be treaded patiently.
“Being persistent, positive and patient towards the procedure paid off,” she said of the procedure. “And if IVF can change my life, it could change yours too.”
2. Gauri and Shahrukh Khan
When Gauri and Shahrukh Khan decided to have a third child, they were also in their 40s. It could not happen naturally so they turned to IVF and hired a surrogate to carry the baby.
It is reported that Shahrukh and Gauri had tried to conceive naturally for two years and then considered adoption, when their friends Seema and Sohail Khan recommended surrogacy.
Their baby, AbRam, was born prematurely at 34 weeks in May 2013, amidst a lot of conjecture about surrogacy and a redundant gender determination test.
Shahrukh, in his ever charming style, cleared the air saying, “Amidst all the noise that has been going around, the sweetest is the one made by our newborn baby, AbRam. He was born prematurely by several months, but has finally come home.”
The gossip eventually died and Shahrukh open talked about his baby saying, “He is very sweet, beautiful and pretty looking. He is a pleasant child. He brings lot of cheer and happiness. It is great fun to be with him. Everyone wants to be with him. The kids like him. I like him.”
He also expressed his joy in buying all that baby stuff again. “My office people make excuses to come home to see him. We have lot of good time. Now I have to do the kids shopping thing again…whatever I did ten years ago,” he reportedly said.
3. Kiran Rao – Aamir Khan
When Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao decided to become parents, they had to go the IVF-surrogacy way. Aamir already had two children from his previous marriage, and possibly advanced age was also the reason for them to not be able to conceive naturally.
The road to parenthood might not have been easy but eventually on December 5, 2011 the couple was blessed with son, whom they named Azad.
They have also been open and encouraging about IVF surrogacy, as Aamir said, “This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty. We were advised to have a baby through IVF surrogacy, and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that all has gone well.”
4. Karan Johar
Filmaker Karan Johar, who has been faintly open about his sexual orientation, decided to complete his world by having two children. Naturally, the only way he could have a baby was with IVF surrogacy.
In his popular book ‘An Unsuitable Boy,’ Karan had stated his desire to have a child—through adoption or surrogacy.
When the time came, he said opting for surrogacy “was an emotional yet well thought out decision which I have taken after considering all the responsibilities and duties that come with being a parent.”
Karan clearly stated that he is prepared for his work and other commitments to be put on the backburner as his top priority is his twins—Yash and Roohi.
Expressing thankfulness to the surrogate who delivered for him, Karan said that the lady “fulfilled my lifelong dream and provided a warm, loving and nurturing environment to my children before bringing them into this world.
“She will always remain in my prayers.”
5. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra
In the February of 2020, Shilpa Shetty brought home her baby girl, who was born out of a surrogacy arrangement. Shilpa and Raj already had a son, Viaan, who was around seven years at the time of their daughter’s birth.
Shilpa revealed that she didn’t want her son to grow up as an only child kept trying to have a sibling for him but suffered multiple miscarriages, which she blamed on an auto-immune disease called APLA.
They’d also put down their name for adoption but the Christian Missionary shut down because of some problems with CARA.
“I waited for nearly four years and then, I was so irritated and we decided to try the surrogacy route,” Shilpa said. “We had Samisha after three attempts. I had honestly given up on the thought of another child.”
An overjoyed Shilpa later shared her love for both of her children in a Mother’s Day post on Instagram.
6. Seema and Sohail Khan
Ten years after the birth of their first child, Nirvaan, Seema and Sohail Khan decided to have another baby. When it could not happen naturally, they too had to seek medical help and opted for IVF surrogacy. Their second baby, Yohan, was born June, 2011, about 13 years after their marriage.
Recently, there have been reports of Salman Khan considering IVF surrogacy because he wants to embrace parenthood.
It is encouraging when celebrities talk openly about infertility and how they handled it, as other people are able to relate with their situation and find hope.