Bollywood is at the forefront when it comes to setting trends. In a country like India, where cinema is too close to the heart, celebrities have the power to influence changes. Surrogacy is a breakthrough arrangement which has also been a controversial issue that raises many brows. There is a lot of stigma around it. Though it is not an easy debate, these celebrities broke the shackles of society by becoming parents via surrogacy. And it is not just Kim Kardashian who has made headlines about it. There are a bunch of Bollywood celebrities in India who have taken the surrogacy path too:
1. Shah Rukh Khan – Gauri Khan
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Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Chibber got married in 1991, after six years of dating. Their son, Aryan Khan, was born in 1997, and their daughter Suhana was born in 2000. After 13 years, they welcomed a son through IVF surrogacy, who was named AbRam. Shah Rukh Khan was 48 years old, and Gauri Khan was in her early 40s when AbRam was born. He was born prematurely amidst a lot of controversies. However, he pulled through and is a now happy, growing child.
2. Aamir Khan – Kiran Rao
Image: aamirkhan / Instagram
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao are Bollywood’s power couple who have brought many sensitive issues to the light through their films and other projects. They created headlines with the news of their child born through surrogacy. Though Aamir Khan has two children from his first marriage with Reena Dutta, Azad is his first child with Kiran. The couple named him Azad Rao Khan. In a heartfelt letter, they shared that it was a difficult journey but that their son makes it worthwhile.
3. Karan Johar
Image: karanjohar/Instagram
In his own words, there has been so much conjecture about Karan Johar’s sexual orientation. But the popular director and producer had made it clear that he doesn’t think that he owes the public an explanation. In his biography called An Unsuitable Boy, Johar had expressed the desire to embrace parenthood. Soon after, he decided to opt for surrogacy to welcome a child into the world. He was blessed with twins, a girl, and a boy, who were named Yash and Roohi.
4. Farah Khan – Shirish Kunder
Image: farahkhankunder/Instagram
Farah Khan, Bollywood’s award-winning choreographer and director of blockbuster films like Om Shanti Om and Main Hoon Na, became a mother to triplets through IVF. She and Sirish Kunder had met on the sets of Main Hoon Na and got married shortly after in 2004. Khan said that motherhood had slipped away from her mind while she was busy building her career. She has also expressed her gratitude to science and the guidance that enabled her to become a mother at the age of 43. She gave birth to triplets, Czar, Diva, and Anya in 2008.
5. Sunny Leone
Image: sunnyleone/Instagram
Sunny Leone has been in the news for many reasons. India has responded to the Indo-Canadian actress and model both with love as well as criticism. Bestowed with the courage to stand up to bullies and critics, she recently made the headlines again for different reasons. Not only did Leone adopt a baby girl, but she also became a mother to twins through surrogacy. Leone and her husband Daniel Weber are now proud parents of three kids — Nisha, Noah, and Asher. At a time when there are many ongoing debates about pregnancy and women’s rights, Leone went on to express that surrogacy and adoption was her personal choice, as she did not wish to go for a natural birth.
These celebrities also tell us that surrogacy is not an easy process. There are a lot of factors at play in it. But they also vouch for the fact that having a child is one’s right as well as a choice. Surrogacy has the potential to change many lives. As long as it doesn’t cause any harm to anyone, ethically or emotionally, and if you have the right guidance, do not hesitate to consider it.
