Filmmaker Karan Johar, whose surrogate children Roohi and Yash were born almost 10 weeks premature, says those who have preterm babies must not get discouraged.
Earlier this month, Johar announced that he had become a father of twins via surrogacy. The children have been under the care of Bhupendra Avasthi, director, Surya Mother and Child Hospital, and Johar says they are “both on their way to a happy and healthy childhood”.
In a post shared on social media on Monday, Johar said: “Millions of preemies are born every year... but babies are resilient. With the right kind of care, they stand just as good a chance of survival as anyone else.”
Johar said his children were born two months premature and were “worryingly underweight”.
“My heart sank... Knowing that there were complications with my babies’ birth owing to how soon it was, I was terrified. All I wanted to do was hold them and protect them but they needed to be in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit]. It was painful to see how tiny they were,” he said.
The filmmaker thanked his legal and medical teams.
“Through the months before the birth of my children Roohi and Yash... my strong legal team gave me unconditional love, support and counselling... The medical and legal teams are the spine and strength... and my children and me will remain forever indebted,” Johar tweeted.
The name Roohi is a rearrangement of Johar’s mother’s name, Hiroo. The son Yash is named after Johar’s late father.
Johar’s social media posts have come in support of Surya Hospital’s #SavePreemies campaign.
“Having a premature baby is something you don’t expect to happen to you. The whole experience has ignited a passion in me to help premature babies get the best chance they can... to help those in anguish who want the best chance of survival for their early born babies,” Johar said.
“Premature babies, when provided with the right kind of care, have just as good of a shot of making it, as babies born on time. If your baby is a preemie, don’t be discouraged. Seek help... Don’t lose faith, don’t lose heart.”
A celebrity’s effort to highlight the issue can make a difference, says Avasthi.
“Premature babies are not fully equipped to deal with life in our world. Their little bodies still have underdeveloped parts that include the lungs, digestive system, immune system and skin,” he said.
“India needs many more NICU units for its preemies where they can survive the first few days, weeks or months of life until they are strong enough to make it on their own,” Avasthi said.
Johar said he would share pictures of his children soon.
“I am very excited to share the wonderful visual of my children with everyone but at the right time. I hope I can share with everyone soon,” he said.
He also debunked all rumours about his next directorial venture.
It was reported that Johar is reportedly planning to make a film with superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.
“All ‘conjectures’ on my next directorial venture are completely untrue! Am still writing my next and will only cast it when I am done,” Johar tweeted.
The 44-year-old, who has been in the Hindi film industry for almost two decades, has directed films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
