From Virat Kohli to Parag Agrawal: Star dads who took paternity leave

It’s time for equality – and men are finally jumping on the bandwagon. It isn’t a mum’s sole responsibility to take care of a child and while there have been companies who’ve put forth paternity leave rules in place, few dads are taking the time out. With celebrities taking the plunge we hope this is a step into a new normal where it’s not a commendable aberration but a given that a man will take the time out for the fourth trimester. Here’s a look at the stars who are actively participating in making change happen.

Former Indian Captain Virat Kohli and his wife, Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, are parents to a baby girl. Kohli finished the 1st Test against Australia at Adelaide Oval and then headed home for a much-deserved break with the family.

Parag Agrawal, who is the Twitter CEO, just took three months off to be there for his second child. Here’s to happy family.

Meta (erstwhile Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a couple of months of paternity leave when his wife was pregnant. Zuckerberg previously took a month-long leave immediately after the August 2017 birth of his second daughter, August. The Facebook Ceo also took a two-month parental leave following the birth of his first daughter, Max, in 2015.

Actor Saif Ali Khan has taken time off to be with his kids when they were born, but admits he’s privileged to be able to take paternity leave. “Who wants to work when you have a newborn at home?” he said in an earlier interview. “If you don’t see your children growing up, you’re making a mistake. And I can take time off from work — it’s a privileged position.”

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar has twins — a girl Roohi and boy Yash — through surrogacy. When they were born, he took paternity leave for two months. Talking about becoming a parent, he said: “My life has changed since Roohi and Yash arrived. At 44, this is my biggest blockbuster. I still haven’t realised the enormity of what’s happened. They’re only two months old. And all they do is eat, sleep, burp, wail, and poop. Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi gham!''

Shahid Kapoor neatly juggled his work schedule to fit in his paternity leave, since he is self-employed and has more freedom to take time off. Speaking to an Indian regional daily, Kabir Singh actor said that while in the case of his elder child Misha, he was off work for several months, in case of his second child, despite his best efforts, he just couldn’t do much. “