Last updated:26 October 2024, 19:01 IST

Ananya Panday revealed that Shah Rukh Khan always manages to spend time with his children despite his busy schedule. She mentioned that she sees him as a “father figure”.

Ananya Panday is close friends with Shah Rukh Khan’s children, Aryan and Suhana.

Ananya Panday is close friends with Shah Rukh Khan’s children – Aryan and Suhana. In a recent interview, she talked about how Shah Rukh was very involved in his children’s lives despite his busy schedule. She also mentioned that she didn’t realize how big a star he was until she was old enough.

In a conversation with Mid Day, Ananya Panday recalled how she spent her childhood at Mannat with Aryan, Suhana and Shah Rukh Khan. She mentioned how she always saw him as a “father figure” and how she didn’t realize how powerful his stardom was until she saw people waiting outside Mannat to catch a glimpse of him. Ananya said, “Shah Rukh sir has come from outside, and he is the king. I have seen how he has handled fame so normally. How he was at home with all of us… We didn’t even understand until he went and stood outside Mannat with thousands people. For us, he was always like a father figure, teaching us to run on sports days and train for our taekwondo class.”

Ananya also revealed that Shah Rukh always managed to take time out of his busy schedule to spend time with his children. She continued, “He was a very involved and present parent. The way he is with Suhana, AbRam and Aryan is amazing. Suhana always says that even if he shoots for 12-16 hours, he always comes home and spends time with his kids. He is involved in their admissions and homework. I remember seeing him like that, and he still is like that, in all our lives.”

In the same conversation, she also revealed that she calls him ‘Shah Rukh uncle’ or SRK in family settings. Ananya’s parents, Chunky and Bhavana, are close friends with Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan. On the work front, she was last seen in Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL.