My daddy strongest!

Some of the biggest names in Bollywood give us the lowdown on the most special thing about their main man. Upala KBR and Tushar Joshi listen in
Sonam Kapoor on Anil Kapoor
One trait of dad I wish I had is his zest for life. I do have some of it, but definitely not as much. One trait I am glad I don’t have, is his short attention span! I would like to share a wonderful memory of mine with dad when I was five years old and my sister Rhea was a baby.
Mom (Sunita) never let us go to his sets, but one day, it was really urgent. We didn’t have any help at home and Mom had to finish some work, so she sent us to dad’s sets so that he could take care of us. He was shooting for the song Romeo naam mera for Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. Rhea was sleeping and dad was in the middle of a shot when my shoelaces came undone. Someone from the sets came to tie them up but I started howling and screaming that only dad would do it and not a stranger! Poor dad...he stopped his shooting halfway and started tying my shoelaces! I used to talk to him in Hindi so he kept telling me he was there for me so I shouldn’t get hyper! Now Dad calls me everyday and gets overly emotional about everything.
A fact few people know about him is that he loves reading biographies and autobiographies. He reads books on the lives of pretty much every actor and personality and then does research for his roles on people he thinks are similar to his characters. Dad has a very good collection of autobiographies, thanks to this passion.
Bipasha Basu on Hirak Basu
My papa is the coolest dad anyone can have. He has brought us up to be confident and responsible girls, all three of us! I have inherited my father’s intelligence and crazy sense of humour. He is a happy man and has taught me that happiness should be the number one priority in one’s life. My father shares little of my interest in fitness though, the maximum he will do is walk and a little bit of yoga, that too when forced by my mother!
My father had high hopes for me academically, as I was a good student. He dreamt of making me an engineer like him or a doctor, perhaps even an architect. My interest in modelling disappointed him initially, but once he realised that I loved doing it, he softened and trusted my choice.
He points out now that I was destined to be an actress because from the time I was born I was a poser for the camera! I loved my papa taking my pictures. My family is far removed from this business. My father is a civil engineer and an awesome chef. He builds companies but can’t deal with the smallest cuts or bruises on us! He spreads happiness and laughter wherever he goes. I simply love him!
Deepika Padukone on Prakash Padukone
Ihope I can be as humble and grounded as him, considering how successful he was. I’m glad I’m not as quiet as him. I voice my opinion and speak my mind. Growing up, I never felt that we have a celebrity at home. We had a very normal upbringing. We played badminton with him every evening. Honestly, he always made time for us. Even when we were in school, he has made sure he spent time with the family.
Few people know that dad has an extremely good sense on humour. It’s a side of him we see once in a wh ilecom - pletely out of the blue!
Priyanka Chopra on Dr Ashok Chopra
One trait I wish I had from dad is his resilience and strength. When he puts his mind to something, he will do it no matter what the circumstances. That is something I don’t have. My dad is also very emotional, simple and gullible...and I’ve got those traits from him. I wish I hadn’t inherited them though, so that I could be a stronger person!
I still am daddy’s little girl. Whenever I need something, I go to my father...he spoils me silly and I do the same for him. My dad is my biggest weakness and my greatest strength. He is a people’s person so most people know everything about him — he’s an incredible singer, a surgeon, etc. But what most people don’t know is that he is also an artist...he sketches and has done some fantastic sketches of my mom. Since I was six years old, I have been asking him to sketch something for me for my birthday and he still hasn’t done it. That is one of my big dreams and I am hoping he will make it come true one day soon!
Vivek Oberoi on Suresh Oberoi
I love so many traits about my dad, one of them being his good judgment and instinctive understanding of people, which I lack. A trait that I wouldn’t like to have is Dad’s temper. He rarely gets angry, but when he does, it’s frightening.
My favourite memories are the weekend holidays dad would take my sister Meghna and me to. Despite the fact that he was such a busy actor — he used to do 15 films a year — every Friday, he and mom would come to our school in his Mercedes and drive us to Mahabaleshwar or Lonavla for the weekend. During my wedding, I told dad that I really hoped I could measure up to him as a good husband and father.
Dad is a great cook. He is also a fabulous musician — he can play anything from the harmonica to the violin. Dad also has a crazy sense of humour. He’s my guide and friend. Whenever I am in trouble, he is the first person I call and then everything is all right.
Shahid Kapoor on Pankaj Kapur
Dad has a consistency of passion that is very rare. He wakes up every morning and has the same amount of passion and enthusiasm for his work and beliefs. I would definitely want to be like that. After working with him for more than a year, I have realised that I am exactly like him and think and brood too much. In fact, I have consciously begun to ponder less over things now!
My favourite memory is when Dad started working on the television show Karamchand. We were in Delhi and he’d taken me for ice-cream to Nirula’s. Suddenly, a mob of nearly 30 people surrounded us with carrots in their hands, asking Dad to eat it (for those of you who don’t remember, Pankaj’s detective character in the show was always munching on carrots)! Both of us ran from there to avoid the crowd, but they kept running behind us! In hindsight, it’s a rather funny memory. My dad looks very serious and intense, so it’s a big surprise for anyone when they realise he has a great sense of humour!
John Abraham on Abraham John
A trait I wish I had is my dad’s level of integrity and honesty. dad is an extremely honest and committed man. In spite of being an architect, he never took any bribes or favours at any point in his career. There were times we went without money and the only take-away from the entire experience was that nothing replaces honesty. My father has always told me, "It takes you years to build credibility but a second to lose it!" It's very important that people think I'm an honest person. This is more important than money.
As a family we don’t talk about charity, but we do a lot. My father once told me, “Son, instead of buying a Rolls Royce look after others so they can at least walk.’
I don’t know a single trait of dad’s that I wouldn’t want. It would take me seven lifetimes to be where where my father is right now. I can only try.
An interesting experience I would like to share on my father was when I was 12 years old. I had come home late and dad told me, “Son, a man who is early is nervous, a man who is late is irresponsible and a man who is on time is a gentleman!” When I was four years old, dad told me that I don’t have to go to a religious place to do good. “Just do good!” he said. I took him so seriously that I have never visited a religious place.
A fact few people know about Dad is that he has an amazing sense of humour!