Anupam Kher on feeling 'void' of not watching child grow in front of him: 'Kirron couldn't conceive & when..'

Anupam Kher recently shared a deeply personal chapter of his life, reflecting on the emotional "void" he began to sense in his 60s—one that stemmed from never having a biological child. In a revealing conversation with Raj Shamani on his YouTube channel, the veteran actor opened up about the years spent building a blended family with wife Kirron Kher and her son, Sikander, while acknowledging a longing that surfaced much later in life.

Anupam and Kirron had been close friends for over a decade before their union in 1985. At that time, Kirron was in the midst of her divorce from Gautam Berry, and Anupam had recently ended a previous relationship. Their shared vulnerabilities brought them closer, leading to marriage. Kirron’s son from her earlier marriage, Sikander, was four at the time and immediately became Anupam’s embraced son—so much so that he took Anupam’s last name and filled their home with joy.

For many years, fatherhood in the biological sense never weighed on Anupam. Instead, his life was enriched by his stepson and his professional dedication to children—through a children’s television show titled "Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle" and work with his foundation. "I do a lot of work with children. My foundation does a lot of work. I am fond of children," he explained. When prompted, Anupam admitted, “Somebody asked me, ‘do you feel this?’ I said yeah and it’s the truth.”

The underlying reasons for not having their own child were rooted in health challenges. “Kirron could not conceive it and then once she conceived, it was not growing in the right manner,” he said. Meanwhile, his acting career was taking off and demanded his full attention. “I was too busy making it big,” he recalled.

Kirron could not conceive it and then once she conceived, it was not growing in the right manner

- Anupam Kher

Despite never pursuing fatherhood with Kirron through another pregnancy, Anupam never felt incomplete—largely due to Sikander, who had become the center of their new family. “Sikander acha… abhi bhi acha hai,” he maintained, “when I married Kirron, so I never felt anything missing.”

Yet the passage of time brought reflection. “I can’t answer why I did not feel so earlier, but I feel so now,” Anupam admitted. It was only after turning 60 that he confronted the quiet yearning of not witnessing a child grow up with him. That realization didn’t dampen his gratitude; rather, it added a new layer to his understanding of family.

Anupam’s openness highlights the evolving nature of parenthood and how emotional voids can emerge unexpectedly—even later in life. His narrative is a testament to love beyond biology, acceptance of life’s unpredictability, and the richness of a family built through care, dedication, and shared history.

In sharing this story, Anupam Kher offers a candid and humane perspective that resonates far beyond celebrity narratives: acknowledging what was missing, while celebrating what he had found.