Ali Baba...

Daddy cool: Ali Asgar with wife Siddiqueh, son Akbar and newborn daughter Ada

Actor Ali Asgar (Kamal Agarwal in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii) has worked without a break for six years. However, recently Ali was forced to take a month-long break. Reason? The actor's wife Siddiqueh delivered their second child, a baby girl. Says Ali, "I'm a workaholic and don't like sitting at home. It makes me feel sick and edgy."

But this time it was a paternal leave of sorts for Ali. "After the birth of our daughter Ada, our three-year-old son Akbar began to feel neglected. He thought that it was unfair on our part to shower so much love and affection on his sister," says Ali. Understandably, his wife was busy with the newborn baby. "I too was shooting round the clock. After a few days, I realised that my son had become quiet and withdrawn, and was not behaving like his normal self. The fact that he felt left out was evident from his behaviour, so much so that it started bothering us," he adds.

Ali then decided to take over and help his son get over his insecurity. "I requested the production house to grant me leave. Since my wife was busy with Ada, I had to take charge of my son. At this age, sibling rivalry is a common phenomenon. Every parent must have dealt with the problem at some point of time. So, I wanted to be there for my son and help him overcome his fears. Our life is incomplete without him and I tried to explain that to him. This kept me away from my work for almost a month. But I don't regret it," he says.