actor Imran Khan may have been away from movies for a while, but fans are still waiting for him to return to the silver screen. He also continues to keep people updated on his life through social media and is a major inspiration as a single dad. Imran and Avantika Malik separated in 2024 and they have been raising their daughter together since then. In an earlier interview with ETimes, Imran spoke about his bond with daughter Imara and called her a “lighthouse” amidst all the personal struggles he went through during his divorce. The actor has been dating Laika Washington for a while now, and in a recent interview, he talked about how he introduced his daughter to his girlfriend. Imran revealed that the transition was easier because Laika had been a part of their lives before they started dating, but he still felt it was important to be candid with Imara about the changes in their relationship. Speaking to Hindustan Times, he said, “Lika and I knew each other before we started dating, so Imala knew her too. It’s just the context of the relationship that has changed and I wanted her to know when things were happening. That’s part of transparency. It’s not healthy to try to hide anything from your children. That’s not the way to have a healthy relationship.”For the actor, honesty and leading by example are at the heart of parenting. He believes parents should model the values ​​they wish to instill, rather than simply instructing their children on how to behave. “Kids do what you do, not what you say. So I want to live in a way that sets a healthy example for her. When talking to children, it is important to talk to them as if they are rational, thoughtful beings, rather than treating them as inferior beings. “Imran said their relationship naturally changed as Imara got older. He laughs and admits that he’s no longer the “cool” parent around her friends. “We’ve reached a stage where I’m not cool in front of her friends; I still yell ‘I love you,’ but I’m not cool enough to hang out with her friends,” he laughs.Fatherhood has also reshaped the way Imran sees film and storytelling. Watching children’s shows with his daughter made him more aware of how women are represented on screen. “I started seeing the world through her lens. When I watched cartoons or movies with her, I realized I didn’t like the way female characters were represented. The misogyny was reinforced. This also led me to start looking for positive representations of women in my films,” he admits.The 43-year-old also said he deliberately kept Imara out of the spotlight for much of her childhood. It wasn’t until she started noticing strangers approaching him that he explained why people recognized him. “Most of the time I kept her away from me. People would react to me and at some point she asked me, ‘Why do people keep taking pictures with you?’ Then I had to explain to her that I had acted in some movies and people remembered me from there. I haven’t shown her any of my films, and to her it’s still like an outsider coming up to me and saying hello. “Technology is another area where Imran believes moderation is crucial. He said he had introduced clear boundaries around digital devices for his daughter. “I’m quite conservative about technology adoption. Not just kids, everyone is too online these days. So, I created technology adoption guidelines for Imara.”Away from the public eye, father and daughter enjoy simple times together, from roller skating to taking care of their hair. Imran admits that learning to take care of his daughter’s long hair was an experience in itself.“I didn’t have as much hair as she did,” the actor laughs, adding, “Learning to wash, condition and blow-dry her hair was something I had to learn as I went along. I started with embarrassingly ugly braids. But now I’m much better. It’s been a whole journey.”
