Aparshakti Khurana and wife Aakriti Ahuja Khurana became proud parents to a baby girl on Friday. The actor took to social media to reveal that they have named their daughter Arzoie. Talking to Bombay Times, an elated Aparshakti says, “Growing your family with the love of your life is a great feeling. We were a little stressed about the baby’s birth, but by God’s grace, it went smoothly. I can’t thank God enough for being so kind to us. We feel truly blessed.”

Recollecting the moment when he held the little bundle of joy in his hands for the first time, he says, “It can’t be described in words. We spent the entire second lockdown in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, and there I was, finally holding her in my arms. To see that this little baby is half me and half the person I love is so heart-warming.”

While he feels a little relaxed today, the last few months, Aparshakti says were quite nerve-wracking. He shares, “Sometimes, I would get nervous about becoming a father, as it is my first time. During such instances, Aakriti would assure me that everything would be fine. I want to be a good parent; I have so many great fathers around me to take inspiration from.”

One such inspiration is his brother Ayushmann Khurrana who’s a father to two kids — Virajveer and Varushka. He says, “Ayush bhaiyya is a great father, and I am definitely been inspired by him. The one thing that I have learnt from him is to give your children the freedom to be themselves. We have also been taking tips from Ayush bhaiyya and his wife, Tahira. One piece of advice that we really liked was to get as much sleep as you can before the baby comes because once that happens, you lose out on it (laughs!).”

Ask him how they zeroed down on the name Arzoie, which essentially means prayer, and he says, “We thought of over 100 names before shortlisting this. We also fondly address her by her nicknames — Zoiee and ZuZu.”