Actor Pankaj Tripathi is known to bring fathers to life onscreen. From playing those endearing ones who are the wind beneath the wings of their daughters to those pure, undiluted sharing-a-smoke-on-the-terrace, listening to boy problems kinds, he has done it all. On Children’s Day today, we catch up with him to know about his bond with his 14-year-old daughter, Aashi. “I keep talking to her about eating fresh vegetables. Sometimes, she thinks that I’m being cute and other times, it annoys her,” laughs Tripathi, 45, when we asked him to describe their bond in a nutshell.

The actor, who grew up in the lap of Nature in his hometown in Bihar, is trying to give Aashi a similar experience: “I made sure that I live away from the city, so she gets to be close to greenery and the sea.”

He also adds that the pandemic has brought them closer. “I realise now that she has a satirical sense of humour. She also grasps things quickly, despite just being 14. She confided in me that she wants to work in an organisation that works with the environment or pursue law or become a theatre artiste,” shares Tripathi.

Talking about parenting and its challenges in the age of social media, the Mimi actor says, “It seems like children feel obligated to share their lives, feelings and emotions on social media. But my wife and I try to make Aashi aware of the virtual world as much as we can.”

He continues, “As parents, yeh important hota hai ki humko jo viraasat mein sanskriti mili hai, woh bachchon ko pass on karein. At home, we talk in Hindi and Bhojpuri. She’s also learning Marathi, Bengali.”