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Farah Khan tied the knot with filmmaker Shirish Kunder at the age of 39, while he was 31. A few years into their marriage, the couple decided to start a family—only to face the many challenges that come with age and societal stigma. With her “biological clock” ticking, Farah chose the IVF route, a topic few dared to discuss openly at the time. Now, nearly two decades later, the filmmaker-choreographer has spoken candidly about her IVF experience—how she failed twice before finally being blessed with triplets on her third attempt—and how the journey tested her physically and emotionally. The actor was shooting her film Om Shanti Om at the time and has famously said that she would throw up while shooting ‘Dard-e-Disco’ where the actor would go shirtless.
Speaking to her close friend Sania Mirza on Serving It Up with Sania, Farah said, “It was quite common even then, but no one spoke about it. Everyone pretended like a stork had dropped the baby into their stomach. I don’t know why it was taboo. I was probably the first celebrity to talk about it openly, and after that, I realised how many IVF babies there actually were. It’s completely legal—why should it be a taboo?”
Describing her pregnancy, Farah said, “Because I was carrying triplets, everything was three times more intense. I would throw up constantly, and my body broke out in rashes. I had rashes all over my stomach. I could barely sleep—at any time, one of the babies was pressing on my bladder. I practically lived in the loo.”
Emotionally, the process was just as hard. “I had to take daily injections on my thigh or stomach. The first two times it didn’t work, I just lay in bed crying for two days. I didn’t even realise how badly I wanted to be a mother until it failed. I was 42, shooting Om Shanti Om, and full of hormones—it was overwhelming.”
She credited Shah Rukh Khan for unknowingly helping her through that period. “Shah Rukh used to take a two-month break every year to travel with his family. That window became my time to undergo IVF. I knew that third time would be it. I had only four eggs left.”
Her husband Shirish Kunder, she said, was her unwavering pillar of strength. “I had to visit the doctor every alternative day. Not once did he miss a doctor’s visit. He looked after me through everything—even bathed and cleaned me when I couldn’t move. He saw everything that maybe a husband shouldn’t. When IVF failed, he told me, ‘It’s fine, even if we don’t have kids. We are happy now, and we will continue to be happy.’ But I knew he wanted children badly. He’s eight years younger than me and spends the most time with them.”
Farah also spoke about celebrities who are open about surrogacy and IVF versus those who hide it. “Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan both did surrogacy and spoke about it openly. But there are still people who insist their twins were ‘natural’. I just say, ‘God bless you,’” she laughed.
Reflecting on her straightforward nature, she added, “Sometimes I offend people because I am too honest. I tell the truth with good intentions, but I am learning that not everyone wants to hear it.” Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder welcomed their triplets—Czar, Diva, and Anya—in 2008. They will turn 18 next year.
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