When Lara Dutta revealed what Mahesh Bhupathi told their daughter Saira about ‘divorce’

In a 2020 episode of Tellis Like It Is, Lara revealed, “His favourite show ever is Friends, which he got my daughter hooked on when she was four. So at four, my daughter came and asked me one day, ‘Mum…’ she was playing a game, and she said, ‘Oh, I’m living. This is my house, that’s your house, and I’m divorced.’ And I almost had a heart attack because I was just like, ‘What are you saying? Who told you? What is divorce?’ and she’s like, ‘Oh, when two people are in a bad marriage and don’t get along and they’re living separately, it means they are divorced’.”

 

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The actor and beauty pageant queen then revealed what happened when she asked Mahesh why he’d told Saira. “She was five years old, and I was like, ‘Who told you this?’ She said, ‘Daddy did’. I was like (gesturing a phone call) ‘Mahesh, why the hell have you told her what divorce is?’ and he started laughing. He was like, ‘No, we were watching Friends, and she wanted to know why Ross was married three times.’ I was like, ‘So you told her the meaning of divorce?’ That’s the kind of parents we are,” Lara said.

Reflecting on the same, Gurleen Baruah, organisational psychologist and executive coach at That Culture Thing, said that with today’s early access to information, especially via social media, children often understand more than we realise. “Waiting for the ‘right age’ to discuss divorce might be too late, given generational changes. Parents should approach the topic early in a way that aligns with the child’s level of understanding. By addressing it with care, explaining why the separation happened, and focusing on how it affects them, parents can foster trust. It’s crucial to treat the child as an essential part of the family dynamic, ensuring they feel secure and valued during the transition,” she told indianexpress.com.

Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi welcomed their daughter, Saira, in 2012. Following Saira’s birth, Dutta took a significant step back from her acting career, focusing on her family and motherhood.

In an interview with Pinkvilla in 2020, Lara said that when Saira was born, being with her through her early years was her priority. “Mahesh and I were clear that between both of us, one parent will always be with Saira full-time. So, my choices of roles became hugely judged on that parameter. It had to be worth leaving Saira and going to work,” she said.