4 min readNew DelhiJun 27, 2026 09:00 PM IST
First published on: Jun 27, 2026 at 09:00 PM IST
When we think of mothers-in-law, our minds get transported to the sets of Hindi television serials: dramatic sound effects, glittering jewellery and matriarchs giving commands to newly married bahus. But real life is not always a bed of thorns, and Supriya Pathak proved that with her recent admission. In conversation with Bollywood Bubble, the Satyaprem Ki Katha actor opened up about her warm and loving bond with daughter-in-law Mira Kapoor :
“Mira itna beautiful aur itna heart-wise, itna sundar bachha hai ki humein kabhi aisa laga hi nahi ki she’s walked into our house. I think she was a part of our house, ‘Main toh kabhi kabhi Mira se hasti hoon, ki tu kahi khoyi hui bachhi thi humari aagayi waapas, aisa wala hi mehsoos hota hai. Maine toh kabhi ehsaas hi nahi kiya ki ye daughter in law hai,” she had told the host. (“Mira is so beautiful and so kind-hearted, such a lovely girl that we never felt like she had entered our house. I think she was already a part of our home. I sometimes even laugh with Mira and tell her, ‘You were our lost child who has come back to us.’ That’s exactly how it feels. I never even felt that she is a daughter-in-law.)
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
In-laws are not to be feared
Dr Druhin Grover, Consultant Psychiatrist at Yashoda Medicity, explains that authority figures, such as a mother or father-in-law, are often perceived as strict, emotionally distant, and unapproachable because their roles demand composure and control. “Yet, when they interact with someone who is naturally warm or emotionally open, a quieter transformation unfolds—a gentler, more relaxed side emerges, one that even close family may rarely see,” he said.
Psychologically, this suggests that perceived rigidity is often a role-based behaviour rather than the absence of feeling. Warm, lively individuals create emotional safety and offer acceptance without expectation, allowing the other person to express a side usually held back. “Without demanding closeness or performance, they create emotional permission, a space where the other person does not need to uphold a role,” she said, adding that what surfaces in these moments is not a new personality, but a hidden one, qualities long held back by circumstance rather than absence.”
Their dynamic also highlights an interesting trend in emotional dynamics within families. Dr Grover elaborated that a daughter-in-law may relate to her mother-in-law not just through roles, but as one adult to another. When a mother-in-law feels emotionally safe and respected, closeness can grow naturally, sometimes into friendship.
In many households, sons often share bonds with parents built more on duty than emotional conversation. But Mira’s openness allowed her to form a relationship with Shahid’s mother that transcends traditional roles. “Emotional safety matters more than who is ‘supposed’ to be closer,” Dr Grover added.
For their family, this means that warmth and openness, not hierarchy, define their family ties. These connections flourish most in families that are emotionally open. Homes that value acceptance over hierarchy, and dialogue over control, make space for relationships to find their own rhythm. Emotional safety matters more than who is “supposed” to be closer,” the psychiatrist further added. When kindness and openness lead the way, relationships often surprise us—in ways that quietly strengthen family life.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
Supriya Pathak and Mira Kapoor: Decoding the psychological secrets of their warm in-law bond. (Instagram/@mira.kapoor) 
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