"I Don't Need it To Be Tattooed On My Head": Sushant Divgikar On Embracing Her Identity

In the tenth and final episode of  “Be a Parent, Yaar! Season 2” by Yuvaa, actor and model Sushant Devgikar sat down with their father, retired Assistant Commissioner Pradeep Devgikar.

After welcoming a diverse set of guests — from Ananya Pandey and Kusha Kapila to Armaan Malik and Prajakta Koli, along with their parents who opened up like never before. Season two of “Be a Parent, Yaar!" by Yuvaa continued to spark heartfelt conversations that bridged generational gaps, revealing raw, vulnerable, and often unexpected stories from some of India’s most celebrated personalities.

Following the success of Nikhil Taneja’s “Be A Man, Yaar!”, the tenth and final episode of  "Be A Parent, Yaar!" by Yuvaa is all set to wrap up the season and offer viewers with one final, unfiltered conversation featuring the ever-inspiring Sushant Divgikar, also known as Rani Ko-HE-Nur and their father Pradeep Divgikar sharing rare insights into their personal lives, different parenting they both received, and a heartfelt father-child bond that transcends all boundaries.

The chat show opened on a musical note, with Pradeep and Sushant singing their all-time favourite, ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles — a song they've cherished since childhood. When asked to dedicate a song to describe their father, Sushant chose one of their most treasured childhood prayers, ‘Brahma Vishnu Ani Maheshwar,’ and shared:, “That’s one song I always remember you and mum while singing to because mum used to sing this to me, I think whenever I sing this one I think of how mum and dad would react because you both are always there for most of my shows.”

Sushant shared the story of coming out to their father, Pradeep, and explained why they first confided in their older brother, Karan, rather than their parents, Sushant said, “I always wanted to tell you all and the fact that we’re sitting and having this conversation is a privilege because a lot of kids don’t get that. Today when I looked I didn’t not want to tell you, why would I not want to tell you, but I also didn’t need it to be tattooed on my head and I also knew that you all were going to be accepting and loving me anyway.” As the episode continued it depicted a strong demonstration of their evolving relationship - a bond that transcends traditional father-child dynamics with unconditional love and respect. 

As both father and child exchanged thoughts, Pradeep reflected on his early years and the relationship he had with his parents. He spoke about his father and mother, whom he used to address by her name, saying, “My relationship with my parents was fantastic, my mother had to endure a lot. I'm not going to be afraid to say that my father was a wonderful human being but sadly was an alcoholic. Coming from a very distinguished family, my father was heavily introverted, he couldn’t mingle easily with people, always to himself and voracious reader and today what I am is because of him and my mother took a lot of pains.”

Sushant also discussed what motivated them to become a mother to six young adopted children, sharing, “I think I just have to say this that the parenthood that I received from mum and you was so overflowing with love and so overflowing with acceptance, and more than that I would say respect. You respected Karan’s choices, my choices, there was no sifarish given. When I notice that you let us be and allow us to navigate our paths, it also taught us the ways of life, it taught us how to be a better person and be street smart and I think that’s how chosen families are found also. You know in such circumstances when you feel that you are alone and then you see and meet someone like you, I think they found me, my kids found me.”

Further into their conversation, Sushant responded to a question from their father, Pradeep, about whether there were any shortcomings in his and Bharti’s parenting, saying, “No, I don’t think your parenting was inadequate, it’s just you all were not capable of or you all were not well equipped to understand my industry.” and Their father also spoke about the online trolling Sushant has faced, with Pradeep sharing further insights, “About you’re being bullied on a personal level I don’t know, but it doesn’t really bother me because I know trolls are trolls, an occupational hazard for a performer like you, a dancer, a singer, a show host and a video jockey and it is something that those people are none of this. But as a parent I would be concerned if my child is being bullied, I would definitely do everything within my part to make sure it doesn’t happen again, maybe take legal action too.”

Pradeep reflected on the struggles he experienced raising a transgender child in the 2000s, in response to a question from Sushant, saying, “No really I had to endure anything, there was one of our close relatives who also later fell in line because when that person realised I am so strongly supporting, that’s why I said parental support to any child with a diverse gender identification is very very critical, if the parent disregards that child in a lurch, it's a free of all.”

Wrapping up their heartwarming chat, Sushant described their experience of the conversation saying, “I loved it, I think It’s always a learning curve for me to just be in the presence of my father and just listen to him because this is an institution in himself and still very very rooted in culture and our family values that have been inculcated, which has been intergenerational and that’s a gift.”Open in app