Tellychakkar.com in conversation with "proud papa" Fardeen Khan

After his father Feroz Khan’s death, Fardeen Khan has been through some tough times. But no more tears for Fardeen and his lovely wife Natasha. After years of waiting—and a very tragic miscarriage last year which left the couple shattered—Fardeen and Natasha are finally the proud parents of a daughter. “We’ve named her Diani Isabella Khan,” says Fardeen from London barely able to contain the joy in his voice. “Why this name? Well, Diani means ‘divinity’ in Portuguese. It’s also a beach town near Mombassa where Natasha had conceived. My mom suggested we call the baby Diani. As for Isabella it’s been my favourite name for a long time. It exudes such beauty and delicacy. So Diani Isabella Khan is my bundle of joy.” At the moment it’s one happy family-reunion in London. Says Fardeen, “My mom and sister are here. My wife Natasha’s parents (yesteryears’ diva Mumtaz and her husband Mayur Madhvani) and her sister are here. We are one tightly-united family enjoying the arrival of the new member.” Fardeen and his wife have been through hell in recent times. Motherhood has been an uphill struggle for Natasha. Shuddering at the memory of what they’ve been through Fardeen says, “Natasha handled the traumatic times with amazing restraint. I don’t know what I’d have done if she had fallen apart. But she held herself together and that gave me strength. Watching her handle her trauma with such restraint gave me the strength to live through the trying times we went through. Now that we are out of the ordeal I can see how much Natasha has gone through.” There is only joy now, though the family misses the patriarch Feroz Khan sorely. Says Fardeen, “Yes, we all wish he was here to share this moment of joy with us. But life can’t be controlled by desire. There’s consolation in the fact that a part of him is in Diani just as a part him was in me. We live on through our children. I am sure somewhere he is watching and sharing in our joy.” Fardeen’s little darling won’t return to Mumbai before April 2014. “There are all the vaccinations. Diani can only travel after they’re done. So she won’t return home until April. I’ll be in Mumbai in January briefly and then I am back here in London. During the last two years I’ve been shuttling in and out of Mumbai and London. Finally it’s all been worth it. One look at Diani Isabella’s face and all the pain of the past years gets washed away.”