My priorities in life have shifted. When I come home from a shoot, my first thought is to see and spend time with my child : Gauravv Mukesh

MUMBAI: Actor Gauravv Mukesh and Rajshri Rani welcomed their baby in February and now every day of their lives revolves around their son.

Speaking on his new role as a father Gauravv, who will be seen soon in Maati Se Bandhi Dor, says,”Becoming a father has brought many changes into my life. I wouldn't say I didn't have a sense of responsibility before because I come from a joint family and have always been a family person. But now I'm far more responsible. I don't have a big circle of friends, so not much has changed in that regard. However, my priorities in life have shifted. When I come home from a shoot, my first thought is to see and spend time with my child, to show him some love. This has caused some issues with Rajshri because she feels she's not top priority any more!  Earlier, I would meet Rajshri and share my day with her as soon as I got home. Now, I only want to play with and spend time with my son. When you spend the whole day on a shoot, you feel like the time at home is precious. Since our child is young, I can talk to Rajshri on the phone during the day, but I can't do that with him. So, I spend all my time at home playing with him, watching him, and talking to him. The "us" time between Rajshri and me has reduced. It's a bit challenging to find time for each other and for the child in the same 24 hours. With busy lives and schedules, sometimes it's inevitable to miss out on that "us" time we used to have—where we'd go out without much thought, maybe for lunch or dinner or to explore. Now, our priorities have shifted, and the baby comes first in everything.“

When asked if Gauravv is a hands-on dad or not he says,”I love my child. Perhaps all parents love their children deeply, and when you have your first baby, you can't even begin to measure or calculate that love. In that love, I do things like changing his diapers and bathing him. When I'm not shooting, I enjoy spending time with him. Even though he can't talk yet, I talk to him a lot. I even make his bed, and I enjoy doing all these things.”

Gauravv also shares how the new role made him more responsible towards the values of a family. He adds,”Becoming a father brings about a wonderful feeling, there are certain things parents expect from us that we don't understand at the time. Sometimes, we might unintentionally hurt them, but having children changes that perspective. As our kids grow, our expectations from them might increase, and we'll see how things unfold.”

Gauravv also shares how he sees Rajshri as a mother of his child. He says,”Rajshri is a fantastic mother; in fact, words fall short to praise her. Our friendship has remained strong, and even today, she's my best buddy, just like before we got married. I've seen her evolve into a more responsible person, although there used to be a hint of irresponsibility in her before, which I couldn't figure out how it would change after becoming a mother. At times, people would question how she'd take care of our child after becoming a mother, assuming she wouldn't be able to handle it. But after the baby came, there was a drastic change in her. She takes care of him so well, takes care of me, and manages the household brilliantly. It's truly remarkable how this change came about automatically. The level of responsibility she has as a mother, wife, and partner is huge, and perhaps I'm lagging far behind her in this aspect. I used to think I was more responsible than Rajshri in everything, but the truth is, no matter how much I praise her, it's never enough.”

Gauravv and Rajshri have named their son ‘Sahastra Gaurav’ sharing more about that Gauravv says,”Choosing a name was quite a dilemma for both of us. We didn't want to stick to the common names of today, and finding a unique name was proving to be quite challenging. We sought suggestions from both Rajshri's and my family, and even reached out to others for ideas. We even talked to those who had names we admired to understand our options. But nothing seemed to click. Finally, after much discussion , we settled on a name. I always wanted my child's name to reflect mine, like how I used my father's name, ‘Gauravv Mukesh.’ Similarly, I wanted my son's name to have that connection. So, it had to make sense and sit well with both names. After some thought, we decided on "Sahastra Gaurav."

Gauravv also admits that after their son the discussions in the family have also changed. He says, "Life's priorities have indeed changed because previously, you only thought about yourself, but now, there's someone with you for whom you think about everything, someone whose happiness matters the most, and you plan their future. When you were alone, you thought about spending on yourself, going out, enjoying, and indulging. But now, conversations revolve around your child—about which school to admit them to, or even considering relocating for their sake. Every priority now begins and ends with your child, and you constantly think about them. Life has taken a U-turn, which is quite amazing. Currently, we're enjoying this phase, and hopefully, we'll continue to enjoy it in the future too.”