“I don’t look forward to Father's Day like I do with Diwali or birthdays. But when I come to know that it's Father's Day, I spend time with my dad and cut a cake,” shares Vishnu Vishal in a candid chat with us on the occasion of Father's Day.
‘I haven't known the feeling of having a child grow up in our home until now.’
Vishnu and his wife, Jwala Gutta , welcomed a baby girl this April. Talking about becoming a dad for the second time, he says, “As my firstborn was a son, we were all praying that my second would be a girl. The first person from my family to see my daughter, apart from me, was my son, Aryan . He was excited that he was going to have a sister. After being a dad for seven years, I now experience fatherhood every day. I haven't known the feeling of having a child grow up in our home until now. So, this Father's Day is going to be special. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how I'm going to behave with a child around me 24 hours a day. How will it be when I come back from work and I'm tired around the child? Will she make me laugh or smile more? I'm waiting to see that journey play out.”
‘I started respecting my dad even more after I became a father’
For Vishnu, his father (retired police officer Ramesh Kudawla ) has always been his hero. “My dad has been there for me when I was going through my lowest lows. I wish I can be half of what my father has been to me for my kids. When I was a kid, he wouldn't beat me even when he was angry. He knew when to be strict and when to be friendly. I have started respecting him even more after I became a father,” he shares.

‘Even after facing a lot of issues in life, my dad never showed anger towards his children’
Elaborating on how his respect towards his father has grown tenfold, Vishnu shares, “My dad wanted my sister and me to get into civil service. But since we grew up seeing the life he was leading - he wouldn't be at home for days - we thought we wouldn't have a personal life then. In my case, when I come back home after a bad day, I try to show that agitation to the people around me. Meanwhile, my dad had to deal with crimes every day, but he never showed anger towards us. I now think about the psychological toll it might have taken on him.”
‘My dad would say, ‘Are you Aamir Khan to do one film a year and make it a hit?’’
Sharing how his father's perception of his career has changed over the years, Vishnu says, “My father is not from the industry, so he wanted me to keep doing films regardless of them being a hit or flop. When I rejected films in the initial stages of my career, he'd ask, ‘Are you Aamir Khan to do one film a year and make it a hit? You will vanish in a few years if you keep rejecting films.’ But now, he trusts me completely and knows that there would be a valid reason if I'm saying yes or no to a project.”
‘When my ex-wife and son started talking to me again, I felt complete’
Delving into co-parenting Aryan with his ex-wife, Rajini, Vishnu says, “Initially, my ex-wife and I weren't talking much after our separation. The distance between us got me into depression; I was not able to be with my son and I used to wonder whether I was a bad father. But when my ex-wife and son started talking to me gradually, I felt complete. The first film of mine that my son saw in the theatre was Gatta Kusthi . He saw people laugh, clap and whistle, and that's when he had a realisation that his father is an actor. When teachers and other students speak about me in school, he gets excited. I’m now doing a film named after my son. Aryan is not living with me, but he visits my parents’ house everyday. And whenever I find time, I go meet him.”