While Bollywood may have given us extremely toxic male characters like Kabir Singh, we are thankful it has also gifted us beautiful characters like Mr. Sanjay Thapar – Bunny’s dad in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.
For a very long time, Bollywood has portrayed good fathers as the ones, who are strict and curb their kid’s freedom. We were surrounded by movies, where parents were always portrayed as controlling. But, thankfully, in recent times, Bollywood has shattered some of the regressive stereotypes about fathers and given us characters, who are really supportive parents! And, one such supportive parent is Sanjay Thapar aka Bunny’s dad. This beautiful and heartwarming character was played by Farooq Sheikh and we must say that he did complete justice to the role.
From understanding Bunny’s wander-lusty passion to supporting him unconditionally, Mr. Thapar is a parent that every child needs.
He believed in Bunny’s talent so much that he never shattered Bunny’s dreams by lecturing him to settle for a 9 to 5 job. Rather he encouraged him to follow his dreams and passion without any guilt.
Like many parents, he might have been worried about his son, but he made sure to never stand between him and his dreams! He had always given Bunny permission to follow his dreams. Remember the scene, when he left the backpack in his room as a sign of silent approval.
And, though he wasn’t comfortable with Bunny’s trekking plans, he still let him go.
He was one such parent, who knew how to show love and care from distance without curbing the freedom of his child. Remember, when he stays up, waiting for Bunny to return home. But, never lectures him to come home early!
What made Mr. Thapar so special was his ability to openly express his feelings. Unlike many tough fathers, he didn’t shy away from shedding tears.
And, neither did he shy away from speaking about his feelings.
It is quite heartwarming how he managed to find a way to love his child without holding him back. Parents don’t own their kids, and Mr. Thapar knew it really well! The one lesson that any parent could learn from Mr. Thapar is to let their kids follow their hearts and let them live their life.
