Rubina Dilaik praises Abhinav Shukla's role as stay-at-home father
Synopsis
Rubina Dilaik has praised her husband Abhinav Shukla for choosing to be a full-time parent while she films Khatron Ke Khiladi in South Africa for 40 days. She calls his decision a redefinition of strength and masculinity, and reflects the couple's deliberate rejection of traditional gender roles in favour of shared ambition and family-first values.
Key Takeaways
Rubina Dilaik praised Abhinav Shukla for choosing to be a stay-at-home father while she pursues her career.
Abhinav will manage household and childcare while Rubina films Khatron Ke Khiladi in South Africa for 40 days .
The couple have twin daughters aged two years .
Rubina described Abhinav's choice as reflecting true strength and a redefinition of masculinity.
The couple deliberately challenge societal norms around gender roles and parenting expectations.
Rubina Dilaik, the television actor, has opened up about her husband Abhinav Shukla's decision to be a stay-at-home parent while she pursues her professional ambitions, describing it as a reflection of his character and commitment to family values.
In a candid conversation, Rubina lauded Abhinav for setting aside conventional gender expectations and prioritising their household and their twin daughters over professional advancement. "It takes immense strength as a man to keep your ego aside and say, 'I will stay at home, go live your dreams, and we will make sure our daughters are taken care of,'" she said, emphasising that his choice stems from understanding how deeply she values her work.
Challenging societal norms
Rubina stressed that the couple deliberately sidestep societal expectations about gender roles and parenting. "We don't live by society's norms or what people expect from us. We want to pass on a different value system to our daughters. When people say a man has to behave in a certain way or a woman has to operate in a certain way, enough of that," she remarked, adding that their family structure reflects a conscious effort to reshape traditional boundaries.
Redefining masculinity
For Rubina, Abhinav's choice embodies a redefined understanding of strength and manhood. "I believe that is the true definition of a real man," she stated, underscoring that maintaining partnership requires deliberate effort and mutual respect, not adherence to prescribed roles.
Current professional commitments
Rubina, who is mother to twin daughters aged two years, will participate in the reality competition series Khatron Ke Khiladi, which will film in South Africa over 40 days. During her absence, Abhinav will step back from professional engagements to manage household responsibilities and childcare.
Background
Rubina and Abhinav married several years ago and have built a household structure that prioritises flexibility and individual aspirations alongside family cohesion. Their arrangement reflects a growing trend among high-profile couples navigating dual-career households and non-traditional parenting models.
Point of View
But it also inadvertently highlights how far India remains from normalising non-traditional family structures. When a man choosing to parent is still treated as remarkable rather than routine, it signals that equality in household labour remains aspirational, not standard. That said, high-profile couples like Rubina and Abhinav openly modelling this arrangement does matter — visibility shapes norms, especially among urban audiences who consume celebrity narratives as cultural blueprints.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Abhinav Shukla stepping back from work?
Abhinav Shukla has decided to be a full-time stay-at-home parent while his wife Rubina Dilaik pursues her professional commitments, including filming Khatron Ke Khiladi in South Africa for 40 days. He will manage household responsibilities and childcare for their twin daughters during this period.
What did Rubina Dilaik say about Abhinav's decision?
Rubina praised Abhinav for setting aside ego and prioritising family and her ambitions. She described his choice as reflecting true strength and a redefinition of masculinity, emphasising that it takes courage for a man to choose parenting over career advancement.
How old are Rubina and Abhinav's children?
Rubina and Abhinav have twin daughters who are two years old. The couple have been married for several years.
What is Rubina Dilaik's current project?
Rubina is participating in the reality competition series Khatron Ke Khiladi, which will be filmed in South Africa over a 40-day period. This is the project for which Abhinav is taking a break from his professional commitments.
What message are Rubina and Abhinav sending about gender roles?
The couple have stated they deliberately reject societal norms around gender expectations and parenting. They aim to instil a different value system in their daughters that challenges traditional notions of how men and women should behave.
