A Gentle Reimagining of Indian Fathers

Neeraj Udhwani laughs easily when I tell him that before speaking to him, I watched the trailer of his latest web series ‘Bachelor Papa’ starring Kunal Kemmu on Netflix. Laughter feels very appropriate because, for him, humor is not just entertainment, but also a tool for emotional survival.

He doesn’t hesitate when asked why he chose comedy to talk about adoption and single fatherhood (topics that are often treated seriously). “It’s best to use comedy as a tool to have any conversation or say anything,” he says, explaining that humor softens resistance, especially when the goal is to change mindsets. “If you don’t make them laugh, they’ll probably kill you for trying to change,” he adds, quoting an old saying that clearly guides his creative philosophy.

At its core, ‘Single Dad’ is about single men’s right to adopt and the emotional challenges of parenthood. The idea he shared came from a haunting moment. His wife and co-creator Ishita Moitra saw a man at the airport trying to find a diaper changing station for his baby. “Usually diaper stations are in the women’s restrooms,” she notes. The man could not enter these areas and the men’s toilet did not offer this opportunity. “She got stuck through no fault of her own,” says Neeraj, because the world has already decided that child care is a woman’s job.

He calls this a form of reverse sexism; an institutional blind spot that silently impacts mental health. “If you’re a boy, why do you need to change your diaper?” he asks, framing the invisible stress such assumptions place on fathers. For him, comedy was the most effective way to explore this discomfort without alienating the audience.

But the series never loses sight of its emotional core. Neeraj explains that the airport incident sparked the idea, but the real journey began when they focused on the character. “The goal was always to tell the story of a man who really wanted to be a father,” he says. After a failed marriage, the hero decides that he does not need to be married to have children. “I will do this alone. I don’t need a woman to be a father.”

By staying true to the character’s wishes, fears, heartbreaks and hopes, the message never overshadows the narrative. “You consciously focus on the character’s desires,” he says, and social commentary naturally finds its place.

It took time to turn a fleeting observation into a layered emotional story. “This is a writer’s job,” says Neeraj; seeing something ordinary and slowly discovering what lies beneath it. He recalls how he and Ishita started speculating about the man at the airport. “Who is he? Does he have a wife? Is he a widow?” These questions led them to adopt; this is an experience rarely explored in mainstream Indian storytelling.

He points out that personal decisions are rarely personal in India. “Your family is a part of every decision you make,” from marriage to parenthood to where you live, she says. This inevitability turned ‘Single Dad’ into a family comedy in which emotional health is negotiated not just individually but collectively.

Neeraj believes that Indian stories often struggle to show parents emotionally vulnerable. “We hold our parents on a pedestal,” he explains, equating them to gods. On screen, this turns into extremes: either idealized parents or deeply flawed, neglectful parents. “But parents are human too, and they are just as flawed as we are.” For him, accepting imperfection is a form of emotional honesty and health.

His own journey to fatherhood deeply influenced the series. “When I became a parent, I realized I didn’t know everything,” she admits. Anxieties, ineptitude and fear of doing things wrong have also reached the hero Gaurav. He compares parenting to falling in love; It’s something you won’t fully understand until you experience it.

Interestingly, ‘Single Dad’ was written before Neeraj and Ishita became parents. But something was missing. “We were struggling with the parenting part,” she recalls. But after they became parents themselves, “the missing piece of the puzzle fell into place.” This experience unlocked emotional depth, allowing the story to finally come together.

Casting Kunal Kemmu as Gaurav was very important. Neeraj speaks warmly of his comic timing and emotional dimension. “Comedy is a very difficult genre,” he says, noting that it is often less appreciated than drama. What stood out about Kunal was his balance; It combined childlike curiosity with a strong control over the craft. “Looking back now, there was no one who played Gaurav Gaylord better than him,” reflects Neeraj.

As the messages start pouring in and the team basks in the response, Neeraj hints at the possibility of a second season continuing Gaurav’s journey forward. For now, ‘Single Dad’ is a reminder that healthy living doesn’t always come from perfection. Sometimes this comes from laughter, vulnerability, and the courage to say, I am learning too.