NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Karan Johar announced Sunday he had become a father to twins through surrogacy, as India moves closer to controversially barring single people from becoming parents.
The 44-year-old filmmaker, who is single, said he was ecstatic to become a parent “with the help of marvels of medical science,” but did not disclose the identity of the surrogate who gave birth to his children — a boy and a girl.
“This was an emotional yet a well thought out decision which I have taken after considering all the responsibilities and duties that come with being a parent,” he wrote on Twitter.
Johar, one of Bollywood’s most successful film producers, said his children were his “world and priority” and he was ready to raise them.
His newborn son was christened after his late father Yash Johar, a celebrated Bollywood filmmaker. His daughter has been named Roohi.
In his autobiography “An Unsuitable Boy,” Johar had expressed a desire to adopt or pursue fatherhood through surrogacy.
He’s not the first Bollywood star to chart the course, with actor Tusshar Kapoor fathering a son last year to a surrogate.
Surrogacy is a hot-button issue in India, where the “rent-a-womb” industry is worth between $500 million and $2.3 billion annually, making it the top destination worldwide for the procedure.
India caused an outcry last year when it drafted a law making surrogacy only available to married Indian couples without children, barring single people and homosexuals from this option.
The bill is pending before parliament but if passed would outlaw commercial surrogacy in India.
The bill drew broad criticism from doctors and some political parties but supporters maintain the commercialization of “motherhood” sees surrogate mothers exploited.
Bollywood celebrity becomes father to twins via surrogacy
Bollywood celebrity becomes father to twins via surrogacy
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
