Why Purab Kohli Waited Till After Daughter Was Born to Plan a Wedding

New Delhi: Actor Purab Kohli, who welcomed a daughter with his British girlfriend Lucy Paton last year, spoke about having a child out of wedlock in an interview to Indian Express. The Rock On!! actor and yoga instructor Lucy named their daughter Inaya.

"When Inaya was conceived, we were not married and it didn't matter to me. When Lucy called me and said, 'Hey we are having a baby and I said wow. Let's do it'," Purab told Indian Express.

Purab, 37, said that he was comfortable with his relationship status despite a measure of disapproval from his parents. "There was pressure to get married. My mother was the most concerned and my family did say 'you guys have to get married quickly' when she was pregnant. But I was adamant about not doing it because I never wanted my baby to feel that we got into a relationship because she was coming. Her coming into this world has transformed both our lives for the better. She is our love child and has bloomed even more love between both of us and made me love life more. I don't want her to ever feel that it was not meant to be. It was meant in every possible way and she was the force of nature and nothing could stop her from coming into this world," Purab told Indian Express.

Purab Kohli's route to parenthood might be considered unconventional here in India but it would raise no eyebrows in the other neck of the 'woods. Several celebrity couples in Hollywood have had children together without bothering with a marriage certificate first. Most high-profile among these are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt who had six children together - three of them biologically their own - before getting married (they are divorcing now).

Like Angelina and Brad, Purab and Lucy are also looking to get hitched. Wedding bells are around the corner for the new parents and they want their daughter to play an important role. Purab said the sweetest thing ever: "We have legally signed the papers and will have a big celebration next year in London. We just want Inaya to be standing on her two feet and hold the flowers while we take our vows," Purab told Indian Express.

Purab isn't the only single parent in Bollywood. Actresses Raveena Tandon and Sushmita Sen both adopted daughters as single mothers. Tusshar Kapoor recently had a son through surrogacy and is now a single dad.

Purab Kohli, 37, will soon be seen in Shujaat Saudagar's Rock On 2, co-starring Arjun Rampal, Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor. Purab reprises his role in the sequel of 2008's music drama Rock On!!.