Twinkle Khanna recalls dad Rajesh Khanna calling her ‘Tina Baba’

June 21, 2026

Mumbai: Remembering her father, superstar Rajesh Khanna, on Father’s Day, Twinkle Khanna recalled how her dad always used to call her ‘Tina Baba’ and not ‘Tina Baby’.

Twinkle shares emotional Father’s Day memory

In an emotional post on social media, Twinkle recalled how, unlike other girls, she never had to face any restrictions growing up.

Admitting that she was not brought up like other conventional girls, the ‘Mela’ actress went on to write on her social media handle.

“If my father hoped for a boy as his firstborn, I was never told. All I know is what he said to my mother: That I was the best present she could have ever given him as I entered the world, feet first, on his 31st birthday (sic).”

‘Tina Baba’ nickname and unique upbringing

“He always called me Tina baba, never baby, and though I didn’t realise it at that point, my upbringing was different from all the other young girls around me. The restrictions drawn around their adolescence did not define mine. The permanent marker, one that would later be passed onto their husbands, to enforce the circle of captivity did not exist in my case,” she added.

Memories of loss and emotional reflections

Revealing how even something small can remind us of our loved ones in an unexpected way, Twinkle shared, “Loss is not a constant ache, nor does it come equipped with a full stop. It lives between pauses and emerges at unexpected moments. Sometimes it’s a song on the radio or when I am applying kohl and I see his eyes, under the same arched brows staring out of my reflection.”

Fond recollections of birthday wishes

Twinkle concluded the post revisiting her father Rajesh Khanna’s birthday wishes for her, something she says she deeply misses.

“It is lurking within every birthday when I wake up in excitement before my heart sinks. The man who loved words, always used them in a precise order… Year after year, he said the same thing: ‘Happy birthday to you too, Tina baba’,” she wrote.

“Father’s Day may fall in June, but for me it will always be in December”, she signed off.