Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal became parents to their daughter Zuneyra Ida Fazal, fondly called Zuni, in July 2024. Since then, the couple have spoken about how parenthood has changed their priorities and daily lives. While both have embraced the demands of raising their daughter, Richa recently revealed that Ali’s involvement sometimes goes a little too far. In a recent conversation with Movified, Richa spoke about Ali’s approach to fatherhood and joked about how closely he monitors their daughter’s routine, even when he is away from home.
When Ali Fazal wants to know every detail about Zuni
30 Sept 2026 | 13:16
Does your child come to you when upset, or do they prefer to deal with their emotions alone?
According to Richa, Ali is deeply involved in Zuni’s everyday routine and often wants to know even the smallest details about what she has eaten or how her day has gone. Describing his behaviour as an “obsession” with their daughter, Richa admitted that it can sometimes become frustrating. “It irritates me,” she said. She then gave an example of how closely Ali follows their daughter’s routine, recalling, “He’s sitting in Srinagar and asking whether Zuni’s khichdi for lunch had pumpkin in it or not.” For Richa, the level of attention can sometimes feel unnecessary, particularly because Zuni is already surrounded by people who care for her. She recalled telling Ali, “Leave it. Why do you have to micromanage everything?”“He is that particular. It is annoying,” she added. Richa explained that Ali’s worries are not limited to food or daily routines. He can become anxious about their daughter even when she is safely at home with her mother and nanny. “There is a nanny, there is me, and all of us are here taking care of her. Why are you so worried?” she recalled asking him. Yet, despite finding his behaviour irritating at times, Richa does not see Ali’s involvement as a negative thing. In fact, she believes that his constant concern reflects something valuable about his role as a father.
“In a world of absent fathers, it’s a sweet problem”
Richa’s comments also point to a larger change in how fatherhood is perceived. Traditionally, childcare has often been viewed primarily as a mother’s responsibility, while fathers have been expected to take on a more limited role. Richa’s description of Ali presents a different picture, where a father is deeply interested in his child’s food, routine, health and everyday life. While she may occasionally wish that Ali would relax and stop micromanaging Zuni’s routine, she said she would still choose this over having an uninvolved father. “It’s a good problem to have. In a world of absent fathers, it’s a sweet problem to have,” Richa said.Her remark captures the mixed emotions of parenting. What can feel irritating in the moment can also be reassuring because it shows how emotionally invested a parent is in their child. Ali has previously spoken about experiencing a major emotional shift after becoming a father. Two months after Zuni’s birth, he told Vogue India that having a baby had filled a void he had not even realised existed. “Having a baby fills a void that you weren’t even aware existed,” he said. He also admitted that becoming a father had made working more difficult because he constantly wanted to be around his family. “It’s freakin’ hard to work now. I have serious anxiety when I leave home because I just want to see the baby all the time and be around Richa and her,” Ali said.
Parenthood changed Ali’s priorities and Richa’s perspective
Ali also described how becoming a father changed his priorities. Before Zuni’s arrival, he said he spent considerable time worrying about what would happen next, particularly when it came to his career and work. After becoming a parent, however, those concerns became less dominant. “Questions such as ‘What will happen next?’ and ‘Will work happen or not?’ are fewer. There’s been a serious realignment of priorities,” he said. For Richa, meanwhile, motherhood brought its own set of challenges. She has previously spoken about experiencing a difficult postpartum period after Zuni’s birth, including an identity crisis that made her consider medication. Her experience eventually contributed to another creative chapter in her life. She created Musafiri, an eight-episode non-fiction travel series that explores different cities, beginning with Mumbai.The couple’s experiences show that parenthood can affect both partners differently. While Ali’s response has been to become intensely involved in every detail of Zuni’s routine, Richa appears to have navigated motherhood while also trying to reconnect with herself and her identity outside being a parent. Their contrasting experiences also reflect the realities of modern parenting. There may be moments when one parent feels the other is overthinking, worrying or interfering too much. But beneath those disagreements can be a shared desire to ensure that their child is safe, healthy and loved. For Richa, Ali’s constant questions about Zuni’s meals and routine may sometimes be “irritating” and “annoying”. But she also recognises what those questions represent. In her words, having a father who cares perhaps a little too much is still a “sweet problem” to have.
