Supported by his wife Gautami’s unwavering presence, Ram’s journey reflects the complexities of balancing fame with family. (Source: Instagram/Ram Kapoor)During a recent interview, actor Ram Kapoor admitted that the peak years of his career came with a personal cost. He was, by his own words, an “absent father” for nearly a decade. Speaking alongside his wife, Gautami Kapoor, on a YouTube episode of Love Unscripted season 2, the couple reflected on parenting and partnership.The two share two children, and, as Gautami revealed, they weren’t actively planning to have a baby when they conceived their eldest daughter, Sia. Ram recalled the moment, stating, “Everything new scares her. But I was thrilled.” Gautami added, “I was like, ‘Are we going to have a baby? What are we going to do?’ He was like, ‘You leave it to me.’ I was like, ‘What do I leave to you?’”Gautami shared that her pregnancy coincided with a dramatic surge in Ram’s career. “Ram wasn’t there. When I was pregnant with Sia, Ram had his biggest career surge. It felt like (goddess) Lakshmi had arrived. My pregnancy announcement changed Ram’s fate forever.” Around the same time, Ram landed Kasamh Se, a show that went on to become a massive hit. Yet the success came with distance. Ram revealed, “The reason I am who I am is solely because of her. She took over the children and the house so amazingly that I didn’t have to worry about it for a single day. That’s why I could focus on my career for 15 long years and become who I am today. She is Mother India. She literally needs nobody. She does it all and won’t allow anyone to come close. Any successful man is successful because he has a very strong woman who has allowed him to be successful. Otherwise, it’s impossible. I never had to worry about my child. That’s why I was absent. My children didn’t really know me for 10 years.”During the conversation, the couple also revisited the early days of their relationship. Ram admitted, “We were friends actually, and that’s the coolest part. When you want to date someone, you always put your best foot forward. You try to impress the person. In our case, it was the opposite because we did not want to date each other. She was with somebody else, and I was with many people. I was a full player those days. I was not serious with anyone. I was just happy-go-lucky, and I was with my best friend, and she was my very good friend.”Gautami responded with understanding rather than judgment: “See the kind of person he is, whoever he was in a relationship or whatever he was back then, he was very upfront and open about it.” She added, “When I met him, I saw him as his own person. He was my friend first, and then I fell in love with him. I have never stopped believing in love or the idea of falling in love. That’s just who I am. Even today, love comes first for me. So for me, it was never difficult.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ram Kapoor (@iamramkapoor) Psychological effects on children of being born to a busy parentCounselling psychologist Athul Raj tells indianexpress.com, “Children don’t think in terms of absence. They experience what is. If a parent isn’t around emotionally or physically, children adjust. They stop expecting, stop reaching out, and often learn to manage on their own. Later, you see adults who are capable but hesitant with dependence, or who pull back when closeness grows. Some carry anger quietly, without language to express it.”Repair is possible, but slowly. It doesn’t come from explanations or grand gestures. Raj mentions that it comes from showing up consistently, listening without judgement, and tolerating anger or distance. Story continues below this adHow early dating patterns and attachment tendencies influence the stability of long-term relationshipsA ‘player phase’ is rarely about freedom or thrill. Raj mentions, “It’s about staying unexposed, leaving before expectations form. People learn to connect without being truly known. What matters later isn’t the phase itself but whether it has been understood. If it hasn’t, avoidance doesn’t disappear — it just goes quiet inside a marriage.”Partners like Gautami Kapoor bring stability by being direct about needs, boundaries, and feelings. “Emotional safety comes from predictability, accountability, and honesty. When people stop performing connection and start taking responsibility for how they show up, relationships gain steadiness. Even small everyday gestures — a check-in, listening without judgment, keeping promises — build trust over time,” concludes Raj.