‘She left everything…stayed in the chawl’: Jackie Shroff’s daughter Krishna on her mother’s sacrifice; expert on the psychology of family bonds

Family stories often reveal how relationships, sacrifices, and shared struggles shape the bonds between parents and children.

Recently, actor Jackie Shroff’s daughter, Krishna Shroff, spoke about her childhood and family dynamics during a conversation onThe 50.

While discussing what it was like growing up with a famous father, she explained that her upbringing was far more ordinary than many people might assume.

Speaking about her family environment, Krishna said, “We are very close as a family because at the end of the day its just my father, mother, Tiger, and myself.

It was never tough to have an actor father; I only realised this when people talked about it.

We had such a normal upbringing.

The school we went to was not highlighted.

We weren’t always on sets.

We were very private and kind of kept away.

It was a verynormal upbringing.”
Krishna also reflected on how the family’s small circle shaped their closeness over time.

“We lost our grandparents, so it’s only four of us.

My dad lost his brother when he was 10, and my mom’s parents got divorced, so we were never really close to that side.

My only close people after the four of us were my grandmothers.” She went on to describe the circumstances in which her parents began their life together, highlighting a significant decision her mother made early in the relationship.

According to Krishna, her mother, Ayesha Shroff, came from a financially comfortable background but chose to adapt to a very different lifestyle after marrying her father, Jackie Shroff.

She said, “My mom came from a very good household; her parents were doing very well.

Then she married my father, who was living in a chawl with his mom and dad.

She left everything her mother built, and stayed in the chawl with my dad and his parents, even after dad’s first movie, Hero.”
Krishna also spoke about the values she learned from her mother’s approach to family life.

“They lived there for a while, and then they bought their first house where they got married.

My mother is so understanding.

She will put all our happiness before hers.

I feel being a mother is the most selfless job in the world.”
Counselling psychologist Athul Raj tells indianexpress.com, “When children hear about the early years of their parents’ lives together, especially the difficult phases, it changes how they view family.

The life they see today suddenly has a history.

They begin to understand that stability did not just happen.

It was built through choices, adjustments, and sometimes giving up comfort for the sake of the relationship.”
A post shared by KRISHNA JACKIE SHROFF (@kishushroff)
Psychologically, Raj notes that this deepens achild’s sense of security.

Love begins to feel dependable rather than temporary.

“In many Indian families, stories of starting out in small homes, managing with limited money, or adjusting to new circumstances become part of family memory.

These stories quietly teach children that relationships are not sustained by perfect situations but by commitment during uncertain times.”
Children absorb far more from what they witness than from what they are told.

Raj mentions that when they grow up seeing a parent place the family’s well-being before personal comfort, “it becomes part of how they understand love and responsibility.” It sends a message that relationships require effort, patience and sometimes personal compromise.

Many adults raised in such homes develop a strong sense of loyalty in their own relationships.

They often value stability and emotional commitment over convenience.

But the emotional tone of the sacrifice matters greatly.

“If children experience it as something done with dignity and choice, they tend to see it as a strength.

If it feels like quiet resentment, they may grow cautious about repeating that pattern,” states Raj.

Financial shifts, changes in living arrangements, or differences in family culture can create pressure even in strong relationships, Raj says.

“What helps couples navigate this phase ishonest communicationand a sense of shared responsibility.

When partners openly acknowledge that both are adjusting, it prevents the dynamic from becoming about who sacrificed more.

Feeling appreciated during these transitions also makes a significant emotional difference.”