Ishaan Khatter grew up in rented homes, moved in 17 houses by 16: "Was changing houses faster than my age"

Struggles don’t distinguish between rich and poor—they teach life lessons that stay with you forever. Even beloved celebrity kids aren’t spared. Take Ishaan Khatter, for example. He recently opened up about the challenges he faced growing up and shared how his childhood was very different from the privileged image many people assume. In an interview with MidDay, Ishaan shared about his failures and how he had to change from one rented house to another. He revealed that he grew up in rented homes, moving 17 houses by age 16.

Reflecting on his school years, Ishaan shared, “I did all my schooling in Juhu. I spent 10 years at Jamnabai, and then moved to Billabong High. For two years, I was just trying to make sense of life because I was so used to my old friends. I had studied in one school all the way up to 8th grade. We were always moving since we lived in rented houses. It was what people often called the Bombay struggling lifestyle. By the time I turned 16, I had already lived in 17 different homes. I was changing houses faster than my age.” He continued, “When I changed school, the one social set I was used to had shifted. I was also making my peace with that... Then I started dancing. I told my mom that when I left Jamnabai in 8th grade, my academics started falling.”


Ishaan recently made headlines when his film Homebound was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. Starring alongside Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa, Ishaan was part of Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, which had its world premiere in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The film received an overwhelming 9-minute standing ovation and was produced by Karan Johar.

Ishaan was last seen in the Netflix series The Royals, where he starred opposite Bhumi Pednekar. Directed by Priyanka Ghose and Nupur Asthana, the romantic comedy follows a royal family grappling with financial troubles in contemporary India. The ensemble cast also includes Nora Fatehi, Zeenat Aman, Vihaan Samat, and Sakshi Tanwar. The show received a mixed response, with many viewers criticizing the pairing of Ishaan and Bhumi.