For Neeraj Udhwani and Ishita Moitra, the writers of Netflix’s new series Single Papa, the idea for the show came during a trip to Goa at the airport. “We saw this visual of a macho guy holding a baby in his arms, and he was trying to find a diaper station.” While women’s restrooms usually have diaper-changing facilities, men’s restrooms often do not. Some public institutions, like airports, offer family rooms where either parent can feed or change a baby’s diaper. But this one incident got the writers thinking about how, institutionally, raising and nursing a baby is still considered a woman’s responsibility rather than a man’s.

Neeraj and Ishita on giving a humourous touch to Single Papa

While Neeraj and Ishita, who are also a married couple, had a structural idea for the story, not being parents themselves meant they weren’t emotionally driven to pen it down at the time. However, after welcoming their daughter years later, they felt a stronger urge than ever to tell this story.