Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar said on Sunday that he has become a parent to twins via a surrogate.

The 44-year-old, one of Bollywood’s most influential personalities, said the twins – a girl and a boy named Roohi and Yash - were born “with the help of the marvels of medical science.”

A report in the Times of India newspaper said they were born on February 7 in a Mumbai hospital.

“This was an emotional yet well thought out decision which I have taken after considering all the responsibilities and duties that come with being a parent,” Johar said in a statement.

Johar is a bachelor and has on many occasions come close to publicly saying that he is gay, but never admitted it because homosexual sex is outlawed in India.

“Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don't need to scream it out. If I need to spell it out, I won't only because I live in a country where I could possibly be jailed for saying this,” he is quoted as saying in his recently-released biography, “An Unsuitable Boy”.

Other Bollywood stars who have children via surrogacy include Shah Rukh Khan and Tusshar Kapoor.