The Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan has never been away from the limelight. Sometimes due to his impactful performance as officer Sartaj in Netflix’s ‘Sacred Games’ and other times due to his personal life.
When the ‘Parineeta’ actor married Kareena Kapoor who is reportedly 11 years younger to him, it raised a lot of eyebrows.
However, over the past decade, the actor proved how much he’s grown as a father. During a recent interview with Mumbai Mirror about his home production ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ in which Saif plays a father, he spoke about raising daughter Sara Ali Khan (24), son Ibrahim Ali Khan (19) and the youngest one Taimur Ali Khan (3).
When asked if he was an ‘absentee father’ in real life, the ‘Hum Tum’ star said, “The character I’m playing in the film doesn’t know he has a daughter; it comes as a surprise, so it hits him differently.”
“I may not have been responsible at various times while in my 20s, but I’ve always been there and ready to do the best that I can do at that time for my kids. I have never felt like an absentee father.”
Talking on how different is it bringing up Taimur from Sara and Ibrahim, he says, “I sometimes call Taimur Ibrahim or Sara; love is a funny thing with your children because, on one hand, you can’t differentiate between them and on the other, you can’t replace one with the other. Even if one is annoying, the other can’t make you feel better. They are all individuals in their heart and head.”
He further added that he is more patient now. “The difference, I suppose, is that I’m a little more patient now, whereas when Sara and Ibrahim were young, I was busy trying to build my career.”
“And since I didn’t know what I wanted, I was a bit more selfish when it came to giving them more time. I’m still a bit selfish with my time, but I’m much more patient than I was.”
When we’re in London, we go to my friend Salim’s house. Everyone’s around, including the kids, and I can just sit and watch them run around.”
Speaking about the role of a parent in a child’s life, the ‘Love Aaj Kal’ actor says:
“Being a parent is such an important role. If not done properly it can really damage the kids and if done right, it can be so rewarding.”
On the career front, Saif’s next ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ is set to release on January 31. All the best Nawab Saheb for all your future endeavours.