‘IT’S A GREAT TIME TO HAVE A KID’
Saif Ali Khan says “40-45 is a good age” to become a father; he doesn’t feel having a child is an “additional responsibility”
Saif Ali Khan (above) and Kareena Kapoor Khan are Bollywood’s power couple. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the birth of their son, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, has made national news. Interestingly, B-Town’s new daddy feels it’s a great time to become a father. “I feel 40-45 is a good age. Although my father (the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) wasn’t a very religious person, he wrote me a note on my 40th birthday that said, ‘The secret of Islam was revealed to the Prophet on his 40th birthday’. I think what he meant was that this is the age when you are sorted. So, it’s a great time to have a kid. I don’t feel like it’s an additional responsibility. Instead, I am like, ‘I want to [have a child],’” Saif told HT Café on December 16 (Friday). The Omkara (2006) actor, who feels “a bit more settled” in life, says, “it is nice to share [your life with another child]”. “There’s a difference (as compared to when Sara and Ibrahim were born) in the sense that I am clear [about] what my age is and what their (kids’) age is, and I am not going anywhere. Sara is so much closer to my age, while Ibrahim is a young teenager. So, now, 14 years later, it feels nice [to have a kid],” says Saif.
HANDS-ON FATHER
So now, with the new baby coming in, ask Saif if he is going to be a more hands-on father, and he says “I just read a saying that goes like this: ‘You never step your foot in the same river twice’, because it’s always moving. Even we [as people] are like that. We keep changing. Of course, I know how life changes [after the birth of a baby]. So, I won’t be stressed because I know exactly how it’s going to change and I am ready for that. Children also bring some discipline and control into your life. So, yes, there will be late nights, but they will be more controlled (smiles). So, I am looking forward to that (fatherhood).”
At the same time, Saif also feels that having a baby “is a good expression of who we (Kareena and I) are”. “I want to bring up another child, and teach him things and have our thoughts [family values], hopefully, passed on through him. You always like to pass on things [to the next generation]. In the same way. what does Pataudi Palace [stand] for? It’s the continuation [of family values]. For me, life is all about a creative job, friends and hopefully family. These are important things in every possible way,” he says.