Actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s first child Taimur Ali Khan has been paparazzi’s favourite since the time he was born.
Varinder Chawla, a seasoned celebrity photographer and veteran paparazzo, has recalled a shocking incident where around 50 photographers chased Kareena Kapoor Khan’s son Taimur Ali Khan on his way to tuition. In a recent interview with Ishan on his YouTube channel, quoted by Indian Express.com, Varinder addressed the paparazzi’s obsession with Taimur. Actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s first child Taimur has been pap’s favourite since the time he was born.
“There was a time when if we didn’t post pictures of Taimur, our posts would get comments like, ‘Aaj Taimur ka photo nahin aaya.’ Our DMs would be flooded with queries. We started taking his photos because Kareena and Saif initially allowed it, and the pictures went viral. The paparazzi then began clicking him obsessively because people adored his cuteness,” Varinder was quoted as saying by Indian Express.com.
He heaped praise on Kareena for being cooperative towards photographers. “One of Kareena’s best traits is that she never said no to a photographer. She would graciously oblige the paps. We would spot Taimur outside their residence, and she had no objection. Demand badh gayi thi ki hum kya karte? 24 ghante uske peeche rehna shuru kar diya tha. Woh school ja raha hota tha toh uske peeche jaate the, tuition ja raha hota tha toh tuition jaate the (The demand increased so much that we began following him 24/7. Whether he was going to school or tuition, we were there. We even followed him while he played. We started disturbing the child’s personal life. That’s when they requested us to avoid certain places like school and tuition),” he added.
Varinder then recounted a shocking incident where he realised that they had gone too far. “Once, I went out to spot Taimur while riding pillion on a team member’s bike. Taimur was on his way to tuition, and I noticed there were 40-50 people on bikes following him. Main hil gaya (I was shaken). I wondered, ‘Where did these 50 people come from?’ Someone told me, ‘Aage tamasha dekhiye (Just wait and watch).’ Some climbed onto the gates, and others surrounded his car as if they were going to attack him. I was scared and thought, ‘Nahin yaar yeh galat hai (No, this is wrong).’”
He continued, “If I was so frightened, imagine what the family felt. Even Taimur’s nanny got worried. Saif called us and requested that we avoid following Taimur to school. That’s when we decided to respect their privacy. We set a limit and agreed not to cross that boundary. They have a personal life!”