Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has never shied away from speaking about her personal life and the equations that she holds close to her heart. Be it her husband, actor Saif Ali Khan’s proposal to her, the difficulty that she faced during her second pregnancy which she encapsulated in her book titled Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Pregnancy Bible or owning the fact she along with her children, Taimur and Jeh, are the paparazzi’s favourite, she has been quite an open book.
Needless to say, she is often touted as one of the most candid, real and unfiltered celebrities. And now, in an exclusive interaction with News18, Kareena talks at length about love, life, her relationship with her children and her girl gang, who she swears by.
It is no news that Taimur, who was born in 2016, instantly became a sensation and has many fan clubs already dedicated to him. Her second born, Jeh, who is one-and-a-half years old, has also become the apple of the eyes of shutterbugs and netizens. Ask her about how the little one is often caught on camera looking grumpy, Kareena laughs and says, “You can ask him that whenever he’s 18 or 20 and if, at all, he’s ready to answer these questions! Maybe, he appears grumpy because he wonders why people keep photographing him.”
Talking about her sons, Kareena asserts that it’s paramount that her boys grow up in a household that’s all about equal parenting and they realise that mothers, much like fathers, can be working professionals too.
She elaborates, “My kids have to understand that because both Saif and I are working parents. And it’s something I’ve always told Taimur. I’ve been going to work since he was seven months old. I make it a point to tell him that while on some days, I need to go out, on others, his father has to. It’s something that he has understood and both he and Jeh have to grow to understand that both of their parents work so that we all can have a good life.”
Kareena has often been lauded for striking a fine balance between her career and motherhood, and she wants to normalise the same for her children. “They should respect that the woman of the house also works. They should know that their mother also goes to work. Work is a part of me that will always be there. This is how my boys will have to be brought up,” she shares.
The 41-year-old reveals that Taimur, who is about to turn six, shares a rather special equation with Saif, and the duo often bond over international cinema and series. “He has already skipped a generation due to his father and they watch Pirates Of The Caribbean, Star Wars and The Mandalorian together. These are the things that Saif likes and Taimur wants to be like him. He’s very close to his father. The boys all gang up against me!” she remarks.
She says that Saif and her, as parents, are very particular about Taimur’s screen time but adds, “He’s a boy who’s very bright, understanding and quite ahead of his age. He understands it when somebody tells him that something is not right and he isn’t supposed to do it. But both he and Jeh are very naughty. Boys, however, grow up and change. I’m sure things are going to change a lot. Having said that, at this age, he already has an eye for good cinema. On weekends, he gets to watch good movies. He doesn’t spend too much time on the screen even though one of us always has to monitor it.”
Kareena is often seen taking to Instagram to flaunt her firstborn’s artistic skills. Talking about it, she says, “He likes stories and so, he wants us to tell him stories. And he likes drawing a lot. He draws whatever he sees. If he watches Pirates Of The Caribbean, he actually draws the ship and the pirates. He spends most of his day drawing and imagining stories, which I think is quite cool.”
So, has he watched any of hers or Saif’s films? “No, he hasn’t. He’s still a child and is very innocent. That’s also why keeps asking why people click him,” replies the Laal Singh Chaddha actor.
Apart from her family, Kareena also shares a close bond with her girl squad comprising actors Karisma Kapoor, Amrita Arora and Malaika Arora. Malaika, recently, spoke about how if given a chance, she would gift the four of them a show. Their close friend and filmmaker Karan Johar has also compared the tetrad to the cast of Sex And The City.
Speaking about what makes this relationship special, Kareena shares, “We’ve all been friends for over 20 years now. So, we’re very close. We’re all like-minded, working girls. We’ve been fiercely independent and that’s something that also helps us connect and binds us together. The whole idea is that we can just be ourselves.”
The actor adds, “When we spend time together, we feel a sense of belonging. When we don’t get to spend time, we go like, ‘No no no, we’ve to take out time even if we’re busy’. This friendship is like soul food. We all need that kind of energy from our girlfriends and I need it to feel alive. I look forward to my girl night outs!”
