Saif Ali Khan is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricket player Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Both his wives, Amrita Singh in the past and now Kareena Kapoor, are well-known Bollywood actresses. His own children, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan, have gone on to become actors, and so the nepotism debate has always found its way to their family. Now the star is opening up about how he wishes to support his kids, but not to the extent of always holding their hands, given the privilege they have as the children of an acting family.
Saif Ali Khan reflects on the two sides of the nepotism debate
Talking to his sister, actress Soha Ali Khan, on her YouTube channel, where he appeared alongside her husband Kunal Kemmu, Saif Ali Khan spoke about how things may get complex when a famous surname is attached to an actor. The same is then reflected in the audience’s reactions, who may find it to be more relatable when someone unknown makes it big without any backing.
Sharing how it may irk viewers when someone with family ties does not make it, he shared, “Once you are great at what you do, the audience feels vindicated, but the problem is when you get repeated opportunities, and you are pretty c**p at what you do, and people are like, ‘C’mon what is happening? Somebody is not getting a chance here, and this person is getting chance after chance’. That, I think, is very unfair.”
On the other hand, he would also give the needed push to his own children, but it’s not infinite. Speaking about his own older son, he said, “I, of course, will support all my children, but there’s also a limit to how… I tell Ibrahim also… I mean, I don’t know if I should stand next to you and hold your hand at this time because you have already got so much because of who you are. So you need to do this on your own.”
Ibrahim Ali Khan made his leading role debut in Nadaaniyan opposite Khushi Kapoor and has since also done Sarzameen. He will next be seen in Diler, directed by Kunal Deshmukh.