Kareena Kapoor on how Saif Ali Khan asked her mother’s permission to let them move in together

Sylhet Mirror Published at : 25 April 2019, 1:55:15 PM

Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has said that husband Saif Ali Khan helped her “heal and love” herself at a time when she was facing a lull in her career. The Veere Di Wedding actor wrote a long post for Humans of Bombay in which she talked about her insecurities, meeting Saif, and her son Taimur.

“When I came back home from boarding school, Karisma had just started acting. I was in awe of her – I remember her in ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, being so passionate. She held herself with such pride through everything; watching her made me want to act too. So when my time came, she taught me to wade through this industry as a woman. It started out great – I did amazing films. But then for a year I didn’t work. I felt like my career was over; I was told to ‘re-invent’, become size 0. Everyone goes through a lull in their career. But as an actor, it’s worse – there are so many eyes on you.”Kareena said it was Saif who made her realise the importance of having a work-life balance. She also opened up about the time they shot Tashan together: “Somehow through my life, I’ve been blessed with people who have supported me thoroughly! So just when I thought I was falling, Saif caught me. I’d met him before, but while we were filming Tashan, something changed. I wore my heart on my sleeve! He was so charming; I fell for him hook, line & sinker. I remember while shooting in Ladakh & Jaisalmer, we’d go on long bike rides for some alone time. We’d enjoy the beauty, have great conversations and just bond.”

“He’s 10 years older than me and has 2 kids. But for me, he was just Saif – he helped me heal and love myself. Maybe it was the fact that we’re so different – he’s more private and not ‘Bollywoodised’, but I imbibed that from him. I learnt to balance things and not let them get to me. We’d been dating for awhile, when he said he’s not 25 and can’t keep dropping me home every night. So he told my mom, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We want to live together.’ My mom was cool with it. It’s so easy with him. Even when we decided to get married, it felt right,” she added.

She also spoke about Taimur and called motherhood “the greatest thing that’s happened” to her. “A few years later, I was blessed with our son, Taimur. Motherhood is the greatest thing that’s happened to me. Taimur is a part of me – I can’t go an hour without him. He’s always with me wherever I am. He makes me want to work harder every day.”

Kareena said she does not have to choose between family and career and is happy doing both. “I’m at a stage in my life where I don’t have to choose between career and family. I’m doing both. I’m an actor but through all the ups amd downs I’ve been a sister, a wife, a mom and none of these roles have deterred me. In fact, it’s put me on the right path. My dreams have gotten bigger – there’s much more to achieve. As an actor, and as a woman,” she signed off.