Being born into one of Bollywood’s most celebrated film families does not necessarily mean following the family business. Kareena Kapoor, who comes from the illustrious Kapoor dynasty and is married to actor Saif Ali Khan, says she wants her children to have the freedom to choose their own paths. The actor recently revealed that her elder son, Taimur Ali Khan, already has his sights set on a career far removed from Bollywood, he wants to pursue cricket or football.
Kareena Kapoor on son Taimur Ali Khan’s aspirations
In a conversation with Hanuman Dass, Kareena revealed that Taimur wants to either become a cricketer or a footballer. She said, “When Tim says he wants to be a football player or cricketer because right now he is so much into sports, I saw if that’s what you want to do. He says, ‘Yeah, I want to play football or cricket on a global stage. So I am like, then you have to make it happen. We have to encourage him in the right direction.”
She added, “Who knows, maybe he changes his mind down the road, which is fine. It’s not like because he comes from a film family, he has to be an actor. We can just offer him the experience. I wasn’t ever into cricket or football, but I enjoyed swimming a lot. But as I said, I have always wanted to play characters and become an actor. That’s what I knew right from Tim’s age. So that’s why when he says he wants to do this, I think he’s pretty sure because I think he’s like me.”
Taimur sure has sporting genes. His paternal grandfather, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi captained the Indian cricket team for a decade, while his father, Ifthikar Ali Khan Pataudi played Test cricket for both India and England.
Earlier, in a podcast with her sister-in-law Soha Ali Khan, Kareena revealed that her sons, Taimur and Jeh, are more interested in sports personalities than actors. She also said that Taimur often asks her whether she is friends with cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli or footballer Lionel Messi. The actor clarified that, so far, he has no interest in drama or acting.
Kareena Kapoor’s upcoming work
Kareena is all set to lead Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra. The film marks Kareena and Meghna’s first collaboration and also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran. Inspired by true events, Meghna has co-written the film with Yash Keswani and Sima Agarwal. Backed by Junglee Pictures and Dr Jayantilal Gada’s Pen Studios, the film stars Prithviraj and Kareena as cops.
Daayra is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18 and will clash with Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe. The spy comedy also stars Preity Zinta and Sparsh Srivastava in lead roles.