Saif Ali Khan Reveals How He and Kareena Kapoor Raise Taimur and Jeh Beyond Religion: 'One God, Many Names'

Saif Ali Khan has spoken out about his religious chats with his boys, Taimur and Jehangir. He commented on his interfaith upbringing and the ideals he intends to instill in his family.

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Saif Ali Khan on raising sons with Kareena beyond religion

Actor Saif Ali Khan recently said that he has taught his boys, Taimur and Jehangir, that "there's one god, and he has many names". At a recent event, the 55-year-old stated that he enjoys these chats, despite not considering himself particularly religious.

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His statements are based on his own family background. Saif was born to the late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and legendary actress Sharmila Tagore, who married in an interfaith ceremony. He later had two interfaith marriages, the first with actor Amrita Singh, whom he divorced in 2004, and the second with Kareena Kapoor, whom he married in 2012.

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At We The Women's London version, Saif stated, “It’s a conversation I love having with them. Because I myself am not the most religious of people. My mother taught me, and I taught my kids, that there’s one god and he has many names. It’s as simple as that. You worship him in different places. And if your religion talks about love and forgiveness to your fellow men, then that’s it.”

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He also mentioned growing up in a Christian environment, having attended churches and schools that began each day with chapel services. With a grin, he shared a tale about trying to avoid chapel by claiming to be of a different faith, but "then they got a maulvi (Islamic scholar) to come and talk to us." That didn't work." Saif claimed his upbringing included prayers from different faiths, and Christmas was just as important as Diwali. "I've never really considered it. "It's intuitive," he explained.

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Saif also recounted a recent conversation with Taimur. He explained that he asked his 9-year-old kid, "What's the difference between religion and methodology?" Taimur said, "In religion, we pray; in methodology, we don't." Saif described it as "a good answer" and added, "So, we're constantly talking about these things." He went on to say that his mother and wife both have an open mind toward religion, describing it as "more of a spiritual approach".

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The Khan family discusses interfaith connections.

Last year, Saif's younger sister, actor Soha Ali Khan, stated that she and her actor-husband Kunal Kemmu received similar criticism for their interfaith marriage as Saif and Kareena Kapoor did. Speaking to journalist Nayandeep Rakshit, she stated there were "lots of strange things," including headlines about "Love Jihad" and "Ghar Wapsi," as well as statements like, "You took one of ours, now we will take one of yours."

Their mother, Sharmila Tagore, previously stated on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal that she converted to Islam and wasrechristened Ayesha before marrying Mansoor Ali Khan. "It wasn't easy, nor was it particularly tough. It needed to be confronted and understood. You couldn't be that cavalier about it. Before then, I was not very religious. "Now, I believe I understand more about Hinduism and Islam," she stated.

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Saif Ali Khan on raising sons with Kareena beyond religion

Kareena Kapoor Khan had also discussed her marriage to Saif at The Express Adda three years prior. She stated that too much time and energy was spent on interfaith partnerships and their age difference, adding, "The most important thing between Saif and me is that we like each other and enjoy our company."

He was most recently spotted in Kartavya for work. The actor will next appear in Priyadarshan's Haiwaan, with Akshay Kumar. The film is scheduled to open in cinemas on September 11.