Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor photographed with baby Taimur in Mumbai
New Delhi:
In what is a truly heartbreaking admission, actor Saif Ali Khan told Times Of India that he briefly considered changing his newborn son's name to something non-controversial after he and wife Kareena Kapoor were trolled for naming him Taimur. Actually, seriously considered it, because he didn't want Taimur to be unpopular in school. Kareena, Saif said, disagreed but it was only after he wrote and read a note about the change of name that Saif dropped the idea. Taimur Ali Khan, now two-months-old, was born on December 20 - his birth and his name were announced via a statement by his parents, neither of whom have official social media accounts. Twitter reacted with outraged disapproval, connecting the name Taimur with Timur or Tamarlane, the Mongol invader who destroyed Delhi in the 13th century.
Saif Ali Khan told TOI," I thought for a second about changing his name. For a couple of weeks. And Kareena was a little against it and she said, 'People respect you for your opinion and you can't'... So I said, yeah, but it's not about people. I don't want him to get unpopular. And I still might, maybe when he's one or two, I might change his name in a while, it's still sinking in, what to do."
He almost did it too. Until he didn't. "Someone in my PR agreed with me, and we drafted a small letter. And when I read it, it was so pathetic, that I cancelled the idea. Because it was really like, uhh, 'I'm sorry', and 'I didn't want to offend' and 'I'm an idiot' and you know, I've given in to pressure. It just sounded awful. However you write it, it just wasn't sounding right. It was like I didn't realise where I live or what I'm doing. So I did think about it. I thought about it, but it was for the wrong reason. If I feel that he's going to get in trouble in school, I might change it still. It's a bit late now though. Or not. I don't know," Saif told TOI.
That makes us want to cry a little.
A couple of weeks ago, Saif said on NDTV Spotlight, "I've known a couple of people called Taimur while growing up and there was drama involved, it was just a nice name. It means iron and it's a strong, beautiful sounding name. Yes, I am aware there is a Mongol ruler who was possibly a little violent but I think that was the whole point really, if you want to be a conquering general you have to be a little violent. I want to say I've not named Taimur after him."
"I'm aware that there's a certain amount of Islamophobia in the world today and as Muslims, if we don't somehow own it then who will? I can't very well name my son Alexander and realistically can't name him Ram. So why not a nice Muslim name and bring him up with secular values so that people meeting him say 'what a nice guy' and that's the end of the name," Saif told us.
Watch: Saif Ali Khan on naming Taimur
Meanwhile, this image of Taimur Ali Khan, accessed from his dad's WhatsApp, went viral earlier this month:
Saif Ali Khan, 46, and Kareena Kapoor, 36, married in 2012. Saif is currently promoting his new film Rangoon, opening this Friday.
Saif Ali Khan told TOI," I thought for a second about changing his name. For a couple of weeks. And Kareena was a little against it and she said, 'People respect you for your opinion and you can't'... So I said, yeah, but it's not about people. I don't want him to get unpopular. And I still might, maybe when he's one or two, I might change his name in a while, it's still sinking in, what to do."
He almost did it too. Until he didn't. "Someone in my PR agreed with me, and we drafted a small letter. And when I read it, it was so pathetic, that I cancelled the idea. Because it was really like, uhh, 'I'm sorry', and 'I didn't want to offend' and 'I'm an idiot' and you know, I've given in to pressure. It just sounded awful. However you write it, it just wasn't sounding right. It was like I didn't realise where I live or what I'm doing. So I did think about it. I thought about it, but it was for the wrong reason. If I feel that he's going to get in trouble in school, I might change it still. It's a bit late now though. Or not. I don't know," Saif told TOI.
That makes us want to cry a little.
A couple of weeks ago, Saif said on NDTV Spotlight, "I've known a couple of people called Taimur while growing up and there was drama involved, it was just a nice name. It means iron and it's a strong, beautiful sounding name. Yes, I am aware there is a Mongol ruler who was possibly a little violent but I think that was the whole point really, if you want to be a conquering general you have to be a little violent. I want to say I've not named Taimur after him."
"I'm aware that there's a certain amount of Islamophobia in the world today and as Muslims, if we don't somehow own it then who will? I can't very well name my son Alexander and realistically can't name him Ram. So why not a nice Muslim name and bring him up with secular values so that people meeting him say 'what a nice guy' and that's the end of the name," Saif told us.
Watch: Saif Ali Khan on naming Taimur
Meanwhile, this image of Taimur Ali Khan, accessed from his dad's WhatsApp, went viral earlier this month:
Saif Ali Khan, 46, and Kareena Kapoor, 36, married in 2012. Saif is currently promoting his new film Rangoon, opening this Friday.
