Saif Ali Khan has opened up about raising his children with an inclusive view of religion, revealing that discussions about faith are a regular part of family life. Born to legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, popularly known as Tiger Pataudi, and veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, Saif comes from an interfaith family. Later he had two interfaith marriages of his own — first with Amrita Singh, with whom he had two children, and later with Kareena Kapoor, with whom he had sons Taimur Ali Khan and Jehangir Ali Khan.Speaking to We The Women’s London edition, Saif said he enjoys discussing religion with his children, while admitting that he himself is not very religious.“It’s a conversation I want to have with them. Because I’m not the most religious of people myself. My mother taught me, and I taught my children, that there is one god and he has many names. It’s that simple. You worship him in different places. And if your religion talks about loving and forgiving your fellow man, then that’s it,” Saif said.
Remember growing up with prayers from different religions
The actor also reflected on his own childhood, saying he was exposed to different faiths while studying in Christian schools.“I grew up in churches, in schools that started to become chapels. I tried to bunk that by saying I was from a different religion, and then they got a maulvi to come and talk to us. That didn’t work,” Saif recalls with a laugh.“But it’s a Christian upbringing. Children pray, followed by the prayers of other religions. They celebrate Christmas like Diwali. That’s the kind of upbringing I had. I never thought about it. It’s intuitive,” he added.
Saif shares Taimur’s thoughtful answer about religion
Saif also shared a recent conversation with his nine-year-old son Taimur Ali Khan that impressed him.“I asked him, ‘What is the difference between religion and method?'” Saif said.According to the actor, Taimur replied, “In religion, we pray, and in methodology, we don’t.” Calling it “a good answer,” Saif added, “So, we always talk about these things. I’m lucky that I didn’t grow up like that. My mother is open-minded about these things, and so is my wife. It’s more of a spiritual way.”