Saif Ali Khan is 55 years old. He does not describe himself as deeply religious. But he says the conversations about religion are ones he actively seeks out with his sons, Taimur and Jehangir.
Speaking at the London edition of We The Women, Saif explained what he tells his children. “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.”
He described it as intuitive. Something he has never had to think too hard about. Something that came from the family he was born into.
Where it comes from
Saif Ali Khan was born to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the late Indian cricket captain, and Sharmila Tagore, the veteran actress. Their marriage was interfaith. Sharmila Tagore had spoken about it on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, saying she converted to Islam and was rechristened Ayesha before the wedding. “It wasn’t easy, nor was it very difficult. It had to be faced and understood. You couldn’t be very flippant about it. Before that, I wasn’t terribly religious. Now, I think I know more about Hinduism and Islam,” she said.
That household shaped how Saif approached religion. He recalled growing up around Christian institutions, spending time in churches, and attending schools that began the day with chapel. Christmas was celebrated as much as Diwali. Prayers from multiple faiths were part of ordinary life.
He also shared a story about trying to skip chapel by claiming he belonged to a different religion. It did not work. “They got a maulvi to come and talk to us,” he said, laughing.
The question he asked Taimur
One exchange with his nine-year-old son stood out. Saif said he asked Taimur: “What’s the difference between religion and methodology?”
Taimur replied: “In religion, we pray, and in methodology, we don’t.”
Saif called it a good answer. “So, we’re constantly talking about these things,” he said. He described his mother as having an open mind about religion and said his wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, shares the same approach. He called it “more of a spiritual approach” rather than a strictly religious one.
Two interfaith marriages of his own
Saif has had two interfaith marriages. His first was to actor Amrita Singh, whom he married and later divorced in 2004. His second is to actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, whom he married in 2012.
Kareena has spoken about the marriage publicly. At The Express Adda three years ago, she said too much time and energy had been spent on discussions about their interfaith relationship and the age gap between them. “The most important thing between Saif and I is that we like each other and enjoy our company,” she said.