I think of India as a secular country; I don't think of it as a Hindutva nation, says Saif Ali Khan

By Bollywood Reporter

on October 25, 2018

Almost one and a half years after Taimur Ali Khan’s birth, his father, actor Saif Ali Khan revisited the controversy over his son’s name in 2016 during an interview with a leading daily. Taimur is Saif’s first child with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan – his name severely angered Twitter after his birth as the internet questioned whether the child was named for Timur, the Central Asian invader who sacked Delhi in the 13th century.

Asked about the uproar over Taimur’s name, Saif told the daily that he now addresses his son as Tim Tim, and also explained his notion of India as a secular country.

[caption id="attachment_104363" align="aligncenter" width="647"] File photo of Kareena, Saif and Taimur.[/caption]

“I have now given him a soft nickname — Tim Tim, which takes the edge off Taimur. I think of India as a secular country, I don't think of it as a Hindutva nation. I understand that there will be a right wing movement in the country because of independence and the creation of Pakistan and this idea of identity forming that is ours. I understand Hindutva. The scariest ideologies have a bit of truth to them,” Saif told the daily.

Furthermore, Saif also said that he is very fond of the name Taimur, adding that his son has not been named after a particular person.

“But my idea of India is that in my blood and his blood and on this earth, there have been so many people who have come and gone. Alexander the Great, Chandragupta Maurya, Babur, Humayun, Taimur and various other people. Whether they were good people, bad people, violent people, doesn't really matter in my head. People have called Rama violent. We have had these conversations. To me, it's a great name. Taimur means iron and I like it. He's not named after a particular person, but even if he's named after anybody, this is a part of us and history. We can't pretend that we have been around only after 1948. That's not what India is. India is the land of Kama Sutra, Yoga, Mohenjo-Daro, Harappan civilisation, Mahabharata, including Taimur. It's all a part of our history,” Saif added.

[caption id="attachment_142268" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kareena and Taimur photographed in Mumbai.[/caption]

Taimur is an internet sensation, to say the least as his pictures go viral within seconds of being made available online by the paparazzi or fan clubs.

Saif, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of his new film Baazaar. Directed by Gauravv K Chawla, Baazaar will release on October 26.