"I have worn a bikini in front of my mother-in-law"- Kareena Kapoor Khan
Marriage… exotic travel… gourmet cuisine. Conversation dangles in the air as Kareena Kapoor Khan holds court as the newly-minted Begum. Filmfare gets a ringside view of royalty
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Some actors create more entertainment for us off screen. More than their onscreen shenanigans. It’s easy to warm up to Kareena Kapoor Khan. Never a dull moment. I’ve known her for 12 years now. She can give you a polar bear hug, weight loss tips and cut you to size with her rapier-sharp tongue.
She won’t keep in touch for days and months on end. And then off the will cuff send you a long message from the Alps. She’s conscious of her star status yet she plays it down. From Madagascar to Montreal, she has a humongous fan following. But when you see her unwind on the sets, she seems so earthy. Almost.
I’ve seen those champagne eyes mist over, have seen them flash fire and have seen them look vacant. She sent me an elaborately designed wedding card for a reception in Delhi and was miffed that I couldn’t be with her on her big day. But Bebo holds no grudges. She good humouredly complains that I love arty films and arty actors more than her.
She pours through these endless fashion magazines, making notes to pick up a Tom Ford exclusive on her next trip to Paris; posts giggly pictures on her dp with husband Saif Ali Khan sipping the most expensive wines. Apropos nothing she tells me that she’d love to be Alexander Mcqueen’s muse, quotes Kate Moss and displays her endless boot collection to me. That’s KKK then, all fashion, all heart, all entertainment.
On the occasions that her heart has gone boom boom and her mind has left town, the feisty girl is replaced by a sombre woman. But she doesn’t wallow in misery. Self preservation is her key to survive roadblocks. She’s today’s IT girl. Shape up or ship out is her hook. Marriage has brought about a tranquility. Quiet meals with hubby or friends have replaced raucous girls’ night out. The school girl penchant for gossip has been replaced with homespun wisdom. Which all adds up as the right time to meet the red hot Kareena Kapoor Khan. Her strawberry lips look fuller; the eyes take on a deeper shade of sea green. If it’s possible then she’s grown more breathtaking. The holiday tan accentuating the loveliness.
Warm as the polar bear hug given, she teases me endlessly about favouring other actresses as I try to coax her into her larger- than-the-movies lifestyle post marriage. Reproduced below is an unexpurgated transcript of our conversation punctuated with food and giggles…
Q. What change has marriage brought in? There seems to be tranquillity about you…
Nothing really. I just feel more at ease. I don’t know why people keep on and on about how marriage calms you down, changes you and all. Maybe, I am more at ease because I lived with Saif for four years before we got married.
Q. How is living in different from marriage? Is living in more liberated in that sense?
People don’t get the fact that living in is not a big deal today. My parents (Randhir and Babita Kapoor) were shocked when we decided to live in. But I am glad I did it. It was like being married. What’s the big deal? We got married at home. We got out of our bedroom went to the living room and signed the papers. It was the most comfortable way to get married. It was the best way. So it hardly made any difference. I want Saif and me to represent modern thinking. Like a married couple which has traditional values. Love is all about being together.
Q. Is there a key for a successful marriage?
I don’t think I have tips or a key to a successful marriage. I don’t think any such tips exist either. Even in our relationship, apart from the fact that I love him, there’s no particular way of saying that this is the right way or that one should follow this path.
Q. The interesting thing is that you don’t carry this married woman vibe…
If you love someone, you want to spend your life with him. I don’t understand why it is such a big deal. I’ll never carry the vibe. People take it in the wrong way like ‘oh she’s married!’ But I don’t care. In fact, I am having more fun after being married. I am enjoying the shoots more, I am going out more. I am partying and having more holidays. And I love it. Ultimately, for an actress, it’s all about timing. You have to do everything at the right time. Timing is important for success and marriage. That’s my advice to actresses. It’s the right decision at the right time. You have to decide what you want. That’s why I’ve always been open about love.
Q. Give me an instance where you had to return home early, make changes in your movie plans for Saif...
The reason that Saif and I got married is because he loves that I am an individual. People forget that I am married to someone like Saif. He is not a typical husband. He has never asked me about the movies I do and he never will. That’s the relationship we share. It could be that sometimes I ask him that what you are doing next. But Saif has never asked me till date. He will never ask me ‘Who are you shooting for’ or ‘Which actor are you working with’. Never!
Q. The fact that he is your senior, does it rub off on you?
He knows I am responsible. He understands the girl I am. His mother (Sharmila Tagore) was a working woman and till today is. So there’s no question of him nagging me about anything.
Q. How has it been in the palace? Did you have to make any adjustments? How is your rapport with Sharmilaji?
Not at all. I believe I am a well brought up child and they love me. They know that I make Saif happy. We trust each other. And there’s lots of love and care. No one has asked me what I do. I guess there is a lot of hype about marriage, media, films, producers, directors... We tend to give these things a lot of importance. But Saif and I are individualistic and modern in our thinking.
Q. Has there been an occasion when you have been asked to behave like a daughter-in-law in the palace?
No. Right now, Saif has taken the palace back. When I am with the family, I am treated like a daughter. Sharmilaji treats me like a daughter. We are not in the 1900s. We don’t live like traditional saas bahus. We just went to the Maldives for a holiday where I wore a bikini in front of my mother-in-law. It’s normal. I don’t understand why it’s such a big thing. I would do the same with my mother.
Q. Is there a piece of jewellery that you hold close because it’s part of Saif’s heirloom?
Saif hasn’t given anything like that to me. But yes, he cherishes his grandmother’s Quran Shareef, which he got from Bhopal. He treasures that. We have kept it in our home. Tradition is important to Saif. He’s emotional about it whereas I am more vocal about it.
Q. Have you ever cooked a meal for Saif? Are you good at cooking at all?
He has attempted to cook. Saif likes the idea of cooking and creating an atmosphere for it. Like spaghetti bolognese being cooked in an open kitchen with music like jazz and blues playing and some wine to be enjoyed. He thinks he’s cooking but actually it’s like ‘yeh kaato, bring this, bring that’. So that’s what he is. He’s cooking by remote control.
Q. Long back you had mentioned that being with him has widened your horizons…
That’s because he’s a different kind of a guy He’s always reading, which is also kind of annoying. Sometimes I have to tell him, ‘Saif stop reading and talk to me!’ He loves his books, which is good. So now days, while he reads, I do Sudoku or some word game. I enjoy reading magazines that cover the English country life. Also, while our relationship is very English, at the same time it’s grounded and earthy. He is a mix of both - like he wants to have dal chawal and papad but after three days; he’ll want to have spaghetti or steak. So that’s charming.
Q. Have you ever been on an exotic holiday?
It’s me who urges him to go on holidays but people think it’s the other way round. We haven’t gone on any exotic holiday yet. We keep repeating the same destinations like London, Switzerland, Paris. We want to visit different places now. Yeah, I want to move out and live in France away from all the madness. Everything is so temporary. Our youth is gone in chasing success. Actors forget to actually live life. But I have always wanted to have both. I’ve been a bit greedy. Like I keep saying I want to be like Brigitte Bardot and live in the South of France.
Q. What about your relationship with his kids – Sarah and Ibrahim?
I always maintain it as though we are friends because they have a wonderful mother (Amrita Singh), who has done a splendid job in bringing them up. Sarah has got admission in the Columbia University. Few girls get the opportunity to study there. Saif has, in fact, gone to drop her there. There are many scholars in his family. Saif encourages education. I’m happy for the kids. I never had this kind of an opportunity. My advice to her was, you can act anytime. But an opportunity to go to Columbia and live in New York on your own will not come again. What I have realised is that there’s so much more to life than constantly trying to bag a film.
Q. Do you miss the fact that you could have studied there…
Yes, I wish I could have attended such a great university. But I don’t know how it would be because I have struggled in the film industry too. I have had my share of flops.
Q. Has Saif given you this perspective that there’s a life beyond the movies?
Yes, that Saif has definitely given to me. I am lucky. I guess, it’s good to have the best of both the worlds. Like I have my friends who I like going out with here and I have friends whom I meet all over the world.
Q. Do you have girly nights where you gang up against the husbands…
That doesn’t happen often because we don’t meet much. Our friends are mostly in England and New York. In Mumbai, we don’t go out much. Saif doesn’t like it. Whenever I tell Saif that we will go for this fashion show or that event, he’s not keen. He doesn’t understand the idea of going to an event and being photographed. He says we are actors; we should just do our movies, some ads and go on a holiday. I like his attitude. He’ll say I am chilling at home. I have also become like that now.
Q. What about starting a family?
It’s not even a thought. It is just a distant thought. Right now, there’s so much more. We’ve barely been married for a year.
Q. You don’t think the biological clock is ticking?
Not at all. I am 10 years younger to Saif, why should I be worried? He should be.
Q. Does he pamper you?
It’s not just he who pampers. People have this image about Saif Ali Khan. I pamper him more. I have made him grounded, responsible, emotional and calm. Saif had a childlike thing to him, which has suddenly disappeared in the last few years. We have matured together.
Q. Do you handle relationships better now that you are 30?
No. I believe if you are in love, everything remains the same. Nothing changes. But yes, you come into your own. It is like wearing a pair of jeans, which fits really well.
Q. What about doing more mature roles like Heroine?
I have done roles like this before. I did Chameli when I was 22. It all depends on my state of mind.
Q. Was working in Satyagraha tough considering it was a not a commercial set up?
I had fun playing the part of a journalist. It wasn’t tough at all. I enjoy being put in different set-ups. The cast was stellar. I enjoyed working with Prakash Jha, who is a fine person and director. He knows how to create situations, which are dramatic and come across well.
Q. What are the perks of being a star?
People believe stars enjoy a lot of perks. But it’s not true. I am constantly working, sometimes working for 16- 18 hours a day.
Q. Do you regret anything in your career?
I never look back. I always look forward. From Subhash Ghai, Rajkumar Hirani to Imtiaz Ali, I’ve worked with the best. Also, I have kept a balance between my movies and my personal life. I never said that I am working 28 hours a day. I can never be like that. I will always have both. I have always been in a relationship. I don’t remember the time when I wasn’t in one.
