Saif Ali Khan opened up about the vitriol he would come across when he searched himself on the internet, and how it would affect him for the rest of the day. He also spoke about acquiring Pataudi Palace again after clearing a lease.
Actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are no stranger to internet trolls. The couple has battled much online hate for the names of their children, Jeh and Taimur. Recently, Saif opened up about the vitriol he would come across when he searched himself on the internet, and how it would affect him for the rest of the day. However, Kareena advised him to not read about himself.
Saif told Bollywood Bubble, “I don’t read (troll comments). I am off it and it is really cool. Because it also helps me focus. It can get addictive, you know. I can google myself and start checking out what I said when and then I read something I don’t like and it spoils my mood. My wife told me, ‘you know what just stop doing it’. I had stopped for a while and I really started saying what do I do,” Saif said.
He added, “There is something about social media which is so dangerous. There is so much anonymity you don’t know who is talking to whom. So people throw a lot of violence around and stuff like that. So it can get a little wrong.” Arjun Kapoor, who was also a part of the interview with Saif, added, “It’s the same people who follow you so it is very confusing. It’s interesting that they actually just want attention. I feel social media is just one part of my life as a human being, as an actor, as a star.”
In the same interview, he also spoke about the trajectory of his career and was asked about the time he had to re-buy Pataudi Palace. Saif answered, “It wasn’t really re-buying, it was like clearing a lease.” He added that money hasn’t been easy exactly for him, but he also recognises his privilege and doesn’t want to compare himself to others less fortunate than him, something that Arjun agreed with.
In an earlier interview, Saif had explained the arrangement. “My father leased it out and Francis (Wacziarg) and Aman (Nath), who ran a hotel there took good care of the property. My mother (Sharmila Tagore) has a cottage there and she was always very comfortable,” Saif had said. “It was a fair financial arrangement and contrary to reports, I did not have to buy it back because I already owned it,” Saif said. After the death of his father in 2011, Saif Ali Khan wrapped up the lease.
Saif’s children, Taimur and Jeh, are always in the limelight, though the couple prefers to hide Jeh’s face on social media. Speaking about Taimur and Jeh’s exposure to the paparazzi, Saif recently told the Quint, “We can’t hide. This is who we are, they know who we are. We want our kids to have a normal life. It’s not a big deal, it’s not an invasion of privacy. Paps are doing well, peace and love.”
Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor would be starring in the horror-comedy Bhoot Police, which also features Yami Gautam and Jacqueline Fernandez.
