As Kareena and I talk, she breaks off every so often to check her messages. Sorry, I'm addicted to my phone,' she laughs sheepishly. As if on cue, her phone rings. Kareena's eyes light up - it's Saif. They have not met for some time, and she has a brief, affectionate conversation with him. This is the perfect cue for me to broach the subject of her personal life and Kareena is more than game to talk about it.
While their love story does seem like something out of a fairy tale, it has not been easy - and both are honest about this. For one, Saif was a divorced father of two when they met; from his former marriage to actor Amrita Singh, he has a daughter, Sara and son, Ibrahim. Kareena is clear that while she truly is very fond of the children, who treat her home like theirs, she is not a mother to them. It's not something they or Saif would want from me,' she reasons. They have a wonderful mother who is bringing them up. And Saif is a great father to them. I want his focus to be on his children, and when we have kids, they will all be siblings.' But she's quick to add that having children is not something she and Saif have discussed. I need to be mentally prepared. For me, having a baby is not a means to solidify a marriage.' Saif is very appreciative of Kareena's sensitivity towards his kids - Her proximity to Sara and Ibrahim happened organically and the fact that she took her time to get to know them has left a lasting impression on me. And, as for me, I have no qualms about confessing that I am very difficult to live with. She makes it look easy and manages so well that I myself am really amazed. She knows how to get me to do the right thing without nagging, or complaining. So when she does complain, I think very carefully about it because I know something must be really off for her to talk about it.'
More than her successes and high-octane oomph and beauty, I am moved by the love and loyalty Kareena gets from her family and friends, for her honesty, authenticity and reciprocal reserves of commitment and affection. Karisma cannot praise her beloved sister enough - Once, anxious about a problem I was facing I called her. After talking to me for about ten minutes, she said, "You know, I'm on a harness, like twenty feet in the air, can I call you back?" That's the kind of person she is.' Her friends tell me she is great fun to spend time with, and has her share of quirks. Gossip is her weakness, which is a Kapoor family trait, and once she becomes a friend, she always stays one. Her affections are not fickle, but if you don't hold her interest, she will not pretend to care about you. An intensely private person, she stays off all forms of social networking, considering them nothing more than an added responsibility.' Every once in a while she takes a quick trip to her favourite city, Paris, to get away from her busy life. That's where the mystique of Kareena lies - she is an old soul living a modern life. While it might be easy to think of her only as a star, she is truly a woman of today who lives by her rules, is brave in her choices and embraces life, work, love, family and friendships with enthusiasm. We need girls and women to be independent in India today,'she tells me in one of our conversations. [ Women] need to have strength, confidence and the passion to achieve what they want to. There are so many restrictions on us in our society and country that we have to fight back, to become who we want to become. At the same time, it is important to respect tradition. In my own life, I have never done anything against the wishes of my family but I have also been brave enough to stand by my own decisions.' So it truly is that the finest role she plays every day is that of Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Jain, Gunjan (2016-07-21). She Walks, She Leads: Women Who Inspire India (Kindle Locations 5508-5518). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.
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