Ibrahim Ali Khan, who recently made his debut in Nadaaniyan, is the son of actors Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh but he was quite young when his parents separated and he grew up largely with his mother, who was a popular actor in the 1980s and 1990s. Ibrahim’s father is now married to actor Kareena Kapoor and they are parents to sons Taimur and Jeh. In a recent interview, Ibrahim said that he feels bad for his young brothers as they are constantly surrounded by limelight. Until a few months ago, before Saif was attacked in his own home by an intruder, the young kids were photographed by paparazzi every time they stepped out of their house. Ibrahim said that the kids, apart from being famous from a young age, are surrounded by screens, and he believes that isn’t the “normal” kind of childhood that he got to experience.
Talking to Filmfare, Ibrahim said, “So, I see Jehangir and Taimur. And a part of me does feel bad for them. Taimur, who’s just turning eight years old, is trying to leave the house and he’s getting clicked by the media. And Jeh, who’s just four-five years old, he’s also getting clicked.” He said that the paparazzi “doesn’t even let these kids breathe” and added that he started getting photographed only after he turned 18. “I am so grateful that I got to have a normal childhood,” he said.
Ibrahim Ali Khan said that even when the kids are home, they don’t get a chance to play outside and are constantly surrounded by screens. “And when they’re at home, they’re playing on their iPhones and iPads at the age of eight and four. These things weren’t there when we were growing up. Nowadays, it is normalised that all these eight year olds are playing games on the iPad. But that’s not how it used to be. We used to go out and play,” he said and added that he belongs to the “last generation who had a normal childhood.”
Ibrahim shared his take on a “normal childhood” and described it as one with “not having these screens, not knowing what the world is thinking, what the world has to say.” He added, “As a child, I believe you should be raised in a safe and comfortable environment. Children are meant to feel that they are in a safe environment. They are meant to feel like the world is small. But I feel because of all this easy access, paparazzi, culture, screens, iPad, YouTube and all of that, these kids already know how huge our world is. I am just grateful that I wasn’t in the limelight or I wasn’t already known when I was four or five.”
Ibrahim Ali Khan will next be seen in Sarzameen.
