Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has commented on the backlash her family received over the names of her sons — Taimur and Jehangir.
“Honestly, these are names that we just liked; it’s nothing else,” she told The Guardian in a candid interview. “They are beautiful names and they’re beautiful boys.”
Kareena, 40, and her husband Saif Ali Khan, 51, had their first child together, Taimur, in 2016 and soon after his name was revealed people took offence to it and claimed the actor couple named him after a Turkish invader. The abuse got so severe that they reportedly considered changing Taimur’s name.
Kareena and Saif tried to keep the second son’s name to themselves for a while after he was born in February this year by referring to him as Jeh, but eventually it was revealed his name was Jehangir — which people took issue with as well.
“It’s unfathomable why somebody would troll children,” Kareena added. “I feel terrible about it, but I have to just focus and get through it. I can’t be looking at my life through the trolls.”
In her interview, Kareena frankly spoke about the gender pay gap in Bollywood, her struggles with pregnancy and the changing face of the industry.
“Just a few years ago, no one would talk about a man or woman actually getting equal pay in a movie. Now there are a lot of us being very vocal about it,” the ‘Jab We Met’ star said.
“I make it quite clear what I want and I think that respect should be given. It’s not about being demanding, it’s about being respectful towards women. And I think things are kind of changing.”
