Saif Ali Khan on social distancing, spending time with the classics, gardening with son and rustling up meals
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 4, 2020)

The lockdown in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic may have left many of his B-Town colleagues bored, restless and frazzled, but Saif Ali Khan is at peace. “It’s like a long voyage on a 19th century ship. You can see the land from afar, but you are separated from it by an expanse of water,” the actor muses, pointing out that in the 21st century, we at least have technology to help us communicate and stay connected. “But it’s important to know how to spend time at sea and adapt to the changes in lifestyle that comes from being shut in because even sailors suffer from cabin fever.”

Saif has come up with a timetable he is trying to stick to. “I wake up early and get some exercise in. Fortunately, we have a treadmill at home and I’m coaxing Kareena (Kapoor, actress-wife) to give me some yoga lessons. Chasing my kid (Taimur) around the house is also a good workout,” he chuckles.

This is followed by some gardening with his son in their little balcony garden. “I remember my grandmother pruning and grafting roses. Now, I’m the one explaining the concept of growing plants to Taimur, teaching him how to press the seeds into the mud in the pots and pour water, and then wait for the seedlings to peep out with surprised delight. Today, we planted tomatoes; it’s all very nice and peaceful. With both parents around all the time, my son is having a blast,” Saif drawls.

Since the actor wants these weeks of inactivity to be an educative phase, in the second half of the day, he catches up on his reading. Magazines and newspapers online, along with some plays of Shakespeare and classics like Crime and Punishment, War and Peace, Paradise Lost figure on the list. “These are books I always wanted to read but never got around to. Some of them, like Paradise Lost, John Milton’s epic poem in blank verse, had seemed intimidating earlier, but now I find it’s easy to read, simple and interesting,” he informs with surprising delight, adding that he is also taking some online guitar classes.

Evenings, between 6 pm-7 pm, are reserved for relaxation. Even though there’s no possibility of going out, Saif says that he makes an effort to shower and change his clothes before sitting down for dinner. “Then, a nice show or a new movie before trotting off to bed. Over the weekends, we use a phone app to get in touch with friends and family, chat virtually, sometimes over a glass of wine to take off the edge,” he shares.

He must be worried about mom Sharmila and sister Saba, who are in Delhi? “I do worry about my mother, but she is suddenly sounding extremely wise, saying she has had a full life and has no regrets. It’s scary, listening to such stuff,” he avers, adding his sister is a little upset with him. “She believes we knew about this happening well in advance and kept the news from her. I’m also not getting to see my other sister (Soha) these days, but we call each other often. When on a voyage, you do cut off from everything and everyone.”

It’s a quiet life, but Saif is okay with not being around people who are energetic, reveling in the simple pleasures, like playing football in the corridor with his son and watching the sunset, listening to ’70s music and rustling up delicious meals for his family. Yes, the best part of social distancing for Saif is that he’s getting to brush up on his culinary skills, which he had discovered during the prep and filming of Chef. “Both my parents liked being in the kitchen. My father (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi), being from Bhopal, liked his meat, particularly mutton, kebabs and chapati. My mother prefers rice and Bengali dishes, mostly fish. I would marvel at how she could sort out the bones while talking and how he would get the cook to make dishes exactly the way he liked them, with precise instructions. He was the Indian cricket captain, on the field and in the kitchen, too,” the actor reminisces.

For Saif, cooking is therapeutic and magical, too. “It’s like alchemy, you mix different things together and come up with something new,” he marvels, pointing out that his wife was impressed with his spaghetti and meatballs, made with two different kinds of meat.

It has encouraged him to think of rice and fish curry now. “Something light and simple to make, maybe a Mediterranean dish with olives, since I mostly experiment with Italian cuisine,” he murmurs, admitting that while his mother is peaceful in the kitchen, he’s a totalitarian chef who doesn’t like being told what to do.

When he is making dinner, he starts around 7 pm and is done by 8.30 pm. His mother was delighted with the roast chicken with garlic and rosemary he made when she was in town. “She was relieved, too. She thinks now that I know how to cook, I will be all right in life,” he laughs fondly, adding that though he is not working these days, he is not spending too much either. “No insane bills, just simple living and healthy eating.”