Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s love story has long been a subject of fascination for the tabloids . The two first crossed paths when Saif was shooting for what was meant to be his debut film, Rahul Rawail’s romantic drama Bekhudi. However, things didn’t work out between Saif and Rawail, and he was eventually replaced. What proved to be a far more significant turning point, however, was that he met Amrita on the set, a well-established actress at the time. The two soon fell in love and tied the knot in 1991, even before Saif made his film debut.
Their marriage, like many high-profile relationships, had its share of ups and downs and eventually ended in a much-discussed separation. Now, Saif has opened how deeply influential Amrita was in his life, during a conversation with Kajol and Twinkle Khanna on their new talk show Too Much with Kajol & Twinkle. He recalled, “I’ve spoken about it a lot, and obviously, 21 is a young age, and things change. We know that things didn’t work out, but apart from having two wonderful, wonderful children, I don’t think I’ve said before how important Amrita was in my life, to help me understand my way through the film industry, as well as understand quite a few things. Her contribution and help at that time were quite invaluable. It’s a pity things didn’t work out.”
Listening to him, Kajol jokingly remarked, “But she brought you up well.” To this, Saif replied, “There were some really important and learning years, and like I said, she’s a wonderful mom. But I’m very lucky; I think my ex-wife and I get along well enough. We usually speak about important things, and usually when I’m in a hospital bed.” He added with a laugh, “Which is actually quite often. So yeah, it’s a regular kind of contact.”
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Recently, designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla revisited memories of the couple’s impromptu wedding , where they served as witnesses. The designers revealed that the ceremony had been kept secret from both Saif and Amrita’s parents, leading to some immediate fallout. Speaking with Namrata Zakaria on her YouTube channel, they recalled how both a maulvi and a Sikh priest were present, and how Amrita was given a new name during the ceremony.
“There was also a sardarji pandit sitting there. She got ready in whatever fit her, because there was no time… Fortunately, from her mother, she got some fantastic jewellery. Saif wore a bandhgala. Then, the maulvi said, ‘What is your name? Your name has to start with A.’ All four of us started looking at each other, and the pandit says, ‘Aziza’. That was a runaway bride, it was insane. Driving back, her mother called her… Eventually, they took it in their stride.”
Today, Saif is married to actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, with whom he has two sons, Taimur and Jehangir. From his marriage with Amrita, he has a daughter, Sara Ali Khan, and a son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, both of whom are carving their own paths in Bollywood as actors. On the professional front, Saif is currently shooting for Haiwaan with Priyadarshan and has completed filming for his upcoming project with director Rahul Dholakia. He is also expected to begin work on Race 4 early next year.
