Ever wondered what Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, who doesn’t have a social media account, does in his downtime? Turns out, he’s not just chilling; he’s stealthily surfing social media! In a candid confession on World Social Media Day, the actor tells us, “I do have the Instagram app, and a secret account, too. I browse sometimes, but don’t enjoy it much. And every time I browse it for a little while, I keep promising to delete it and I end up not deleting it.”
Saif Ali Khan reveals that his decision to stay away from social media was “an instinctive reaction” to keep away from “the idea of presenting a certain image online or to share stuff” because it is not something that comes naturally to him. He says he loves the fact that no one approaches him to post things online because they know he is not on social media.
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“I don’t want to get stuck in a position where I have to post other people’s things. I really enjoy the fact that nobody is really interested in asking me to promote something because they know that I’m not on social media. So, I get a lot of peace and quiet,” says Khan, husband of actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is quite a sensation on social media with her holiday pictures and outings with the girl squad.
Khan’s love-hate relationship with social media
Saif might have a secret social media account, but don’t expect him to become a digital aficionado anytime soon. He admits, “It [Instagram] can be distracting and absorbing, and addictive as well.”
Khan acknowledges and respects the potential of social media for those who enjoy posting and engaging, recognising it as a powerful platform for communication. He notes that social media is yet another platform “for people to perform on and to reach other people”.
The 53-year-old elaborates, “I’m sure you can do really well out of it if you’re interested. I don’t think I would be such an interesting person for me to post things. But some people are, and they have so many followers. I think it’s great in that way. I think it’s an amazing medium. It’s quite fun and entertaining. There are hundreds of interesting things out there to consume and sometimes if you want something quick and fun to look at, it’s good that it’s there. So, if you enjoy being on it and if you enjoy following people on it; we should all just do what we enjoy doing.”
Yet, he finds some aspects downright annoying. “Every time I do check Instagram, I see an actor at the airport either showing some concern about a paparazzi guy who falls over and then the people comment saying ‘what a nice person they are’ or ‘the star is not conscious enough of a fan showing some interest who is trying to grab him and take a selfie’ and people write ‘what a not very nice person’. And this cycle goes on and on, and everyone’s very concerned with what the paparazzi think and what everybody thinks because everyone wants to be super nice, that’s hugely irritating,” says Khan, whose sons, Taimur and Jeh, are hugely popular on social media and enjoy massive traction for their pictures and reels posted on pap accounts.
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Future musings
While the actor values his peace and quiet, and stresses on experiencing the moment, not just capturing them digitally, he doesn’t rule out stepping into the social media spotlight in the future.
“Never say never. I might join social media. Who knows!” he muses adding, “I love taking pictures, I like recording things sometimes. So, if it’s a question of sharing it, I could well see myself doing that quite well.”
However, he humbly also acknowledges that he likes living in his “peace and rhythm”, and he doesn’t see it changing anytime soon. “Sometimes, I just sit back and think, my family, friends and the lifestyle I have, it’s way more than I could have ever dreamt of. I don’t see myself wanting more.” he wraps up.
