When Sara Ali Khan opened up about her parents’ Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh's religions: ‘I asked mum who I am…’

ON Amrita Singh’s 68th natal day, girl Sara muhammad ali Khan showered enjoy on her fuss through a heartfelt social media post. The post also reminded many of Amrita’s remarkable personal journey, one that included her unconventional marriage to Saif Ali Khan and the religious challenges that came with it. A love story ahead of its timeEven after years of parting ways, Amrita and Saif’s love story remains one of Bollywood’s most talked-about relationships. Their 12-year age gap raised eyebrows, with Amrita being older, but it was their different religious backgrounds that drew even more attention.Amrita was born to a Muslim socialite mother, Rukhsana Sultana, and a Sikh army officer father, Shivinder Singh Virk. Saif, meanwhile, came from the royal Pataudi family — his mother, veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, had converted to Islam after marrying cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.Saif met Amrita during a film project, and sparks flew instantly. He once recalled on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, “By the end of the evening, we kissed each other. I never left her house after that dinner. I used to sleep in another room.” His mother, Sharmila, however, advised him against rushing into marriage. “My mother knew about our relationship, but she always told me, ‘I hope you’re happy in your relationship, but don’t get married.’”Despite that, the couple tied the knot after a few months of dating.Parenting, faith, and separationIn an old interaction quoted by the Indian Express, Saif also shared that he would babysit their children, Sara and Ibrahim, while Amrita visited Gurudwaras. “So when Dingy (Amrita) used to go for her regular prayer visits to the Gurudwara (temple of the Sikh community), I used to babysit and even later on found time to look after them on all such occasions,” he added.However, after their separation in 2004, Saif admitted to feeling worried about whether his children would remain connected to their Islamic roots. He said, "But when we separated, I was more worried about Sara and Ibrahim, who were then in Dingy’s custody. But of course, I had trusted her enough and was very sure Dingy will never try to influence them in any which way and certainly not as far as our religion is concerned.”When asked if religion ever became an issue in his later marriage with Kareena Kapoor, Saif said, “It never made any difference then and it’s not at all going to make any difference now as far as my firm religious beliefs are concerned. Period!” Sara’s take on identityYears later, their daughter Sara Ali Khan opened up about her confusion growing up in a multi-faith household. At the Times Now Summit 2025, she said, “I was very young, in school… I used to always wonder, Amrita Singh, Saif Pataudi, Sara Sultana, Ibrahim Ali Khan — what is going on? Who are we? And I remember asking my mom, what am I? And she told me, you are Indian. And I will never forget that.”Today, Sara is often seen visiting temples and shrines like Kedarnath, embracing her mother’s spiritual side while honouring her family’s diverse roots.