Age is just a number, want to keep working all my life: Kareena Kapoor Khan

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Kareena Kapoor Khan on Wednesday said she wants to always be fit to take on whatever comes with old age so that she's able to work and enjoy family life as long as possible.

The 44-year-old actor was speaking at the launch of her nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar's book The Commonsense Diet.

Kareena, who shares sons Taimur and Jeh with actor-husband Saif Ali Khan, said she wants to be able to go about her daily life without being dependent on "someone or a stick".

"Age is just a number. I want to always be fit to take on whatever old age brings. I want to be able to do what I have to do, whether I have to go to set also at the age of 70, 75. I want to keep working all my life. I want to be able to bend to pick up my grandchildren. So for that, I need to eat right with her (Diwekar's) guidance," she said at the event.

Eating healthy, exercising and yoga are all about the way one feels, not the way they look.

"That's what for me, ageing and life is. I love it, I'm embracing it, but I'm taking all these particular things (into account) like eating ghee, eating khichdi, doing a little bit of weight training for muscle strength, walking a little, my Surya Namaskars, doing my little work on my own rather than skin treatments and Botox," she added.

Kareena has been synonymous with her character, the self-obsessed and vivacious Geet from Jab We Met who said "Main apni favourite hoon" in the 2007 film. The actor said she lives by the same rule.

"That's the only way every woman should live her life because self belief is everything. No matter how you think or feel, you have to constantly reassure yourself every day, and then others start believing it." The actor said she had put on around 25 kg after the birth of her second son Jeh in 2021 and, for a split second she had a moment of doubt about her appearance.

"After Jeh's birth, there was a moment of like, 'Oh, my God. I have to go back and do this all over again'. But it was just like for a flash of a second. Then, it was just like, 'No, it's fine. I'm still looking fab'," she recalled.

The actor, also known for films such as Chameli, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Talaash, Crew, and The Buckingham Murders, said her relationship with food is easy and simple.

"In my early years when I was chubby, my relationship with food was amazing. It's not like I ever tried to starve myself. I'm very comfortable in my own skin. In my teenage years also, I think I was (comfortable)... I was always really happy to pick up a packet of chips. But I was a confident girl.

"In the last 10-15 years, I just go back to the same food. I'm always very happy with it. Because whether it's good for me or bad for me, I just love the fact that it comforts me, it makes me feel happy. I feel amazing. And that's the most important thing for me," said Kareena.

She would be happy to eat khichdi five days a week.

"It's my comfort food. If I don't eat khichdi for three days, I actually start craving it." The Kapoor film family is known for their love of food and the actor said the celebration for them begins around the dining table.

"Like, we're sitting together, we're eating and chatting. The conversation gets better with food. It's all interrelated. So that's why it's a happy relationship with people and the way is through good food." The Kapoor clan is obsessed with paaya soup, she said, calling it a "golden dish for us".

At home, there's nothing like a home-cooked meal after a hard day's work, added Kareena.

"Saif and I have started cooking ourselves. We enjoy it, so we also made it a way of life. Somehow it's just affecting our personality. Saif is a better cook. I can't even boil an egg."