At the India Today Conclave 2024, Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan candidly talked with writer Rahul Kanwal about why he avoids social media sites such as Instagram.
While acknowledging social media’s merits for brand creation and cause promotion, Khan indicated a preference for remaining offline. “And I genuinely appreciate life. Sometimes you’re eating dinner or doing something with the kids, and even if my wife says, ‘Okay, can we snap a photo,’ the kids, myself, and everyone else replies, ‘No, you either shoot something or experience it.'”
He continued on his thoughts, saying, “For me, I believe it’s a fantastic idea, and who knows, I could join it. There is no – I have no stance against it. It’s just that I believe it’s too time-consuming. And occasionally I find myself on Instagram, spending half an hour reading the little stuff, and my wife thinks I’m not following the appropriate people. But then I remove the app because I feel like I’ve wasted a lot of time when I might have been reading a book or doing something more substantial with my time.
“I remember discussing it when it came out,” he continued, alluding to the development of social media. “But I think you have to be satisfied with a certain amount. For example, I sit with my management and say, ‘Okay, this is how much money I’m making. Do I really need to turn this around and do anything more? How much do we push? How satisfied are you with your…? I believe that social media may be beneficial at times. I believe it’s a terrific thing, and my wife is the Instagram queen at home.”
He continued, “Maybe we could have gotten a little more here and there to be like everyone else, but I’d Khan continued by emphasizing his appreciation of life offline, saying, “I engage effectively with life. I have a very busy life, and I don’t view this as part of it. But I live with someone who does, and it’s fantastic. If I need to post anything, I’ll give her a shove and say, ‘Darling, will you please…’ and it’s quickly shared with millions. But that isn’t something I do very frequently.”