Ibrahim Ali Khan on Taimur and Jeh growing up in paparazzi culture and the social media age: ‘I don’t think this generation can have a normal childhood’

The world of Bollywood has always been full of glamour, fame, and flashing cameras. But in recent years, one trend that has taken over is the constant photographing, or ‘papping,’ of star kids. Many say it all started with Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan’s elder son, Taimur Ali Khan. From the moment he was born, Taimur became the paparazzi’s favorite, with fans eagerly waiting for his adorable photos. Now, Saif’s eldest son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, has spoken up about how this paparazzi culture is affecting his younger brothers, Taimur and Jeh.Back in the day, Taimur’s pictures would go viral on social media, and soon, every outing became a photo-op. From going to playschool to heading to birthday parties, cameras followed him everywhere. This opened the doors for other star kids to face the same treatment. But today, many Bollywood stars are pushing back. Parents like Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor for their daughter Raha, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh for Dua, and Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli for their children Vamika and Akaay are now more protective. Some have even strictly told the paparazzi not to click their kids.Ibrahim opens up about his brothers’ experienceWhile the younger children of Bollywood are already living under the public eye, Ibrahim Ali Khan is watching it all closely as the older sibling. Speaking to GQ, Ibrahim didn’t hold back from sharing how this pap culture and social media could affect Taimur and Jeh.“ When we’re all just hanging out at home, Taimur will be like, ‘I want to play on the iPad.’ He just gets it for an hour a day, but that’s how it works these days.” This simple moment shows how today’s kids are growing up very differently. Screen time, gadgets, and social media are now part of daily life.“Jeh’s so small… but he’s constantly papped” Ibrahim also pointed out, “With social media and getting papped all the time, I feel bad. Jeh’s so small; he’s four years old, but he walks out and he’s constantly papped. He’s a good kid, so he’ll say hi to the photographers. But why do it to the kids? I don’t think this generation can have a normal childhood like we did.”