Vivek Agnihotri Reveals Reason Behind Using The Name Taimur In The Bengal Files: Nobody Should Name Their Child Taimur

Like his previous films, Vivek Agnihotri's The Bengal Films has also stirred controversy ahead of its release. Recently, the trailer was released, which added fuel to the row. At the beginning of The Bengal Files trailer, a kid named Taimur is introduced. Many speculated that the filmmaker took a jibe at Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan for naming their older son Taimur. 

Vivek has now revealed why he has named the kid Taimur, denying its reference to Saif and Kareena's son.

Vivek Agnihotri on why he named a kid Taimur in The Bengal Files

Vivek recently appeared on The Raunac Podcast, where he was asked if naming the kid Taimur was a reference to Saif and Kareena's son. To which he said, "A lot of people are named Taimur. (Saif) wasn’t the first person to name his child Taimur." Explaining further, Agnihotri said, "When I went to shoot The Tashkent Files in Samarkand, I visited Taimur’s tomb. Outside it, it is written, ‘He conquered the richest sultanate in the world.’ This was the Delhi Sultanate. They were about to give him the title of Emperor, but he refused, and said that he wouldn’t accept it until he conquers Delhi."

The Kashmir Files director further said, "He massacred one lakh people in one night. He went on a killing spree from Delhi to Kashmir. He raped and pillaged along the way. Yes, he is a hero in his country; he is a great man. But he isn’t to us." Vivek also said that nobody should name their child Taimur. "It shouldn’t even be a question," he added.

Kareena and Saif on why they named their son Taimur

In 2016, when Saif and Kareena announced the name of their first newborn son, there was a huge controversy. The same year, Saif, in an interview with Delhi Times, admitted that he had thought about changing his son's name and for a couple of weeks, he and Kareena were a little against it. "She said, ‘People respect you for your opinion and you can’t’… So I said, yeah, but it’s not about people. I don’t want him to get unpopular. And I still might, maybe when he’s one or two, I might change his name in a while, it’s still sinking in, what to do,” said Saif.

Kareena, while speaking at the Indian Express’ Express Adda event, had said, "I think we have freedom of speech, freedom of what we want to do, at least both Saif and me believe that very strongly."

She added, "When we came up with the name… Saif actually said… He grew up with a neighbour friend, and he always really liked his name and his name was Taimur, so he said, ‘You know, if I have a son, he was my first friend. I’d like to name him Taimur’, and that’s exactly how Taimur was named, because he was Saif’s first friend when he was living in town here."

Coming back to The Bengal Files, the film revolves around the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings and the Noakhali riots. It will hit the screens on September 5.