Now that Saif is almost 40 (he’ll be 39 next month) Saif’s mother Sharmila Tagore, never known to interfere in her children’s lives, has expressed concern about Saif’s marriage. For the first time she has come out in the open expressing the wish to see Saif and Kareena married.

So far Sharmila has never commented on her son’s relationship, though it is no secret that Kareena is a favourite in the Khan household.

Says a source, “Both Sharmila and Mansoor Pataudi have taken to Kareena in a big way. They’ve never seen their son happier in any other relationship. And they know Kareena is the r i g h t girl for their son. They also know that Kareena gets along famously with Saif’s children. Now when Saif is on the threshold of 40, Sharmila has for the first time made a statement on her son’s private life.” The marriage matter has now reached a stage where the ball is entirely in Kareena’s court. Saif’s and Kareena’s mothers have met and expressed a mutual joy in the union. Kareena’s and Saif’s respective dads are all for the marriage too, though unlike the mothers, the two fathers have left the decision to the two people concerned. But Kareena is not ready yet. “I’ve to consolidate my career right now,” she says. “And I know I can perfectly balance out my marriage with my career. I’ve Saif’s mom’s example in front of me. She did all her best films after marriage. More recently Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too has stuck a perfect balance between home and studio.”

For Kareena it’s not that simple. “I know once I get married I’d like to devote myself completely to that. When it comes to my emotions I’m not a multi-tasker. So at the moment, specially after Kambakkht Ishq, I need to work. These are the best years of my working life. And Saif is with me, neither of us are running away from a full commitment to one another. So no marriage for another three years.” Apparently after Sharmila Tagore’s uncharacteristic comments on her son’s marriage, Kareena was put in a quandary as neither Saif nor she could ever say no her. However Kareena has convinced Saif once again that marriage must wait.

Says Saif, “Amma loves Kareena and of course wants us to be together always. But we both need and want to focus on our work and we’ll think of taking our relationship to the next level when the time is right. Right now, things are beautiful the way they are.”