Tamil actor-racer Ajith Kumar was in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday to take part in a 24-hour endurance race via Ajith Kumar Racing. In an interview with India Today on the sidelines of the race, he admitted that he has sacrificed family time to pursue a career in motosports, crediting his wife, Shalini, for holding the fort. Here’s what he said.

Ajith Kumar on sacrificing family time for sports

Ajith admitted in the interview that while he has been pursuing racing, his wife has supported him by taking care of everything. He said, “There are so many things that Shalini is handling. If not for her support, I wouldn’t be able to do all this. Looking after the home, the children, when I am away, it is not just a sacrifice on my side. The children hardly get to see me, and I miss them as much as they miss me. These are the things that are never seen or understood. But when you love something so dearly, you have to make your sacrifices.”

Ajith mentioned that when he and Shalini married in 2002, he briefly got back to racing, and she was there with him at every event. She only took a step back to look after their kids, Anoushka Kumar and Aadvik Kumar, once they were born. Talking about not wanting to force his children to follow in his footsteps, the actor-racer said, “My son loves it too – he’s started go-karting, but not on a serious level yet. I’ll give him time to decide if he really wants to pursue it. Be it films or racing, I would not want to force my views on them. I want them to come on their own and support them in every way possible.”

About Ajith and Shalini

Ajith and Shalini met on the sets of Amarkalam in 1999 and dated before getting married in 2000. Shalini, who was a child actor before playing lead roles, stepped away from films to dedicate herself to bringing up the kids. Ajith was last seen in Vidaamuyarchi and Good Bad Ugly this year. He has yet to announce his upcoming films.