Actor and avid racer Ajith Kumar, who recently participated at the prestigious 24-hour Creventic Series in Barcelona, opened up about his wife Shalini's support in taking care of their family while he was away juggling his acting and racing commitments.
In an interview with India Today, Ajith spoke candidly about their sacrifices that often get overlooked behind his pursuit of racing. "This is something I have taken up. Nothing comes easy. My daughter just started her undergraduation and my son is ten-and-half years old. He has started a new school. There are so many things that Shalini is handling. If not for her support, I wouldn’t be able to do all this," he shared, underlining her efforts in parenting and taking care of their home.
"It is not just 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," he added.
Responding to the viral video where Shalini touches Ajith's feet and the actor applying a bindi on her forehead, he laughed and said, "I would have to do the same after we reach home."
Ajith and Shalini got married in 2002 and her support for his passion began with her showing up at every racing event he went to. "Then, kids happened. Responsibilities come with that and she got busy. But she continues to follow motorsport. My son loves it too. He has started go-karting, but not on a serious level yet. I’ll give him time to decide if he really wants to pursue it," he revealed, stating that he wouldn't want to impose any views on them. "I want them to come on their own and support them in every way possible," he added.
The duo met on the sets of Amarkalam in 1999 where their love blossomed. Shalini acted in many Tamil films with leading actors before stepping away from the profession to raise their children.
Ajith was last seen in Adhik Ravichandran's Good Bad Ugly. The film also starred Trisha, Arjun Das, Sunil, Prabhu, Prasanna, Karthikeya Dev, Priya Prakash Varrier, Jackie Shroff, Shine Tom Chacko, Tinnu Anand, BS Avinash and Raghu Ram.
While reports indicate that he will once again reunite with Adhik Ravichandran for his next, his 2004 action film Attahasam is set for a re-release in theatres on on October 31.