Kareena Kapoor supports hubby Saif's stance on 'Love Jihad'

New Delhi: Not long ago, Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan took a strong stand against the concept of "love jihad" - an alleged Muslim initiative tempting Hindu girls into marriage and religious conversion in India - when he condemned the theory and said intermarriage is not 'love jihad' but an aspect of Indian culture.

Now, his wife, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has come out in support of his stand, saying she only believes in the feeling of love, and dismissing the concept of love jihad.

"Now if somebody is Hindu and he or she starts loving a Muslim person, you can't stop them. You cannot ask somebody, 'Are you a Muslim or are you a Hindu?' and then fall in love," the 34-year-old was quoted as saying to a news agency.

"Love is a feeling, it's an emotion. That's why I don't believe in Love Jihad. I believe in the feeling of love," she added.

Saif and Kareena had a civil wedding ceremony when they got married in 2012, and faced backlash over their relationship, with reports connecting their relationship to love jihad, according to Saif. Being a product of and in an intermarriage himself, Saif believes that intermarriage is the way for Indians of the future to take the nation forward in the right direction, and prosper and grow.

In his open letter, Saif has said that he "believes in love". Kareena shares her husband's views and feels that the idea of love knows no bounds, religion or caste. She does not relate to the concept of "love jihad" and says that she never believed in such theories.

Ironically, Kareena's next film Bajrangi Bhaijan, in which she stars opposite Salman Khan, addresses the very issue of interfaith love. The story is about a Brahmin girl and a Muslim boy, and society's antagonistic view of their relationship.

Bajrangi Bhaijan, which has already begun shooting, is set to be released in time for Eid in 2015.