Another Khan of Bollywood, Saif Ali Khan is riding high on success. With biggies in hand, Saifu has come a long way in the industry. Speaking about his choice of films he says, “I want to do subjects which are made for ‘men’. Heroism in Bollywood has almost disappeared. It would be a great change if movies made by men for men made a comeback.”
Having said that, Saif seems to be in awe of the Hindi film industry. “Our film industry is one place where nothing is based on one’s cast or creed.... No one is big or small and any actor can make it to the top,” says the actor.
Filmmakers of the present generation have turned to the West for tips and tricks. Saif agrees to the fact that his own films are also based on the western concept of filmmaking. “Yes! My films like Love Aaj Kal, Agent Vinod and some others are literally based on the westernised pattern. So, I sincerely like the ideas of Prakash Jha who always prefers to make Indianised films. We need to have more and more such issue-based films here in India,” says the actor-turned-producer.
Saif is set to play an Indianised character in Jha’s Aarakshan. Speaking about the movie he says, “India is a difficult country. Before doing Aarakshan I was of the opinion that reservations need not be given any importance. I looked at one’s merit and intelligence as evaluating factors. But after working in the film I feel our country is divided in two sections and both need to be addressed appropriately. Extreme measures can only be understood well by the janta.”
Based on the delicate issue of quota system, the film showcases politics as one of the key elements. But Saif prefers to maintain a safe distance when it comes to real-life politics. “I am not a politician by nature. I am very happy and comfortable being in tinseltown. I used to read some political news but now I have no interest,” says the actor.
In Aarakshan, Saif plays the character of a lower caste teacher. And it doesn’t come as a surprise that this Nawab found it a tough task to portray the character on screen. “It is difficult to enact real and normal characters like the one I play in Aarakshan. But then dramatic and larger than life characters, like that of Langda Tyagi (Omkara) are easy to perform. On the sets I like to maintain my cool and get into the character till the shot is over,” says the actor.
Deepika Padukone stars opposite Saifu in this film. This will be their second film together and it seems there is more in the pipeline. Happy to work with Deepika once again, Saif says, “There is no chemistry as such which we share on the sets. We as actors just need to perform our parts in an exuberant manner. After Aarakshan I will be working with Deepika in a romantic film. It is tentatively titled Cocktails and is a deep-rooted love story. The details shall be disclosed later.”
Despite being happy to work with Deepika again, he refuses to choose among Deepika and Kareena, who is his co-star in Agent Vinod. “I do not like to combine my personal and professional lives,” he says.
Coming back to Aarakshan, Jha prefers the use of shuddh Hindi and we wonder how Saifu coped with the demand. “My Hindi is very good. People have formed this wrong notion that I may not be fluent in Hindi. But the fact is that my Hindi is good,” clarifies Saif.
On a lighter note, Saif says that the movie increased his Hindi vocabulary with help from Prakash Jha. “I only remember Prakash repeatedly saying ‘Eh gadhe, idhar nahi wahan par ja!’ And so gadhe (donkey) is the word that enriches my Hindi vocabulary now,” laughs the actor.