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Riding on the success of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kabir Khan is all set to release his next film Phantom. Now the one person who is really counting on this film is Saif Ali Khan. The Quint got chatting with Saif as he opened up about all the wrong choices he has made, his kids, Phantom and working with Shahid, of course.
Q: You have been successful with romantic films but not so much with action films. Do you think Phantom would be a game changer?
Saif: I just think the kind of romantic films I have done so far, are mostly roles of young and confused boys. It’s not right to play those roles all the time. You need to aim for something a little more mature, something that suits you. And after Ek Tha Tiger, Kabir wanted to do more films like that, one’s he’s good at making, so he made Phantom. He thinks I suit the part, I think I suit the part, but now its all on the audience to decide.
Q: So do you hope to bounce back into the spotlight with Kabir Khan’s Phantom?
Saif: I think when you are publicising the film, you think about the plus points and it is a wonderful plus to the film that Bajrangi Bhaijaan has done so well, and that the same director is making this film. It would have been a bigger plus if my last film had also been a hit. So yes, every bit of publicity helps but Phantom is strong on its own merit as well.
Q: Last year was not a great for you. So what are you looking forward to this year?
Saif: Last year what happened was, people told me it’s a bit boring to be stuck in a zone. So I think what happened with films like Bullet Raja, Humshakals, Happy Ending, it was kind of an attempt on my part to find some other kind of space. Raj and D.K. are slightly new kind of directors so I thought they would present a slightly new kind of romantic comedy. I was hoping Sajid would make a film like Housefull, Tigmanshu would make a film like Paan Singh Tomar. When people say try something new and be brave, it can go wrong also. And I guess it did go wrong. Maybe understanding what my strengths are, and not being afraid of doing more niche films, as long as the money is ok, is what I should focus on.
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Q: Your son Ibrahim has been trending on social media, what do you think of that?
Saif: He and I chatted over dinner recently, and I hope he understands, that being on social media is a double-edged sword. People are interested in him today also because of his family, who his parents are, as well as him I am sure, but it’s something he should be careful about. And if he’s interested in acting he should do it properly at the right time. He understood that he needs to be a little more reserved and seen less, unless he has something in particular to say, because most people are famous for some reason and that reason goes beyond everything. Unless you are Kim Kardashian, that’s a different kind of famous!
Q: What about your daughter Sara? Has she shown any interest in acting?
Saif: She is older, so therefore more mature. She has always been wiser and quite beyond her years. Sara has such a good education and good qualifications, but she would rather act than work in a bank! She has it in her blood obviously and she wants to do it. I support her, but sometimes I think it would be nice to have a stable job with normal timings. You can’t have everything, but I wish that for her, more security. It’s frightening for me to think in terms of age being a limiting factor. Sometimes, like lawyers and doctors I know, are coming into their prime, when some of us are getting older. So it’s good to have a degree for sure.
Q. Shahid and
you both were on the sets of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and you’re going to work with him in Rangoon. Are you
looking forward to it?
Saif: I am looking forward to it. He seems like a very nice guy and this is not the first time we’ve met. I look forward to working with him.
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