Saif Ali Khan on response to Vikram Vedha, working with Hrithik Roshan and more

Saif Ali Khan’s career has been impressively chequered. He has played the second lead, antagonist and protagonist, all with equal fluency. Now in his latest avatar as an encounter cop in Vikram Vedha Saif holds his own against the overpowering presence of Hrithik Roshan. In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Saif talks about his concerns as an open-minded actor.

Vikram Vedha comes at a time when the entertainment industry is at its lowest ebb. Were you confident about the film and why?

It really is concerning and worrying that films are not doing well. It is a business and it gets affected. Terms start to get dictated by different platforms. It is very important for films to be successful at the box office for the film industry to run in a healthy creative way. Obviously, for that, we need to make movies that the audience love. Sometimes it is disheartening to read reviews that say we’ve forgotten to make films. We now have outsiders coming to Bollywood to show us how to make good films.

How are you coping with this creative crisis in Bollywood?

I keep waiting to see when the next great script would come along. I was confident about Vikram Vedha , because at its core it was a wonderful story. It’s as simple as that. That’s what we do. We tell stories. Vikram Vedha tells a good story. We dress up the story with good-looking actors, heroic shots, etc. I am happy with what critics have written about Vikram Vedha.

Not too many A-listers are doing two-hero projects these days. What made you say yes to this film with Hrithik Roshan?

Again, it’s the role and the script. It was a title role and all that. I have done a lot of two-hero films in the past, though not lately. But this was worth it. I did it irrespective of who had the other hero’s part.

What was your equation like with Hrithik?

It was great working with Hrithik . We shared a good equation. Being such a movie star he conducts himself so well. It was good to observe him and absorb some of his behaviour. But the real reason I did it is because I saw the original. It’s rare to get such a balanced script where both the heroes have equal roles, so there was no question of feeling anxiety about what would happen to my role.

Some of your recent choices like Bhoot Police and Bunty Babli 2 proved to be mistakes. Do you regret some of your choices in the recent and not-so-recent past?

You make your choices, and you live with them. I certainly don’t think Bhoot Police was a mistake, actually. I loved the script and I liked my role. It was sold at a very decent price to Disney+ Hotstar. It continues to be one of the most watched films on that platform, and they are very keen to do a sequel. So I don’t know why you’d call it a mistake. It think it’s a successful venture.

And Bunty Aur Babli?

There are various reasons why you do a film. Honestly speaking, my primary reason for doing it was to work with Aditya Chopra once again. Aditya and I have had some…misunderstandings in the past. This was our way of working together and patching up. I bowed to his understanding of the market and what a family film should be. It misfired slightly. Again, not a mistake. It’s how things are. So I’ve no regrets about doing these films. It’s a learning process. One can’t get it a hundred per cent right each time. Some work, some don’t. That’s life. That’s what makes life interesting.

Tell me about your forthcoming projects.

You know, for a change I don’t really know. I’ve to decide. There is a lovely idea for a web show about black money. There are a couple of movies. There is a sequel to Bhoot Police that I’d love to do. All this is there to mull over. But rather than get on the projects right away, I want to take my time to decide where I want to go.

Why do you want to think over the offers?

With Vikram Vedha getting appreciation and the enjoyment I derived from working with such an intelligent team and charismatic co-stars, I think the audience understands when actors enjoy themselves. I’ve to be a little careful about what I want to do next. I am still thinking.

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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