It takes sheer grit and severe dedication to walk through the thoroughfare instead of resigning to fate when life, sort of, fails to comply. In case you are enduring the wrath of a period as such, might as well consider hearing Saif Ali Khan out. Unarguably, Saif is the best person to offer an advice or two considering his fluctuating graph in the film industry.
In a career spanning over two decades, Saif has witnessed success and subsequent "failure" as well but that hasn't deterred his spirit. The lull over a particular period in his professional life has appeared time and again but Saif ensured a solid resurrection every single time- after hitting the rock bottom.
Saif turned 48 on August 16 and days ahead of his birthday, admitted during an interview with an eminent journalist, that his career has been "interesting and inconsistent". Why? Because: "Luck is a very big, big thing," Saif asserted.
Speaking of luck though, a cursory glance at Saif's resume expounds that he has been 'lucky' enough for life has provided him with several second chances. The 90's seemed to pass through in a trance for Saif because he had "no idea what he was doing" but redemption arrived soon in the form of Farhan Akhtar as he was offered Dil Chahta Hai in 2001 along with Aamir Khan. But if you are of the opinion that he signed it immediately, please note that Saif told Farhan that he would agree to do the film only if Aamir did.
"I told Farhan that if Aamir signs this, I am on. So Farhan still holds that against me. He said, 'How could you say that. If you like the role, and if you trust me, you should have just said yes.' So, I said well you know, I really respect his mind. And he has just done Lagaan, if this kind of thing is okay with him, it’s okay with me," Saif told the journalist.
Well, that's that then and Dil Chahta Hai just happened.
Two years later, Saif starred in Kal Ho Naa Ho with Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta - a valuable project from his filmography that escalated him to Aditya Chopra's extremely good books since Hum Tum was his subsequent milestone.
"I started getting good reviews after Kal Ho Naa Ho. Aditya Chopra asked Karan Johar about my role in Kal Ho Naa Ho and he said that it’s great. He is doing really well. So Adi said that I want to try and reinvent a multiplex hero and I want something new and this was that – Hum Tum – it’s a really interesting film for its time," Saif added.
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With the onset of Hum Tum, Saif confessed that he was getting "slightly comfortable" with starring as the "leading man" but while stepping into his forties, he decided to do "age-appropriate" roles. Hence, Agent Vinod in 2012. The idea, however, didn't work out and with that, another experiment went wrong.
“I don’t know how many attempts at manipulating one’s fate actually works. Timing is critical in stardom and movies and success," Saif said.
His second 'second chance', nevertheless, arrived immediately with Cocktail months after Agent Vinod. Aside: you'll be surprised to know how. "Cocktail, we were producing and it had great music but we didn’t have a hero. Nobody wanted to do it so I said, I’ll do it. Let’s just make it and it worked out well. This wouldn’t have happened actually if I hadn’t said, 'Let’s shoot it.' Because they weren’t finding a male lead," Saif said.
Post Cocktail, Saif continued with films such as Race 2, Happy Ending, Phantom and also took a sabbatical (of sorts) for two years. This period wasn't significant as such - cut to 2017 - it became worse because Rangoon, Chef and Kaalakaandi tanked consecutively. Well, "You have to be the right guy at the right time. It’s about being the right person at the right place," Saif believes.
Maybe Sacred Games, thus, is the underlying truth behind the aforementioned statement. Sacred Games, a web-series directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, can be safely termed as Saif's third 'second chance'. His role of police officer Sartaj Singh impressed critics as well as fans.
Evidently, Saif is filled with contentment and gratitude at the moment. He doesn't want to be a star in that sense because "I find it very tiring", he said.
Asked about the concurrent desire, in that case, Saif said, “I really want to be in a place where I can say to a director that what do you want from this guy and I like my life – it’s roughly in control as much as whatever. I love having a creative job."
Saif, son of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, also starred in the films Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Kachche Dhaage, Parineeta, Being Cyrus and Omkara.
