(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Nawab also talks about happy endings and why hes not a fan of the 90s.
Saif Ali Khan has juggled many avatars since he kicked off his Bollywood career in 1992 with Yash Chopra’s grandiose box office flop Parampara. But while his debut may not have been the stuff dreams are made of the debonair son of legendary actress Sharmila Tagore and late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi continued to navigate the fickle world of the Hindi film industry with limited success and one wondered if he would ever strike gold.
The millennium however brought good tidings. Farhan Akhtar’s fresh take on the lives and loves of India’s urban youth Dil Chahta Hai hailed as a landmark film of its genre happened and Saif was catapulted into the spotlight once more. The hapless Sameer Mulchandani an endearing Saif at his comic best was a hit with both critics and audiences.
Clearly the pre-Dil Chahta Hai era is one he would rather forget. In a recent conversation with City Times over the phone from Mumbai Saif self-deprecatingly proclaimed: “We’ve done it all. Nothing we do now will ever be worse than the 90s.”
It’s probably safe to assume though that given a choice he would pick a 90s film any day over the crass Humshakals his last release and in all likelihood his last one ever with Sajid Khan.
ALMOST-SPOOF
But he may soon have cause to rejoice. Illuminati Films’ Happy Ending coming up this weekend in the UAE sees him play a wisecracking commitment phobic whose life unravels in unimaginable ways and the trailer will doubtless have fans thinking “Yes now that’s the Saif we know and love”.
While the word ‘spoof’ has been bandied about quite a bit in quotes in the Indian media with regards to the film Saif denied Happy Ending was an out-and-out satire on romcoms.
“It’s a bit of a spoof on romantic comedies. But spoofs generally are slightly niche films this film’s very mainstream. Words like ‘spoof’ and ‘quirky’ are dangerous. This is a very normal kind of film but what’s funny is the directors’ (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK) sense of humour. There’s something different about the way they’re doing it.”
On teaming up with his Go Goa Gone directors again he said “I think we have a great connect. The dialogues they write are things that instinctively I don’t have to work towards making funny. I think they’ve got a really good sense of humour and they’re going to be a force to reckon with in the film industry. I’m really excited about it because we need guys like this.”
‘HE’S A FUNNY GUY’
Saif called Happy Ending which also stars Ileana D’Cruz and Govinda a “nuanced” film that’s “cast against type.”
“It’s the story of a guy who got lucky who wrote a dodgy book called Operation Payback which did really well and after that he hasn’t done any work. He’s got commitment issues whether it’s about finishing a story or finishing a relationship or anything. He’s a funny guy that way; you can enjoy watching him and his adventures because most people don’t have those kind of problems you know most people have slightly more serious problems than this chap. I guess the soul of it is - him and his one last chance – he’s got a job to write a script for a Bollywood actor (Govinda) who’s also probably over the hill.”
Govinda who is making a comeback of sorts with Happy Ending and the recently released Kill Dil was given the star treatment according to Saif.
“There’s nothing left to say about him except… well I’m a little older but for many of the guys working in the film he’s a legend you know. I’ve seen all of his films I’m not much of a Hindi film watcher but I’ve seen old films like Shola aur Shabnam where he showcased a serious side right to the transition where he and David Dhawan did some magical comedy on the level of Peter Sellers. He was amazing and some of the films he’s done with David are just legendary.
“So we treated him like a star on set so he was happy and more importantly we did that on screen as well. He’s got some lovely lines and great scenes and the highlight is that he is in a cracking song where he’s done vintage dance moves. It’s a nice feeling as a producer to deliver what you promise.”
PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES
Speaking of vintage dance moves does he dance in the film
“My character is a bit anti-Bollywood so not really. He’s this guy who has lived in America and doesn’t really understand much about Bollywood romcoms which is why the tiny spoof element comes in and his life is running like a romcom but he doesn’t see that.”
He admitted that he did enjoy dancing depending on how it was done. “I remember once I was really stressed out because I had to dance – and someone said ‘come on it’s dancing it should be fun’. In some environments it can be a bit daunting but in others it’s a really nice feeling of entertainment.”
A ‘SPARKLING’ CO-STAR
Saif was all praise for Ileana who plays his love interest in the film. “Ileana is a sensitive girl and the more comfortable she got with us the more she started flowering as an actor and I’m lucky in that sense. I think we took good care of her and as a result she started enjoying herself which really shows on screen. She’s a sparkling actor. I don’t think people had seen this side of her before. I hadn’t watched many of her films – I watched Barfi! And this is in another league to Barfi!”
The title Happy Ending seems to suggest that everyone in the film gets one but Saif had a more philosophical viewpoint. “It’s about a guy not being able to finish the scripts that he’s writing he’s a person who is not able to commit to a happy ending in life. He doesn’t know what a happy ending is. He’s like ‘when does it happen Does it happen after you fall in love Does it happen after you get married Does it happen after you get divorced or after you die When is the happy ending’ So he says ‘I don’t think there is one in life’ in the beginning of the film. It only happens in films. And then of course there’s a slightly naughty connotation to it which is what the point was.”
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