Lack of creative inputs turns Saif into producer

Mumbai, Oct 15 (IANS) No scripts, lack of vision and the tendency of filmmakers to resist change have forced versatile actor Saif Ali Khan to turn producer. He says Yash Raj Films has set standards that he would like other production houses to equal.

'If I have to work away from Yash Raj, I'd rather work for myself than other producers,' Saif, whose first production is titled 'Agent Vinod', told IANS.

'Over the years I've been working with Yash Raj. I know its style of working. My first film with Yash Chopra was 'Parampara'. So it isn't as though I've begun to swear by them all of a sudden.

'What do I tell you about some of the other people who come to me with assignments? They don't even have scripts. Some of the old producers are so resistant to change while the whole industry has moved on. Yash Raj is so clear-headed about its intentions and motivations,' he added.

Saif has come to trust his partner and close friend Dinesh Vijen in the last couple of years. It would be Vijen's finances and Saif's creative input.

'It's about setting the right tone for a movie,' said Saif.

Much to Saif's delight Yash Raj gives him the liberty to say no to a project.

'I've heard stories about stars reluctantly doing Yash Raj Films because they can't say no to them. I still have the power to veto the project. I hate to be where I don't want to be. I do say no to projects I don't want to do. But some producers want me to re-think after I say no. But now I know how to say a firm no.'

Saif thinks he has become a good judge of whom to work with.

'If you see someone spitting in his own living room, you obviously won't have any respect for him.'