Saif: I dont wanna play a confused lover anymore

In Delhi to shoot the climax of his home production "Agent Vinod", Saif Ali Khan talks about his career moves and the lessons learnt.

Nobody could play the confused romantic better than him but Saif Ali Khan is shifting gears. Come December and we will see a surer, stronger Saif in "Agent Vinod", his home production shot over eight exotic locations all over the world. But before that, he will be seen as a Dalit protagonist in Prakash Jha's "Aarakshan". In New Delhi to shoot the climax of "Agent Vinod", the actor takes up a few questions on his career curve. Edited excerpts:

These days stars are eager to play characters once reserved for the so-called character artistes.
I don't know if I fall in this slot. I think there are some stars, which we don't really want to see as characters. We want to see them as versions of themselves…whether it is Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan), Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan or Tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood. Sometimes heroes form an image which they find hard to break. It is a good thing in a sense because it represents something strong. Playing a character is important. I enjoy playing characters sometimes but at the same time there is a basic character that you have and I don't want that character to be that of a romantic comic hero any more. I would like him to be the character of "Agent Vinod" or something like I played in "Race", which has a lot of my persona in it and is not a complete put-on.

But you excelled as somebody confused in love and even your first home production "Love Aaj Kal" presented you like one quite successfully.
I don't want that any longer because I can no longer pretend to be 20 and I don't think there is any shortage of great roles for actors who are 40. I don't mind playing 30 at times, though! I want to play a surer, stronger hero like I did in "Race" and "Ek Hasina Thi" and take it forward to "Agent Vinod". I want to let go of that confusion and play clear-minded heroes. At the same time I am open to experimenting with characters. I am doing films like "Aarakshan", where I am a lower caste student and a teacher who lives in a basti. That's a departure from the past. "Agent Vinod" is a spy thriller but it is a Sriram Raghavan movie, so it is not going to be a film where this guy is pretending to be James Bond. Then there is a Homi Adjania film where Imtiaz Ali has written the dialogues and screenplay – an interesting combination.

Tell us more about "Agent Vinod".
It is more mature and more age appropriate. It is my first action film in the true sense of the term. Sriram and I have very like-minded approach to films. Vinod is an Indian RAW agent, very well equipped to take care of things with his mind and gun. Since Delhi is the centre of power, we thought it's appropriate to set the climax in Delhi. It goes with the script where Agent Vinod has to prevent something happening in Delhi. We have used minimal wires; it's more physical, gritty. This morning we shot a scene where the villain is trying to choke Kareena with a telephone wire….

Can you take us through Saif's shift from second lead to a central character?
I was doing second leads quite effectively. The critics were kind and the awards for supporting actor were coming but there was a constant buzz about the absence of a solo hit from my resume. At that time I was shooting for "Kal Ho Na Ho". There I watched Shah Rukh Khan from close quarters and I learnt how a solo hero really works. It was not just his acting but the way he is part of and in a way controls the entire production. He was not only concerned abut his performance but also of whoever was there in the scene with him…the lighting, the camera angle, everything. By the end of it, Yash Raj banner came with the offer of "Hum Tum", for a solo-lead which three actors had already refused. Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra felt that I am fit for the role and I took the plunge.

The National Award followed but it came with its share of controversies.
I know but I think it all evens out. Many people feel that I should have won it for 'Omkara'. So it all balances out. The two awards that are really close to my heart are the National Award and the Padma Shri, which was also considered premature but it is a kind of impetus for me to work harder so that my contribution to cinema becomes worthy of the title. You know I lost my National Award certificate during shifting. So I have put one of my mother's National Awards in my room. She has got three.

You were among the first ones to open your relationships with the media. What is your opinion on the media's entry into star's personal space?
I always had a relationship of mutual respect with the media. We understand each other. I don't think you guys interfere in my life too much. It is an outdated idea to feel upset about it. I don't feel victimised. If you are a star you should be happy somebody is writing about you unless you are misquoted. If you are not being written about, then there is a problem.

Till "Omkara" happened, we had seen a very Anglicised version of Saif. Now you are doing "Aarakshan". How challenging is it is to get into the skin of a Dalit character?
Ultimately, it is up to a filmmaker to see it in you. Now Prakash has shown faith in me. The challenge was to memorise those long dialogues in Sanskritised Hindi, particularly when it comes naturally to your co-stars – Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpai. Also, Prakash shoots very fast. He hardly gives any time between scenes. And until you memorise it you won't get what's between the lines and your posture won't mould according to the character. It's not like Agent Vinod, who is a kind of cool guy which doesn't require too much expressions but in "Aarakshan" it is all body language. Amitji advised me to say the dialogues whenever I can: just after waking up, in the loo, driving the car, in the disco…gradually I internalised it."

Any reference point?
The children of our support staff. I remember while growing up when I used to see the poor guys repeating Amitabh Bachchan's lines: "Apun Garib Huye To Kya Hua …." I would say, Wow! what a cool thing to say. Can I say something like this with my bread in hand! It sounds classist but it is a fact that we are still a caste-based and classist society.

How do you see the change considering you come from a princely State and work in one of the most democratic media of our country, where you get to play an array of characters?
Our country hasn't seen a revolution. It is a slow, ongoing churning. You know I was a prince for a year. I was born in 1970 and the titles were abolished in 1971! In "Kya Kehna" there was a dialogue where Mamik calls my character Haramzada. The Central Board of Film Certification objected to it and the word was changed to Nawabzada. It was an inadvertent but harsh reminder of reality to me. I am proud of my heritage but I know that's history. I don't wear it on my sleeve. I work hard in a democratic medium and am one of the highest taxpayers in the country.