I was the second choice for Aarakshan - Saif

It's my destiny!

Actor Saif Ali Khan says that he doesn't have any qualms about not being the first choice when it came to essaying many good roles

Soumyadipta Banerjee

Most Bollywood actors have reservations when it comes to being the 'second choice' for a film. And given a choice, every actor says that he or she would rather work with a film-maker who had etched out a role especially for them. But actor Saif Ali Khan says that he had no ego hassles when he was approached for a role in Aarakshan, one that was originally supposed to feature actor Ajay Devgn.
"I think every role has its own destiny. In fact, I was the third choice for Hum Tum. There was a great role that came to me which Aamir (Khan) was supposed to do initially. Then, in the past, there were a lot of roles that clicked for me but were initially offered to other actors. There's something called destiny and I strongly believe in it," says Saif.
Apart from working hard on his diction for this role Saif says that he is impressed with how superstar Amitabh Bachchan tends to adapt to almost any language so easily. "Mr Bachchan is a treat to watch. I am really amazed with how quickly he mastered the lines in Sanskrit while I kept on struggling with them," he laughs.
So, how does Saif rate himself as a businessman since he is royalty? "I am not royalty. I am an ex-royal and when you go to the loos of Chandivli studios, while shooting for your film, there's hardly any of the typical royal arrogance left in you," jokes the Pataudi scion.
Saif says that he's only too happy to leave the 'business' part to his partner. "I am not strictly bothered about the business part. For that, I have my partner to look into it while I can concentrate on the creative part. I think we make a good team together. I think the movie that we have made (Agent Vinod) has turned out to be a good product," he concludes.