Saif aquired tan + dialect for Bullet Raja

For his character of a rural gangster based in UP in the Tigmanshu Dhulia-directed Bullett Raja, Saif Ali Khan decided to go in for a naturally tanned look. And while actors prefer to avoid the scorching heat while working outdoor, preferring instead to sit in the air-conditioned confines of their vanity vans, Saif chose to sit outside his van to acquire a natural tan.

Confirming this, producer Rahul Mittra said that for the kind of role that he is playing, Tigmanshu wanted a certain tanned look for Saif. So while shooting in Lucknow, Saif preferred to sit outside his van insunlight. "In any case, Saif loves to soak in the sun and this time he took utmost advantage of it. The tan has given an added dimension to the look of the character," Mittra said adding that many asked him not to do it, but Saif did not heed their advice.

Didn't Saif use any make-up in that case? "Sure, he did but the natural tinge was such that it stood out for real. Generally actors take hours toapply makeup, but because he had a natural tan, he did not have to work much on his makeup to get the exact colour" said Mittra adding that Saif had a great time basking in the sunlight much to everyone's amazement.

Saif, we are told even took the trouble to learn the dialect. "The film is based in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh so there is a particular slang that is used which he developed in his speech," he said Another interesting feature was that the locals began to get home-made food for the unit as Saif was getting tired of having the hotel food. Laughingly Mittra said, "It generally happens when the unit is away from home and at a particular place for a long time, one starts missing home food. Yes, the locals were very helpful and fed us."

Apparently one day some ladies came to Saif and offered him some homemade mutton biryani. The actor loved it so much that he couldn't stop praising it, and next day there were huge dabbas filled with more homecooked biryani not only for Saif but for the entire team.

Set against the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh mafia and the underworld, Bullett Raja is a gangster-thriller, written and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. A Fox Star Studios Presentation and A Moving Pictures & Brand Smith Production, the film is produced by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Nitin Tej Ahuja and Rahul Mittra. It has Sonakshi Sinha paired opposite Saif and the film also stars Jimmy Sheirgill, Ravi Kishan, Chunky Panday and Vidyut Jamwal. Bullett Raja is set to release on November 29.