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The Present Crisis
From 2010, the actor went somehow into unSaif (pun intended) zones, signing films he should not have, and making films whose budgets should have been proportionate to their earning potential. It is crisis time again for Saif because of these errors of perception or judgment.
Yes, there have been two exceptions: the first being the moderate faring of his zany home production Cocktail, though it was Deepika Padukone who stole the show. Here was where Saif individually failed to make a mark - as he was the predictable Mr Gentleman Goofy all over again.
The only other film in the hit league was the sequel to his 2008 hit Race, Race 2, in which he did essay the central role. But with strong music, a scene-stealing Deepika again, the force of Tips as brilliant market-savvy producers, and Abbas-Mustan's deft control on direction and script, it could in no way be called a true-blue Saif Ali Khan hit.
And now let us evaluate his wrong moves, as they turned out, because of various reasons. The Ajay Devgn reject Aarakshan was a poor choice, complete with a badly written role, and Saif should not have touched the film with the proverbial bargepole. Humshakals was also outside his comfort zone, and he should have resisted the temptation to modify his natural flair for subtle comedy and try out such buffoonery.
This Khan also should not have succumbed to the lure of being another on-screen Salman Khan (at which so many stars had already tried and failed miserably!) in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja, the zillionth proof that 'different' filmmakers just cannot make good or successful mainstream entertainers, an art that demands far higher skills than being merely good realistic filmmakers.
Saif again entrusted his mainstream Bond-like caper Agent Vinod to another "different" and realistic cinema maker like Sriram Raghavan - with disastrous results. And his judgement seemed to be clouded also by his natural desire to try out new zones in the economically wrong way.
Recently, Govinda termed him as "A very generous producer, which is good for all of us, but bad for him!" Which was a perfect assessment, for his partner Dinesh and Saif allotted the wrong kind of budget to their cult and wonderful experiment, Go Goa Gone (Saif has declared that the film made money because he did not pay himself as an actor, but footfalls-wise, the film flopped). This is where he should have understood the economics even if the film had to be made!
And instead of learning these right lessons, the two partners again invested much more in the same filmmakers Raj and DK in Happy Ending, making it on a scale and in a location (USA et al) that should have not even been attempted for this story.
More, Saif has himself stated that if he did the same kind of work that the audience likes him in, they would get bored, and this time, his judgement was spot on!
The Deviance Factor
One more vital point: Saif should now junk his tendency (an ailment that now affects a good chunk of the industry now, including top stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar) to target a miniscule and fickle segments of the audiences with outrageous "sophistication" and trendy stuff like expletives, double entendre that the family audience hates, and similar "modern" examples of the perceived but false future of Hindi cinema.
Such deviant aspects may make a star and his product a favourite on social networks and (maybe) score in film reviews but have zero connect with ground realities, with India being a nation of varied but demanding audiences of all ages and levels. This can severe the fragile bond a star who has survived for so long has with his audience. When did continued freshness and true evolution mean distancing the majority of the audience?
For the main reason for the non-performance of Happy Ending is not the budget but also this alienating of Indian audiences with what is perceived as international level smartness. India is a unique market where stars are kings with a "Conditions Apply" tag. Saif's current assignments - Sujoy Ghosh's next and Reema Kagti's next - we hope, are in a more mainstream space whatever their basic genre and correct the slide of a Nawab who deserves more.
From 2010, the actor went somehow into unSaif (pun intended) zones, signing films he should not have, and making films whose budgets should have been proportionate to their earning potential. It is crisis time again for Saif because of these errors of perception or judgment.
Yes, there have been two exceptions: the first being the moderate faring of his zany home production Cocktail, though it was Deepika Padukone who stole the show. Here was where Saif individually failed to make a mark - as he was the predictable Mr Gentleman Goofy all over again.
The only other film in the hit league was the sequel to his 2008 hit Race, Race 2, in which he did essay the central role. But with strong music, a scene-stealing Deepika again, the force of Tips as brilliant market-savvy producers, and Abbas-Mustan's deft control on direction and script, it could in no way be called a true-blue Saif Ali Khan hit.
And now let us evaluate his wrong moves, as they turned out, because of various reasons. The Ajay Devgn reject Aarakshan was a poor choice, complete with a badly written role, and Saif should not have touched the film with the proverbial bargepole. Humshakals was also outside his comfort zone, and he should have resisted the temptation to modify his natural flair for subtle comedy and try out such buffoonery.
This Khan also should not have succumbed to the lure of being another on-screen Salman Khan (at which so many stars had already tried and failed miserably!) in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja, the zillionth proof that 'different' filmmakers just cannot make good or successful mainstream entertainers, an art that demands far higher skills than being merely good realistic filmmakers.
Saif again entrusted his mainstream Bond-like caper Agent Vinod to another "different" and realistic cinema maker like Sriram Raghavan - with disastrous results. And his judgement seemed to be clouded also by his natural desire to try out new zones in the economically wrong way.
Recently, Govinda termed him as "A very generous producer, which is good for all of us, but bad for him!" Which was a perfect assessment, for his partner Dinesh and Saif allotted the wrong kind of budget to their cult and wonderful experiment, Go Goa Gone (Saif has declared that the film made money because he did not pay himself as an actor, but footfalls-wise, the film flopped). This is where he should have understood the economics even if the film had to be made!
And instead of learning these right lessons, the two partners again invested much more in the same filmmakers Raj and DK in Happy Ending, making it on a scale and in a location (USA et al) that should have not even been attempted for this story.
More, Saif has himself stated that if he did the same kind of work that the audience likes him in, they would get bored, and this time, his judgement was spot on!
The Deviance Factor
One more vital point: Saif should now junk his tendency (an ailment that now affects a good chunk of the industry now, including top stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar) to target a miniscule and fickle segments of the audiences with outrageous "sophistication" and trendy stuff like expletives, double entendre that the family audience hates, and similar "modern" examples of the perceived but false future of Hindi cinema.
Such deviant aspects may make a star and his product a favourite on social networks and (maybe) score in film reviews but have zero connect with ground realities, with India being a nation of varied but demanding audiences of all ages and levels. This can severe the fragile bond a star who has survived for so long has with his audience. When did continued freshness and true evolution mean distancing the majority of the audience?
For the main reason for the non-performance of Happy Ending is not the budget but also this alienating of Indian audiences with what is perceived as international level smartness. India is a unique market where stars are kings with a "Conditions Apply" tag. Saif's current assignments - Sujoy Ghosh's next and Reema Kagti's next - we hope, are in a more mainstream space whatever their basic genre and correct the slide of a Nawab who deserves more.
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