Saif Ali Khan gets candid

Saif Ali Khan is an anomaly. Even as his name is taken in the same breath as all the other Khans of the industry, he isn’t counted in the list of superstars, despite a decent run in showbiz. But that hasn’t deterred Saif. Currently promoting his upcoming release, Chef, the actor talks to us about his career, daughter Sara’s debut and more. Excerpts:

How do you handle the nawab tag?
I definitely had a privileged upbringing, but as far as money goes, my parents never gave me any pocket money… at least not more than the guy next door. I had a normal upbringing, and there are no nawabs; it’s a tag in movies. My father (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) was the last nawab. And even he didn’t think of himself as one. The image isn’t because I’m a nawab, but because I enjoy the lifestyle of a movie star. Sometimes you can’t beat your image, and it’s okay. It’s fine. If the image was true, it would be nothing to me.

Your film Chef is about a father-son relationship. Tell us a little about your bond with your own son Ibrahim.
Ibrahim is a good-looking, sweet boy. He’s very quiet, peaceful and polite; a sorted kid, and not demanding at all. Now he’s in a boarding school in England, and sometimes sends me pictures with his new friends. Recently, he had a pimple, and sent me a picture, asking me what to do. I said just leave it. He asked me if it was normal. We also had a small chat about his girlfriend — it’s like an ongoing relationship. I’m close to him and proud of how he has turned out.

Go on…
Modern families are a little complex; they are unorthodox. In my heart, I feel the same for Ibrahim, Sara and Taimur. It’s just that they are at different stages. Babies are much cuter, and teenagers can be much more annoying. Nothing makes me happier than when they’re all around for dinner, and I have a nice glass of wine, and I just watch them and talk to them. It gives me a lot of satisfaction.

We see families separating and holding on the grudges. Your case was much more graceful. Your kids are close to Kareena Kapoor Khan and Taimur, which wasn’t the case in many other families.
I think that if there isn’t any bad blood, you have to get everything right. I mean, it’s not a situation that anybody wants to really be in. But since it’s there, you make the most out of it by being as decent as you can about everything. Sometimes when you’re separated, you kind of compete with the child. Basically, you’re trying to say you’re better than your ex-partner. But children are half you and half them, so you are actually damaging them. I try to deflect the issue. The problem is that you, for some reason, felt the need to move on. That’s bad enough for the children, but you can’t move away from them. You have to balance them. I’m very lucky because if Sara or Ibrahim decided to be extra emotional or selfish, I’d be in trouble. Also, Kareena has been amazing. She’s very kind and understanding to me, first of all, and to them.

You’ve also seen a downfall in your career, and now that you have varied films on your platter, do you finally see an upturn in your career?
It will be nice to have some commercial success, yes. Also, I think I’m in a good zone, because I like my life, and I’m very comfortable with myself and the age I’m at. I understand a lot of things. After my father died, I think about death a lot more because it’s important to keep that in perspective. I still feel young, fit and much wiser. The directors I’m working with are better than the directors I have worked with before. The film and the work itself are more engrossing and satisfying, because you are playing more realistic people on screen.

Are you competitive?
I am 47, and I am comfortable with that. I don’t want to die of old age, but I don’t want to be younger. We are in a youth-centric age in a big way, but I never wanted to sing and dance anyway. I used to be tortured doing that. I want to do age-appropriate stuff.

Your parents Sharmila tagore and MAK Pataudi shared a wonderful relationship. Do you feel your mother’s story deserves a biopic?
My father is a little more cinematic. His life has definitely had more ups and downs. My mother was a gifted artiste, who became a superstar, and stayed a superstar for decades. She’s had a happy marriage to a sportsman, and lived a comfortable life — not much drama there. My father lost an eye as a cricketer. A lot of things were taken away from his father like money. My father also had a lot of guts. His way of doing things was very stylish. It can be a great biopic on him, but it can’t be a Hindi movie. It has to be a bilingual movie.

How thrilled are you about Sara’s debut?
I’m not scared, but as a father I’m concerned. I don’t want her to feel bad. I want her to be an artiste who finds her way. I hope her dreams come true. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy.

Do you also see Ibrahim joining films in the future?
God knows! I think he has it in his mind. He has been in Tashan, and he thinks he’s a star.  He was upset that the film didn’t run well and flopped. Right now though he’s just 16 and needs to finish his college.