Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan is the eldest child of Sharmila Tagore, a glamorous actress of the 1960s and now head of the Film Censor Board, and former Indian

cricket captain Mansoor Ali Pataudi. Saif studied in England, first at Lockers Park School and then Winchester College where he majored in English literature and art history. He is a keen reader, devouring anything from nineteenth century English authors like Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters to Ayn Rand. He has recently become interested in writings on African safaris and hunting stories of the 1920s. He loves to play the guitar and even hoped to be a rock star when he was younger, before acting consumed his life. His passion for music and dance shines through his performances at stage shows and on camera.

Saif had a steady career in Bollywood during the 1990s, then in 2001 Dil Chahta Hai became a huge success and turned his life around overnight. His character, Sameer, was one that audiences could relate to and really warm to. Sameer is a guy in love with the idea of love, who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Saif portrayed him with such intelligence and warmth that he outshone the rest of the cast. His next films got better and built on his success. Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Hum Turn (2004), for which he won the National Award for Best Actor, and then his piece de resistance, Parineeta (2005), in which he positively glowed. More recently his English film, Being Cyrus (2005), was critically praised and garnered rave reviews.

In the early days of his career, his close resemblance to his mother was a disadvantage for him. His features were considered to be too feminine by traditional Bollywood standards. Over the years he has developed a strict exercise regime and has built his body to a toned yet lithe level, that has helped him overcome that mental barrier. Today he looks a personification of the cool, well-heeled cosmopolitan Indian. His acting proficiency enables him to take on a diverse range of roles. The best directors are vying to work with him from mainstream cinema as well as alternative art house. Two of his new films are being directed by Vishal Bharadwaj: Omkara (2006), an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, and Mr Mehta and Mrs Singh (2006) with Kareena Kapoor. It’s a good time to be Saif Khan in Bollywood.

Omkara (2006)

Vishal Bhardwaj’s compelling adaptation of Othello, released theatrically in the US and UK in summer 2006, sticks more closely to Shakespeare than his Maqbool (2003) followed Macbeth, yet still makes several inspired changes, the first in its opening scene. On a parched hillside in Uttar Pradesh, Bhardwaj’s lago, Langda, tells a dim, wimpish bridegroom, Raju (Roderigo), that Langda’s boss Omkara is abducting his bride. His lavish wedding to Dolly (Desdemona) is abandoned, and in his subsequent role as Langda’s accomplice, he is not the play’s hapless suitor, but a justified avenger, pursuing the man who destroyed his future with a beautiful bride.

Next, Raghunath, Dolly’s father, blames Omkara’s ‘seduction’ of his high-born daughter on his being a half-caste, so status largely replaces Othello’s racial strand (although several characters remark on Dolly’s comparatively fair skin). He only spares Omkara’s life on the orders of their boss, Bhaisaab (the formidable Naseeruddin Shah as a shaven- headed Doge), head of the Brahmin youth party, who needs Omkara, his General, and Raghunath, his lawyer, to secure his release from jail so that he can win a parliamentary seat against his rival, Indore Singh

As Bhardwaj shuttles between Omkara’s fort-like family home in a hillside village and various city locations, constant political violence replaces the Turks’ short-lived threat to Cyprus and enables the director to reflect the bloody world of contemporary politics in Uttar Pradesh by engineering a Macbeth-like cycle of attacks.

First, Langda’s marksmanship saves Omkara and his handsome young lieutenant, Kesu (Cassio), from Singh’s agents, one of whom, Kichlu, later tries to assassinate Bhaisaab. This incites reprisals against Kichlu and, finally, a rain-swept night-time assault on a train, in which Omkara and Langda kill Singh and his bodyguards. All this spectacularly overcomes the problem, for genre film-makers rather than stage directors, of Othello’s dearth of incident between the drunken brawl and the climactic murders, which here take place, with terrible irony, on Dolly and Omkara’s wedding night.

The rousing title song has proclaimed Omkara ‘the greatest warrior of all’ and links him to Uttar Pradesh folklore about a legendary band of brothers. Compared to Othello’s heroic exploits, however, the ruthless political killings make Ajay Devgan’s muscular, brooding Omkara a considerably less sympathetic figure than the Moor.

The open-air shootouts and arid widescreen landscapes sometimes give Omkara a Western tang, and Saif Ali Khan’s Langda has the tough, mischievous presence of Eli Wallach in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). His customised conspiracy, involving Dolly’s incriminating, jewel- encrusted cummerbund, and mobile-phone eavesdropping, is unambiguously attributed to the exhilarating early scene in which, following Bhaisaab’s election, the newly promoted Omkara must appoint his successor. In a religious ceremony at the top of a high temple overlooking riverbanks filled with hundreds of expectant followers, Omkara anoints Kesu, dashing Langda’s expectations and initiating his revenge. This simplified motivation works in tandem with Bhardwaj’s most radical change: Emilia becomes Indu, Omkara’s sister, and she and Langda have a young son, Golu, whose ninth birthday party is wrecked by Kesu’s drunken punch-up with Raju.

Langda thus betrays bonds of family as well as professional loyalty and, compared to the isolated Moor, Omkara’s close relationship with Indu and some amusing moments featuring their ancient grandmother, added to the loss of the interracial element, make him a far less isolated (as well as less admirable) hero than Othello. Konkona Sen Sharma’s wisecracking Indu and Kareena Kapoor’s saintly, vulnerable Dolly have a sisterly, rather than mistress—servant relationship, and Indu’s horror at realising that Langda has caused Dolly’s death motivates one final twist. After smothering Dolly, Omkara spares Langda (why take revenge, he asks, when ‘our souls are forever damned’?), only for Indu to kill her husband with a single machete blow. Shakespeare’s tragic love story is thus incorporated into a three-generation family tragedy of a kind very popular with Bollywood audiences (echoing Bhardwaj’s domestication of Macbeth in Maqbooh.

Bollywood convention explains the three love ballads on the soundtrack, including the syrupy duet played under a flashback as Dolly recalls falling in love when she nursed an injured Omkara. Song-and-dance numbers are also obligatory, although Bhardwaj (who doubles impressively as Omkara’s composer) roots them in the story by turning Bianca into Kesu’s stunningly beautiful girlfriend, Billo (Bipasha Basu), a nautch girl who performs two dubbed, raunchy uptempo songs, the first at Golu’s party and the second at a police club, just before Langda and Omkara turn up to kill Kichlu. This forced transition from jollity to chaotic gunplay is one of Bhardwaj’s few missteps. One would also not miss the scene of Kesu teaching Dolly to sing Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ in English (pure kitsch). The family relationships could have been made clearer at an earlier stage, and we do not know whether Langda or Kesu kills Raju.

These are minor flaws in a story of great power and occasional flashes of poetry. Dolly recalls falling in love ‘like a blind bird plunging down an empty well’, and, sitting on a jetty, Langa nods ruefully to Raju: ‘Both of us are damned to lead donkeys’ lives.’

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2006, Genre – Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Devgan Entertainment, Director – Vishal Bhardwaj, Music Director – Vishal Bhardwaj, Cast - Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah, Bipasha Basu, Deepak Dobriyal, Manav Kaushik

Love Aaj Kal (2009)

Take any romantic role Saif Ali Khan has recently stepped into (barring the brilliant Parineeta), shake it up with the turban clad, dholak baja-ing, bhangra pa-ing Punjab that Bollywood loves to stereotype and you have this movie that prances between the love stories of today and yesterday (aaj and kal, get it?).  Director Imtiaz Ali attempts to bring back the magic he created with Jab We Met in this girl meets boy tale of two eras but doesn’t manage to rise to expectations.

Love Aaj Kal has all the obvious elements of a hit but unfortunately it has the trappings of a flop too. The story is strong but its execution is poor, the genre is romance but there is no chemistry between Saif and Deepika, the cinematography paints the movie across brilliant locations but there isn’t a single canvas that is memorable. There is a superb star cast but the characters are flat. Love Aaj Kal is consistently half full and half empty, take it as you please.

The one thing that overwhelms the entire film is Saif Ali Khan. Is there any rational explanation to why Saif plays the younger Rishi Kapoor (from the 60s) as well as the modern hero in a double role that makes no sense? He commands more screen time than the entire cast of the film put together and he even lends his poor footwork to the item numbers, pushing a hot Deepika Padukone to the background? Inevitably he trips and falls flat on his now visibly ageing face.

As the casual, urban male in a modern romance with his dialogue restricted to “wow, amazing and mind blowing” Saif has been there, done that and we have been there, seeing him do that, one time too many. As a man whose raging hormones are the highlight of his romance, Saif was fine in Salaam Namaste and Hum Tum years ago. But now, as he hits 40, it’s just sad and pathetic. He comes across as an insecure, ageing star afraid of losing fame to new faces. Good thing for him that Deepika Padukone, as an actress, poses no threat. So Jai (Saif) and Meera (Deepika) meet in a club and step into a casual fling in which they refer to doing “sub kuch” yet fail to hint at any chemistry or physics that they might be sharing. In fact there is more chemistry between Saif Ali Khan and Rishi Kapoor. Not being able to figure out where their hearts might be leading them, Jai and Meera follow their careers instead and go separate ways. Only the feeling of not having closure keeps bringing them back together. It is true love, only everyone knows it but them. Hardly original.

In a parallel (and much more intriguing) story, one is taken back to the 60s where Jai’s friend Veer (Rishi Kapoor) is wooing his true love, the pretty and demure Harleen Kaur.

When Veer counsels Jai saying “I used to be exactly like you: young and dashingly handsome”, you’d never guess that what he means is identical twin-like similar! A turban clad Saif is thrown back in time to play a younger Veer. It would have made a bit of sense had Deepika been cast as Harleen but then since Deepika Padukone is dating Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir in real life, it may have been a tad bit uncomfortable playing his love interest. On the other hand, as Saif is dating Rishi’s niece Kareena in real life, Veer’s relationship appears realistic and effortless. It would have been ideal if a younger Ranbir Kapoor had been cast as Jai. It’s no coincidence that Saif has been made up to look like him in the promos. Figure it out if you can.

Love Aaj Kal is a film by Saif, for Saif and he pushes everyone else to the background. It brings back Nikhil Arora from Salaam Namaste and Karan Kapoor from Hum Tum with a hint of Rohit Patel from Kal Ho Naa Ho and even the dance moves of Vicky from Yeh Dillagi (‘Ole ole ole’…remember the song?).

There are moments in the story that gently warm you up, especially in Veer Singh’s story: a shy Harleen bringing Veer his favourite black tea when he unexpectedly turns up in Kolkatta to see her, Veer vowing to never follow her around on his bicycle as it might ruin her reputation, Veer and his friends posing as workers to get into her house for a glimpse of his beloved dancing at a family wedding. These are moments that define Imtiaz Ali’s magic. But nothing in Jai’s story is as effective. Jai and Meera’s story leaves you cold. One expects the heat to turn up in a tempestuous love affair but Saif and Deepika together are like a spray of cool water that hits the hot pan and evaporates instantly. Pfffttt…just like that. As for Rahul Khanna, he’s seems to be stuck with the role of loser lover (Dil Kabaddi). Not that he deserves it.

The stories of both couples are narrated side by side, simultaneously approaching climax by the end. The last half hour of the film, to be fair, has unpredictable moments. So should you head out to the cinema and watch the film? Of course you should. It’s not a bad film, just a disappointing one considering everything it promises to offer and then doesn’t. Plus, the nagin naach in ‘Twist’ and ‘Aahun Aahun’ is enough reason to hang on till the very last scene. But be warned: as the end credits roll, Saif dances to ‘Aahun Aahun’ with a double of himself. Lest you forget.

P.S. Believe it or not! Rishi Kapoor does not get drunk in the film and as a Punjabi hot blooded boy called Veer Singh, he does not enroll in the Indian Army. But wait, then they’d have to cast Sunny Deol as his younger character and that wouldn’t have suited Saif at all. Some things have a prurpose – Aamna Haider Isani (Rating – 3 OUT OF 5)

Cast and Production Credits

Year – 2009, Genre – Drama, Country – India, Language – Hindi, Producer – Dinesh Vijan, Saif Ali Khan, Director – Imtiaz Ali, Music Director – Pritam, Cast – Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Giselle Monteiro, Neetu Singh, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Vir Das