Head in the game
BOLLYWOOD actor Saif Ali Khan describes starring in Sacred Games as “the most exhausting cinematic experience I’ve been involved in so far”. In an interview with Al Arabiya English, the 47-year-old actor says the production of the eight-episode series took 40 to 50 days and 12-14 hours each day to complete. “We were on our feet all the time. Normally in a movie, when lighting changes, you get a break, and you can sit down, think about what you’re doing, or whatever you want to do for a few minutes. Here, they were ready all the time,” the actor said. But Saif welcomed the challenge, adding: “It’s broadened my horizons and my powers of concentration, as well as physical endurance because after this, anything else I’ve done afterwards has seemed tamer and more doable and less intense. It’s always good to push yourself in that sense.” Sacred Games – India’s first Netflix original series based on the 2006 book by Vikram Chandra of the same name – sees Mumbai cop Sartaj getting an anonymous tip about the whereabouts of crime lord Ganesh. “He hasn’t been successful (as a cop), and then one day, this case drops onto his lap. He finally has a chance to define himself. He starts out as being a depressed, dejected and lost man, and he now has a chance to rise,” the actor said about his character Sartaj to Firstpost website. “I think people will be able to relate to a vulnerable guy who is just trying to survive.”
Sacred Games is available on Netflix.