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I would not have liked to recreate Ole Ole, feels Saif
anything else between us or not, this isn’t something that I want to disclose yet.
You seem to be venturing out into other areas as well. Tell us more. I’m opening a gym along with a friend. I’m also starting an NGO with Sushant and my brother to provide free education to needy children. As actors, we do have certain powers. I want to use them for the right cause.
You recently shifted to a new house with your parents in Mumbai. Was it tough to find the right one?
He started 2020 with a bang as his first release of the year, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, got cash registers ringing at the box office. Now, Saif Ali Khan is set with his next, Jawaani Janeman, where he plays a non-committal man who gets a shock on meeting his young, pregnant daughter. The film revisits Saif’s super hit dance number Ole Ole from Yeh Dillagi (1994).
Asked if he approves of the reprised version of the song and Saif says, “Sometimes, you have to do what the production (team) thinks will sell or what the trend is. I feel it’s remarkable that I’ve been working for so long that I could star in the remix of my own song (smiles). In a way that was interesting, but then, I feel Ole Ole was probably best left where it is... It’s a great song for a time that has gone. To reinvent is not something I’d have liked to do, but like I said, you listen to the marketing bosses.”
Saif began his career in the early 90s and has reinvented his onscreen image with a variety of roles in films such as Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Omkara (2006) and his recent web series, Sacred Games. After earning huge success and fame, the actor reveals why he values success over being famous. “Fame to me is being well known for various reasons. There’s a kind of fame you have when you come from a wealthy family, but, I feel, being successful is the key. In fact, being famous has been a hindrance for me. I like getting paid and I’d like to be wealthy through my work; being famous has never been important,” says the 49-yearold.
He, in fact, wishes that he wasn’t recognised yet be able to do the work that he does. “But, I realise they go handin-hand,” he adds, “All my life, I’ve had a certain amount of spotlight on me, at least in India. But, I also enjoy the anonymity in London, so there’s a fine balance between people knowing you, and not knowing you in some places. I’m happy either way.”
Having “cherished” his career through last three decades, Saif admits that it has been a “growing process” and that right now is the best time. “I don’t really look back (at life) with any kind of nostalgia. I developed into the actor I am today, much later (in my career). So, I feel much more creative today,” he says.