‘I might have chosen to struggle in the US’
Saif Ali Khan has said that he would be a better actor in English, as it’s his primary language.
During a show on an online streaming service, Saif spoke about his career, his daughter Sara (with actor Amrita Singh) and son Taimur (with actor Kareena Kapoor Khan).
“One of the reasons why I got into films — unfortunately, I’m being honest — is because I wasn’t interested in my exams and academics and I just ran away from home and said ‘Oh, movies sound great.’ But I didn’t really know what I was talking about,” said Saif. “So, this desire and this understanding of acting came a bit late for me. If it had been there earlier, maybe I might have chosen to struggle in the US.”
“But I think, being sensible about it, you have more opportunities [in India] — and again, it’s that nepotism thing. Being mum’s son (Saif’s mother is veteran actor Sharmila Tagore) would give me more chances here to meet people than in America. But I think in English, I speak in English as a primary language...
So I think I’ll be a better actor in English, because I’ll know when I’m lying, whereas in Hindi, I’ve never said to a girl ‘aapki aakhein itni khoobsoorat hai’, so
I don’t know whether that sounds genuine or not,” he said.
On Sara, whose debut film is Kedarnath, Saif says that he always knew she wanted to be an actor. On Taimur, he says, “He is a genetic treasure trove. He has a bit of Rabindranath Tagore, a bit of Raj Kapoor, a bit of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, [and] little bit of Bhopal.”
I think in English, I speak in English as a primary language... So I think I’ll be a better actor in English, because I’ll know when I’m lying, whereas in Hindi, I don’t know if [a dialogue] sounds genuine or not
SAIF ALI KHAN ACTOR