As per a source, post the high that Cocktail delivered after its success, Saif Ali Khan could easily demand and get up to Rs 15 crore for a film. However, this was in 2012. Over the next five years, Saif’s films unfortunately nosedived at the box-office.
Last heard, Saif Ali Khan reportedly charged a fee of Rs 3 to 5 crore per film. A part of this change is due to a natural market correction which happened in the interim period in the film industry, but it also reflects the fact that there has been a marked shift in actor’s ability to pull in the audience into theatres. Sample this:
“I wouldn’t call myself a superstar; Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman are superstars because their films make 200-300 crores. My films don’t make that kind of money at the box office. Just that my surname is the same as theirs but my box office isn’t.”Saif Ali Khan (an archived quote)
A self-aware star is a rarity in the film industry.
Let’s be honest, Saif is a fine actor and he’s not made terrible choices either (with the exception of Humshakals). The reviews of his latest release Chef ranged mostly from above average to good, while his performance in the film itself was applauded by almost every critic.
Despite 6 back to back flops in 4 years, I would argue that it’s not over for the actor yet. Saif has been a survivor of sorts for almost 15 years and in a year when superstars like Salman Khan (Tubelight) and Shah Rukh Khan (Jab Harry Met Sejal) have got it wrong - you just can’t to write-off the suave Nawab.
Saif the Survivor
I was still in school when a 23-year-old Saif Ali Khan sang, danced and declared “Main hoon aashiq... aashiq awara...” to Mamta Kulkarni on Chitrahaar or was it on the newly launched Zee TV, I fail to recall. There was a buzz around Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s son making his debut at the time and we hadn’t heard about nepotism yet.
The very forgettable Aashik Aawara was an average performer at ticket windows and Saif Ali Khan got a not so warm welcome from the media. I remember a review which debated about who was prettier - Saif or Mamta Kulkarni.
Over the next few years, Saif went from one bland and inconsequential film to another, the only outing which could’ve probably made an impact was Yash Chopra’s Parampara but that too failed. We got a few sparks from Saif when he was paired with Akshay Kumar in films like Yeh Dillagi and Main Khiladi Tu Anari but nothing memorable here.
“I just didn’t know what was going on in the ’80s and the ‘90s. They are definitely not the best decades of Hindi cinema. I had no clue or idea about what I was doing. I learnt things much later. I didn’t fit into that era.”Saif Ali Khan (an archived quote)
And then Dil Chahta Hai happened.
The Farhan Akhtar film did a lot of things but it also gave a much needed shot in the arm to the Chhote Nawab of Pataudi’s career. Everyone sat up and took notice of Saif as the pliable Sameer Mulchandani, the actor was at his comic best.
“The most undersketched character in the film - Sameer. It's to his credit that he rises above it. And thanks to his radiant screen presence and his almost perfect sense of comic timing, Sameer is a riot,” said the review of Rediff.
Post-DCH, films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Ek Hasina Thi, Parineeta, Being Cyrus and Omkara only helped further strengthen Saif’s box-office equity. The actor established his acting chops and his ability to draw an audience into theatres - Race was one of the top grossers of 2008.
Saif the Hatke Producer
The success of Race probably gave Saif the confidence to turn producer. The actor’s choice of directors which he signed up for his home productions showed that he wasn’t merely chasing box-office numbers. He picked filmmakers with substance, names like Sriram Raghavan, Homi Adjania, Raj Nidimoru & Krishna DK and Imtiaz Ali (before he became THE Imtiaz Ali) - weren’t the conventional Bollywood directors who belted out assembly line productions in the industry.
The actor turned producer got a mixed response to his brave choices. While Agent Vinod and Happy Ending, didn’t have very happy endings at the box-office others like Love Aaj Kal, Cocktail and Go Goa Gone kept the actor’s production house, Illuminati Films afloat.
New Beginnings
With OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar radically changing the way we view and consume entertainment in just over a couple of years, the first big Bollywood actor to use his star power to create a digital presence has been Saif Ali Khan. The actor plays the leading man in the first desi Netflix original - Sacred Games, a series co-produced by Phantom Films based on Vikram Chandra’s novel which will see Saif play Sartaj Singh. Most A-list movie stars would see the act of making an appearance on a OTT platform as a comedown of sorts (even Gulshan Grover hilariously insisted that his series titled Bad Man be called a web movie and not a web series), but not Saif.
“I have changed from what I was when I came in the industry. I have grown up to a better actor I guess. I know my responsibilities well and I feel I look more like a hero today than ever before and I feel like one as well. I would like to be more punctual and professional.”Saif Ali Khan (an archived quote)
Saif also plays a totally whacky out-of-the-box character in Akshat Verma’s upcoming Kaalakandi. If you’ve caught the trailer - it once again shows how the actor has gone places where not many stars of his stature would. The promising Kaalakandi is currently finding its way out of the CBFC’s clutches.
He’s also playing a grey-haired antagonist in newcomer Gaurav Chawla’s Bazaar - a thriller set in India’s stock market and corporate world.
Going by Bollywood’s conventional wisdom, Saif may no longer be a safe bet at the box-office, but he’s the kind of artiste I would put my faith in. We need more actors and producers who won’t play it safe.
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