Saif Ali Khan took out time to speak to The Quint about the social media over reacting to his comments on Pakistan, the success of Phantom and Kareena of course!
Q. Do you keep a tab on the numbers, as how much the film is making at the box office?
Saif: Yeah, see you keep a tab to see what films have done what. So Agent Vinod opens at almost 10, Humshakals opens at 12, Race opens at 14, Happy Ending opens at 4, Bullet Raja opens at 6, so from 4 to 6 to 9 to 12 to 14 there is a full range there you know.
Q. How do you define success? What does it mean to you?
Saif: Success is many things to me. It’s being able to do different types of films. It’s being satisfied and that means different things. It should be a mix of box-office success as well as a little bit of critical acclaim and it’s also nice to be able to pull off an action type role, because I don’t think it’s easy to do both.
If you see the kind of films that people have appreciated me in, there is a spectrum there. There is a Langda Tyagi, there is a Race and there is a Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Cocktail, Love Aaj Kal that’s obviously what has been the best but there are variations, there are various sides to my personality that have found expression and that feels good actually.
Q: Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane’s tweeted appreciating Phantom and another senior actor Shaan Shahid launched an online campaign for Mawra to be banned.
Saif: First of all, does everything get banned just like that in Pakistan or what? I am seriously asking you, do things get banned so easily? So there is no freedom of expression or freedom of speech. Wow! So it’s like Iran then. Well okay then, it’s self-explanatory. What should I say to that then!
I am happy I live in India. They are already upset with me because they think I am anti-Pakistan. Which I have never been, I am the only one who has family in Pakistan. I understand, I don’t want any tension between the two countries, but I know there is tension and this kind of thing exposes the tension.
It’s just a pretend that we are friends. I don’t think we are. I don’t like the way our press speaks to them. They are aggressive with them. I have said 150 things pro about the relationship between Pakistan and India.
I love the people of Pakistan. I think they are exactly like us. I think it’s a political problem. But I can’t believe I have been singled out for being anti-Pakistan. I am an actor, who has no interest in these politics. So please to tell the people of Pakistan, I am a well wisher of theirs and if I make a film like this it’s nothing personal.
Q: Well, there was a quote you made which has triggered the anti-India social media war in Pakistan.
Saif: First of all what is so wrong in saying that, to say, I don’t have faith when we are talking about it in the context of censorship. Generally, I don’t have faith in the censors; I don’t have faith in my own censor board also sometimes. We also cut things, ban things and do things that we don’t agree with a hundred percent, ok?
So I don’t have faith maybe in censorship in Pakistan. I have nothing against the people. The whole quote is not against the country. I don’t know how that first line got picked up and it’s so out of context. I am saying I have nothing against them. I think it’s unfair to pick up that one sentence out of context. Because the rest of the sentence is pretty pro-Pakistan. I think the reality is that there are a few elements in Pakistan that I think are against us and that is what I don’t have faith in.
Q. This time we didn’t see you at LFW while Kareena walked the ramp!
Saif: I just finished doing publicity for my film, and I was watching TV at home, which I want to do a lot and there are many things I won’t turn up for and people should not expect me to also. Fashion is a big public event and it’s really nice how everyone is dressed up and there are some really exciting clothes that designers are making but I don’t see myself as an overtly public figure. I don’t turn up for everything. I mean Kareena doesn’t expect me to and we lead such hectic lives it would be really unfair to expect each other to do these things. That’s not my relationship with her at all. Maybe that’s why I am really lucky.
Q. Lots of reviews have said that maybe Katrina’s presence was not really needed in a lot of scenes. How do you justify her role?
Saif: I haven’t read too many of Katrina’s reviews in the past but I have a feeling people criticize her Hindi, her acting, they have been doing it for some time now. But she is still one of the biggest stars in the country. People obviously love her and want to see her on screen. But what she has done here is she has attempted something different. And that I admire as a choice and I think of course you need good looking people to make it fun to watch, it’s not reality. You need some glamour, and even if people are criticizing her performance, she is an asset to the movie.
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