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Saif Ali Khan interview: 'People react to you strangely sometimes'

A commercial star of Hindi cinema with both a Bollywood and royal lineage, Saif Ali Khan demonstrated a natural forte for comedy and struck new ground with the 2001 coming-of-age movie Dil Chahta Hai, a film widely credited with changing the landscape of contemporary Hindi cinema.

Khan went on to challenge the idea of a conventional film hero combining comic roles in commercial films such as Kal Ho Na Ho and Hum Tum, with portrayals of subversive characters in Being Cyrus and Omkara.

Saif Ali Khan in 'Omkara'

© Rex Features

Saif Ali Khan in 'Omkara'

The young Nawab now follows his successful outing as an action-hero in Race 2 with an altogether new incarnation and a landmark in Hindi cinema - the advent of the zombie comedy.

Co-produced by his own production house Illuminati Films, in collaboration with Eros International and drawing on international experts in the field of prosthetics and visual effects, Go Goa Gone is India's first mainstream foray in the zombie genre.

Saif Ali Khan told Digital Spy why he wanted to play Zombie hunter Boris, why he's game for anything and also gives us a 101 in how to kill a zombie.

People thought you were a bit mad to make a Bollywood film about zombies. Why did you decide to try the zom-com genre on an Indian audience?
"Yes. It was a little bit of a chance I think, but I did it because I really liked the script. It's primarily a very funny movie. It's a comedy. And you don't really need to buy into the concept of zombies to enjoy this movie. The fact that there are zombies and they don't feel any pain when you bash them over the heads lends itself well to being funny in some ways. Also there is a need to do something interesting with production beyond what we've been doing to date and this is kind of a reflection of that."

How far were you influenced by films like Shaun of the Dead, Michael Jackson's Thriller or Gurinder Chadha's It's a Wonderful Afterlife? Do you feel confident that you have managed to make the zombies look effective?
"I guess there is a tiny bit of influence of all these movies but not to me because I haven't seen them but the writers, D.K. and Raj would have. We still don't know if it's worked. That was the first thing I said and I was very conscious of that we have to get the make-up right - it's a combination of visual effects around the eyes - and there was a moment where we really did all stop and ask, 'Look, do we really want to do this?' and there was a bit of a shrug of the shoulders and we thought, 'Well let's just go for it', because we were driven by the idea of doing something fun. But it does get a tiny bit frightening because it could not have been received like it has been received so far. The trailer made a big difference, because it was funny."


Saif Ali Khan in 'Go Goa Gone'

How do you kill dead people?
"I have never been a zombie fan. I've always been a vampire fan but this is actually more plausible. They are essentially people who have been affected with a virus except for a tiny part of their brain that's keeping things going. You can't kill them unless you blow their heads off.

You're known for playing quite edgy characters in your films. How did you develop Boris the zombie hunter?
"There's this video game called Duke Nukem. There's this psychopathic marine who's the protagonist so I think he looks a bit like that and that's really it. The directors knew how they wanted this guy. He's from Delhi but he's pretending he's Russian mafia, he's got this home-made tattoo and he's dyed his hair blonde. A lot of it happens instinctively but once you get the look right and you know the lines it falls into place. It was such a clearly written character there wasn't much more scope for showing different sides of his personality. He's a bit of a caricature actually."

When you are doing something a bit out of the box such as a drag sequence for Cocktail or portraying a Zombie hunter, does that require a lot of persuasion or are you naturally game for such things?
"I'm completely game. Absolutely. But if you do it just once in a while it stands out. But also, you have to do it for the right reason. The idea with Boris was never to just play an outlandish role for the sake of it or just to do something different. It was to make this film happen. It all started with the writers. This character is all on paper and was always entertaining right from the start. I think what's lucky is and what's clever, if you have the ability to see what you are seeing now in the script. That everybody's gonna love this and this is what Boris is gonna be like. So the ability to see that defines us as producers and actors or not."

There was a complaint made by the anti-smoking lobby in Goa regarding the image of you smoking a cigar on the poster and there's much discussion about portrayals of violence in cinema. Do actors and filmmakers have any social responsibility or should cinema just be about entertaining an audience?
"I think as an individual in my personal life I accept that I do have some social responsibility, but as an actor I feel I should be able to play what I want. There was some problem with the cigar in the poster, but it does take away from the overall effect. They made us replace it with a cartridge, so it's not quite the same. So that's upsetting and I've said to them: 'So why can't I be smoking a cigar?' and they argue that it's giving out the wrong message. I said 'But as an actor, surely not?' If you see me doing that out in the street or if there is a picture in the newspaper I might even apologize or clarify that I think it's a very bad habit and please don't copy what I'm doing.

"So I think there's social responsibility, yes, but when people watch a film it's a slightly archaic, semi-communist, out-dated nanny state kind of thinking that a lot of India has. It's changing… actually I don't know if it's really changing. It's an A certificate. I think they don't believe that the average Indian is capable of making his own decisions which is wrong."

You have said that Hindi cinema shouldn't try to crossover into Hollywood and perhaps be something it isn't. How do you feel then about Steven Spielberg coming to India to tell an Indian story?
"I just read one comment where he said that 'I'd like to see this film re-made into Hindi'. But that's just what we're doing, half the time trying we have films that are influenced or are copied. Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest filmmakers the world has ever seen, his treatment of so many subjects has been amazing, so I guess he knows what he's doing. I don't know what he's making in India. But I saw it as a huge difference in culture. It's very different for someone to come over from the West.

"My point was that traditionally in history the Christian states, let's say spread from England, America, and Europe and the Southern Mediterranean - the 'Monsoon belt' I believe it's called - from India to the Middle East , Turkey right up to Spain, were almost Muslim, so that belt is where Indian films should be exported. Like, a big Indian love story I'm sure would be popular in Iran because there's a connection culturally. So what I meant was, rather than explain to someone in the West why we eat with our hands, send our films to places where there's already a cultural understanding and a shared sensibility."

Saif Ali Khan in 'Being Cyrus'

© Times Infotainment Media

Saif Ali Khan in 'Being Cyrus'

You make an appearance in Bombay Talkies, which explores the emotional impact of our cinema and its stars on the lives of ordinary people at its deepest level. In a country where our actors are icons how do you come to terms with the power and influence you have to directly affect the lives of individuals, as a result of your films but also your star presence?
"I haven't really thought about it except that I'm appreciative of what I have and I don't mind doing an extra bit of something whether it's charity work or whether it's trying to spread some important message. But beyond that I don't really walk around feeling conscious of the idea that I have a lot of impact on people's lives. And I think I'm clear that I'm an actor and people shouldn't take it seriously beyond that, but they do. People take celebrity incredibly seriously, and they react to you strangely sometimes.

"I've seen people reacting to religion and celebrity in very strange ways. I find it a little odd. Some people are nice and normal about both these things, but some people aren't. They react a little too much and build you up larger than you are. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with obsessive fans, but I have had people gush too much. It's not that I mind, I just feel it's wrong if I'm complimented by that because it's not normal."

Can you tell us about your next releases Bullet Raja and Happy Ending?
"Bullett Raja is the next release after this and something I'm very excited about. Tigmanshu (Dhulia) is a great director. It's a complete performance - demanding in terms of clothes, and walk and accent. It's fun. It's an action move about the rise of a gangster who is created as a result of social situations. It's kind of like a desi Scarface. Then there's Raj and D.K's romantic comedy about a writer who gets roped into writing a pretty crappy Bollywood screenplay because he's broke."

We are of course celebrating 100 years of Hindi cinema. Who do you think is the greatest Bollywood actor ever?
"I say it would have to be between Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Dilip Kumar, right? That's as far back as I go and if you think about it, it would have to be these two names. Just the kind of roles and performances they gave. Few can compare."

Go Goa Gone will be released on May 10.

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