Saif keen to work with Vishal Bhardwaj

Saif Ali Khan has enjoyed a good run at the box office lately. His maiden home production, Love Aaj Kal was a certified hit and his jodi with Deepika Padukone was well-received. Though Kurbaan didn"t do as well as expected, his performance was highly appreciated. And then came the icing on the cake – the Padma Shri award! It was a commendable achievement. Of late though, he has been written about more for his relationship with the stunning Kareena Kapoor rather than his work. He hopes to change that in the upcoming year.

Saif's career graph so far has seen him doing fun, light-hearted roles. His characters in films like Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho, Salaam Namaste and Love Aaj Kal have been fun-loving, chilled out. He has largely done romantic comedies, comedies and feel-good kind of films. Though he has done intense roles in Omkara and Ek Hasina Thi, he mostly adheres to the commercial genre of cinema. He is now looking to do more realistic films in future. The affable actor sent feelers to Vishal Bhardwaj, whose films belong to that category. Saif loved his Kaminey and is keen to star in a similar venture.

He is making a conscious effort to move away from his cute, chocolate boy image. His Langda Tyagi in Omkara was hugely popular with the audience. Vishal, who is currently busy with Saat Khoon Maaf, is reportedly planning a film with Chote Nawab. The Saif-Vishal combo is something to watch out for!