Saif
Ali
Khan
is
just
five
minutes
away
before
he
addresses
the
Indian
media
on
his
maiden
venture
into
production
for
his
film
Love
Aaj
Kal
in
which
he
stars
opposite
the
beautiful
leggy
Deepika
Padukone.
But
inside
the
PVR
theatre,
the
room
temperature
is
high
and
our
mind
is
on
overdrive.
He
has
it
all.
A
successful
career
and
a
blissful
relationship
with
Kareena
Kapoor.
Media
keeps
waiting
for
more
than
an
hour
but
they
don't
complaint
because
the
man
in
question
is
a
'nawab'.
In
fact,
there
is
a
99%
possibility
that
he
can
be
declared
as
the
sexiest
man
alive
in
Bollywood.
So
there
he
was;
he
walks
up
to
the
stage
with
an
English
walk,
wearing
the
summer
cliche
white
shirt
and
blue
denims.
His
brown
boots,
brown
sun-glasses
and
belt
make
him
the
ultimate
spaghetti
western
and
a
true
style
icon
of
Hindi
cinema.
For
the
genial
Indian
actor,
there
is
more
than
usual
at
stake
because
Love
Aaj
Kal
is
too
personal
for
him.
Not
only
is
Saif
inspired
by
his
idol
Clint
Eastwood,
he
also
recalls
what
the
American
actor
once
said,
"The
worst
step
I
can
ever
take
is
to
get
into
production.
So
I've
named
my
company
'Malpaso'
which
means
a
bad
step".
Khan
quotes,
"I
think
that
was
very
brave
and
bold." We
meet
the
desi
cowboy
in
videsi
style
to
talk
all
about
Love
Aaj
Kal,
Deepika
Padukone,
Kareena
Kapoor,
Imtiaz
Ali,
his
take
on
life,
career
and
how
to
play
it
safe
in
love.
Over
to
Saif
in
Love!
As
a
debutant
producer
"You
are
never
hundred
percent
satisfied
as
a
producer.
Every
detail
has
to
be
organized.
Even
if
you
want
a
glass
of
water,
it
has
to
be
organized.
We've
learnt
a
lot
of
things
into
our
maiden
venture
and
my
dear
friend
and
partner
Mr.
Dinesh
Vijan
has
been
a
great
support.
Our
entire
team
of
Illuminati
is
fantastic.
But
it
was
Imtiaz
Ali
who
told
me
that
he
wanted
me
to
only
be
an
actor
as
he
didn't
like
me
to
handle
the
production
problems.
Yes,
creatively,
in
terms
of
promos,
posters,
etc
I've
been
actively
involved
with.
Being
a
producer
is
sometimes
frightening
but
it's
also
exciting.
I'm
in
a
positive
frame
of
mind
with
Love
Aaj
Kal."
Advice
from
Karan
Johar,
Farhan
Akhtar
I've
been
fortunate
enough
to
work
in
a
few
very
good
productions.
My
only
success
in
cinema
came
from
working
with
big
banners
like
Yash
Raj,
Excel
Entertainment,
Dharma
Productions,
etc.
I'm
fortunate
enough
to
have
friends
in
the
industry
who're
producers
too.
Karan
Johar
and
Farhan
Akhtar
would
be
happy
to
advice
me
on
the
finer
tips
about
production
if
ever
I
asked
them
for
one.
I
haven't
called
anyone
to
ask
for
help.
I'm
not
saying
that
I
know
everything
about
production
but
I
believe
that
everything
is
a
learning
process
and
somehow
we've
managed
to
make
our
first
film."
Getting
into
Production
"My
interest
really
is
not
so
much
in
production.
But
after
working
for
eighteen
years
you
feel
that
it'll
be
nice
to
own
a
little
bit
of
what
you're
working
for
and
work
a
little
bit
more
for
yourself
and
be
creatively
involved.
When
your
own
money
is
involved,
the
inputs
from
friends,
colleagues
mean
something
else.
So
I
wanted
to
learn
that
level
of
involvement
and
business
that
has
given
me
so
much.
Today,
I
do
feel
more
ready
as
a
producer,
an
independent
one
because
there
aren't
any
independent
producers
left.
All
have
turned
into
one
big
production
house."
The
mystery
woman
"There
isn't
any
mystery
surrounding
the
second
actress
in
Love
Aaj
Kal.
Her
name
is
Harleen.
She
isn't
here
as
a
part
of
the
promotion
for
the
film
because
we
felt
that
the
main
focus
of
the
movie
is
Deepika
and
myself
in
terms
of
characters.
Harleen
isn't
someone
whom
we've
kept
deliberately
away
from
you.
She
is
very
good
in
the
film."
Imtiaz
Ali
"When
you
hear
a
script
and
hear
a
vibe
from
somebody,
it
works
for
me.
A
famous
actor
once
said,
'The
clever
thing
an
actor
does
is
not
acting,
it's
the
listening
he
does'.
I'm
a
good
listener.
So
when
Imtiaz
narrated
me
the
script,
I
decided
that
we
should
go
ahead
with
the
film."
Love
1965
to
2009
"I
think
the
experience
of
love
is
the
same.
A
lot
of
cinematic
and
real
life
love
stories
have
certain
obstacles.
In
today's
time
it
could
be
career,
distance,
etc.
The
process
of
falling
in
love
may
be
different
in
two
different
eras
but
the
feeling
is
the
same.
That
is
pretty
much
what
Love
Aaj
Kal
is
about.
There
is
a
1965
love
kal
and
2009
love
aaj.
So
there
is
a
story
within
the
story
and
it's
not
really
a
comparison
between
two
different
eras.
I'm
not
playing
a
double
role
and
Imtiaz
Ali
isn't
going
to
make
a
film
which
is
confusing."
Saif
Ali
Khan
-
the
lover
"I
guess
everybody
has
the
same
definition
for
love.
I
mean,
I
am
lovey-dovey
kinds
but
also
a
bit
practical
and
if
you're
saying
that
there
is
too
much
love
happening
in
my
life,
I
think
it's
a
little
bit
unfair.
That's
got
a
lot
to
do
with
the
media
(laughs).
Yes,
I've
got
a
lot
of
love
in
my
life
which
is
a
good
thing."
Deepika
Padukone
"Deepika's
personality
grounds
my
personality
on
screen;
in
a
way
what
Rani
Mukherjee
does
because
we
are
different
types.
I'm
a
little
more
western
in
my
things
and
she
is
a
little
more
earthy.
That
mixture
makes
an
interesting
chemistry
on
screen."
Playing
a
Sardar
"To
play
a
Sardar,
I
had
some
responsibilities
to
it
also.
We
met
various
members
of
some
Sikh
organizations
like
the
Akalis.
They
were
all
very
happy
when
they
heard
about
the
film
and
my
role.
Dolly
Tiwari
who
has
done
my
clothes
in
the
film
has
been
so
perfect
to
dress
me
up
as
one.
A
lot
of
Sardarji's
will
be
very
proud
for
the
honourable
representation
that
this
character
has
given
in
the
film.
I
had
to
work
on
the
accent
a
little
bit."
On
IIFA
"IIFA
is
a
great
platform
to
promote
your
film
as
long
as
it
suits
everybody.
The
main
performance
slot
is
the
first
one
or
the
last
one
and
they
both
were
already
taken.
The
opening
act
was
already
booked
and
the
Bachchans
are
doing
the
grand
finale
at
this
year's
IIFA.
So
we
didn't
want
to
dissolve
our
film
somewhere
in
the
middle."
On
Salman
and
Akshay
playing
a
Sardar
"I
haven't
seen
Salman
Khan's
film
Heroes
but
I
have
seen
Akshay's
Singh
is
Kinng.
I
thought
that
it
was
a
very
glamorous
and
a
cool
kind
of
a
film
and
I
think
he
looked
very
good.
The
outfits
were
larger
than
life
but
the
Sardar
I'm
playing
is
very
down
to
earth
and
there
is
no
comparison.
You
should
see
a
film
as
a
new
and
a
different
world
and
only
then
you'll
enjoy
it.
We
can
compare
between
us
but
the
idea
is
just
to
be
genuine
within
that
and
not
really
think
about
others."