Actor Saif Ali Khan spoke candidly about why he got into films and about his children on an online chat show.
“One of the reasons why I got into films unfortunately, I’m being honest, is because I wasn’t interested in my exams and academics and I just ran away from home and said ‘Oh, movies sound great’. But I didn’t really know what I was talking about,” Khan said during an episode of online streaming service Saavn’s upcoming show Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev.
“So, this desire and this understanding of acting came a bit late for me if it had always been there. If it had been there earlier maybe I might have chosen to struggle in the US, I don’t know,” he added.
“But I think being sensible about it, you have more opportunities and again it’s that nepotism thing again. Being mum’s [veteran actress Sharmila Tagore] son would give me a [better] chance here to meet people than in America,” Khan said.
The actor said he feels he’s a better actor when he’s speaking in English.
“I think in English, I speak in English as a primary language, unless I’m speaking to someone who is working for me usually,” Khan said.
“There’s a difference there, so I think I will be a better actor in English because I’ll know when I’m lying whereas in Hindi I’ve never said to a girl ‘aapki aakhein itni khoobsoorat hai’ [your eyes are so beautiful] so I don’t know whether that sounds genuine or not, I’m not used to saying that,” he added.
Khan’s daughter Sara is gearing up for her debut film Kedarnath.
“I have seen her do a very funny advert when she was four and she’s been like this all along. There was actress Aishwarya Rai on stage in New York with people going ballistic and Sara sitting on the floor behind the curtain saying ‘This is what I want to do’,” said Khan.
“She always wanted to do this, it’s just that she took... a shine to academics and then ended up doing so well at Columbia that one thought came, listen maybe a slightly more stable thing because I don’t know... who knows. I wish her all the best,” he added.
Talking about his youngest child Taimur, Khan said: “He is a genetic treasure trove, he is. He has got a bit of Rabindranath Tagore, he is a bit of Raj Kapoor, a bit of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, little bit of Bhopal. It’s beyond me.”
