Piyush Roy
He has been the hero in some of the landmark heroine-oriented films of our times. He’s been part of some cracking male bonding narratives, lending valuable supporting presence to few memorable double lead projects. He’s had that rare distinction of winning a Best Actor National Award, in the genre of comedy that’s often erroneously dismissed as inconsequential for its lightness. And, yet he’s managed to make a mark, even when featuring in some talent rich star heavy ensemble films. After an entertaining fictional outing as a desi Bond in Agent Vinod fighting sub-continental terrorism, Saif Ali Khan ventures into the genre of docu-fictionfor the first time with Kabir Khan’s Phantom (an onscreen adaptation of crime journalist S. Hussain’s Zaidi’s Mumbai Avengers on the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks).
Phantom, however is not just another action film. It reaffirms the mettle of this ‘least acknowledged’ Bollywood Khan, as an actor not only capable of good acts in a variety of performances, but also as a star personally secure enough, to challenge himself professionally to do parts that are not merely defined by the length of his presence. His beginning may have been unsure, but once the appeal of the art caught on the craft of his act, there has been no looking back to his penchant for frequently pushing the boundary in the choice of his roles and films. Here’s a sampling of the Saif acting story in all its notes – comic, tragic and dramatic with ample thrills thrown in between…
Main Khiladi Tu Anari (Deepak Kumar, 1994)
Playing a star, frustrated with his type-cast Bollywood romantic hero roles, Main Khiladi… was quite a revelation of Saif’s natural ease with comedy. Deepak wants to do something different, to bring excitement to his dull existence. Driving after a drunken binge he’s arrested by the police and lands up in the cell of an upright inspector Karan Joglekar (Akshay Kumar). Impressed by Karan’s assertiveness, courage and honesty, he wants to be with him and study his behavior to lend a ‘realistic’ take to his next role, though Karan nursing a personal revenge mission wants little to do with this erring appendage. Eventually the duo break ice, bond and bumble through their revenge mission making this average laugh riot memorable for the ‘rib-tickling’ Akshay-Saif chemistry on show.
Dil Chahta Hai (Sameer, 2001)
Farhan Akhtar’s now cult movie on male camaraderie stands out for its authentic takes on the life, longings and lifestyles of an urban trio. Three friends, played by Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Saif, share each other’s good moments and have a good laugh at each other’s goof-ups. Saif delivers a career-best performance, in a role that could have been easily played down as a comic act by a less talented actor. He stands his own amidst two intense love story tracks featuring Aamir and Akshaye. His scenes may be few, but his moments with his first girl-friend (Suchitra Pillai) in the initial reels and later with the character played by Sonali Kulkarni as his fiancé are hilarious. Not once does he let himself feel overawed by the presence of two powerful actors, because his act is an excellent play in simplicity that stands out for its natural charm.
Ek Hasina Thi (Karan Singh Rathod, 2004)
Ek Hasina Thi revolves around Sarika (Urmila Matondkar), an independent woman, who falls in love with a businessman Karan (Saif), she knows little about. Life delivers a rude shock, when she is arrested for being connected with the underworld. Fooled by Karan, Sarika is made to plead guilty for a crime she never committed. While serving a grueling seven-year prison sentence, she transforms into a hardened victim of circumstance who seeks revenge on her wrongdoers. The film may seem to belong to Urmila, but Saif matches her scene-for-scene with his villainous act, spewing venom and callousness rarely seen from a lead actor. Sarika’s pain evokes empathy because of the unusual level of meanness meted out to her by Karan, sans compunction. Saif is captivating as never before, mastering the art of being disgusting and appealing at the same time.
Hum Tum (Karan Kapoor, 2004)
On the face of it, this When Harry Met Sally inspired flick may look an extension of its lead actors, playing parts they are often seen in – he a not believing in love urban heart-breaker and she a dissatisfied in love spinster. Saif plays a cartoonist, who runs a boy and girl cartoon strip in a national daily titled ‘Hum Tum.’ Rani keeps coming and going from his life, getting married and widowed, while it takes almost a decade for Saif to recognise his love for her, and wake up to valuing women and marriage. Saif ‘surprised’ many by winning a best actor national award for his ‘honest and subtle performance sans one false note in his acting.’ His win became tad controversial, but the jury stood by its choice arguing, ‘Here is an actor approaching a role in a different way with sheer ease, subtlety and spontaneity while portraying a complex and demanding part.’
Being Cyrus (Cyrus Mistry, 2005)
An unusual top shot of Saif lying on a bed of dry leaves launches this beautifully photographed film, which makes sure that you think of nothing but Cyrus (Saif) and his vibes with five other equally colourful characters and their bizarre repartees. Cyrus constantly shuttles between two dysfunctional units – a dope-smoking retired sculptor, Dinshaw Sethna (Naseeruddin Shah) and his voluptuous aged wife Katy’s (Dimple Kapadia) Panchgani home and an old building in Mumbai, where Dinshaw’s neglected father stays with his brother Farokh (Boman Irani) and his way-too-young wife Tina (Simone Singh). Unlike the many obvious Bollywood narratives, Being Cyrus is an intense psychological drama that speaks the most in its subtle metaphors.
Omkara (Ishwar ‘Langda’ Tyagi, 2006)
One of Saif’s career best acts, he almost eclipsed the talented Ajay Devgn’sone-dimensional title role by his colourful Langda Tyagi act, in Vishal Bharadwaj’s contemporary telling of Shakespeare’sOthello set in north India’s gang lands. Omkara (Devgn) is a gifted chieftain who heads a gang of outlaws, including the crafty Langda Tyagi (Saif) and the dynamic Kesu (Vivek Oberoi). The action begins when Omkara appoints Kesu and not Langda as his chief lieutenant. Raging with envy Langda hatches a plot to falsely implicate Omkara’s wife Dolly (Kareena Kapoor) in a love affair with his favourite deputy. With the unwitting aid of his wife Indu (Konkona Sen Sharma), Langda’s plan shape a horrific tragedy. Saif’s most critically hailed performance by Western critics has The Observer’s Philip French rate his Iago inspired character, the film’s ‘most satisfactory performance’ amongst many competent acts. If Dil Chahta Hai reignited Saif’s career, Omkara redefined his mettle as an actor.
Kurbaan (Ehsaan Khan, 2009)
Kurbaan tackles many a loaded contemporary trigger topics – terror, Islam, America and the rest of the world. Simultaneously, it alsotries to penetrate the psyche of not just the terrorist, but more importantly someone who’s been a forced accomplice and wife of a terror driver. Ehsaan Khan (Saif) is a smooth-talking, handsome professor who walks into fellow professor Avantika Ahuja’s (Kareena Kapoor) life and takes over her world. They build their love nest in an Asian neighbourhood in New York. Avantika’s world comes crashing down when she accidentally runs into her neighbour’s dead body and eavesdrops into a terror conspiracy involving Ehsaan. Teaming opposite (then girlfriend), wife Kareena Kapoor for the first time, their comfort level may have failed to impress the
audience, but Saif showcased well, his versatility, in his angst driven, underplayed enactment of a flawed role.