Saif Ali Khan Reveals To Neha Dhupia On Jio Saavn #nofilterneha Season 5 Part Two

Compiled by Jyothi Venkatesh

IMTIAZ ALI OFFERED SAIF ROCKSTAR?

I was offered, Imtiaz wanted to make Rockstar but we made Love Aaj Kal instead. And then he made it with Ranbir. His first offer to me was this film called Rockstar

SAIF THINKS KAREENA IS MRS. GRAM!

Just because I’m not on social media doesn’t mean I don’t know what it is, for God’s sake. I actually was on it (Instagram) and I deleted it because I was finding it, again, I was getting irritated by toxic remarks and it’s taking too much of time and its making me frown and I don’t want to get annoyed so literally, Ignorance is bliss. It’s like why would you want to listen to all that. My wife, on the other hand, I think she’s Miss Instagram, Mrs. Gram!

WHY HE ISN’T ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I was never really on social media. I asked my wife once; I said what the big thing is? She said, its nice to know what’s going on in the world, to see what people are doing. So, I did it but then I thought there was a bit of negativity and it was just upsetting me and I thought, why do I want to read this and why is it even important. It can become important in your life, what people are saying to you. I’m thinking back to when we were kids in school, a good teacher said, you shouldn’t really think what people think too much. Don’t try to impress people all the time, don’t be too concerned.

It goes against what an actor stands for so often on social media. So, I am really happy with how we’re doing, I’m hesitating to say, reasonably well paid and having a happy life, everything’s good. I mean, it really fills me with anger and negativity when I read some really random crap as a response, and that’s fair enough, I mean people ought to do what they want. But you know like, I wouldn’t have dinner with like a bunch of nuts off the street so why am I getting involved in my head with them also, is what my thinking is. Like these people, I don’t know who they are, you can’t see a face, and you don’t know where they are coming from.

All you know is that a lot of people out there think a lot of shit, so it makes you dislike people, actually. It makes you think God, what kind of environment do we live in. That’s not nice way to think. A nicer way to think is, oh, I’m reading my book, I’ve got my kid, I’m happy with my life and when I go out, I assume everything is lovely because I’m happy. That is, I think is a healthier way to operate than being aware of the kind of toxicity that is around, it doesn’t suit me. Some people are thicker skinned, they’re like, it doesn’t matter.

SAIF’S FAKE ACCOUNT NAME

When I had my fake account, I called it Shakun Kothari

WHO WOULD SAIF BLOCK IF HE WAS ON INSTAGRAM?

I’ve looked at a lot of actors’ Instagram things, I must say, I don’t know, I haven’t found a very interesting one because they’re usually like working out or outsights of workout or then eating a bagel somewhere and I’m like ok FAB! I’ve been blocking left right and centre, I’ve blocked so many people, on WhatsApp also- a lot of people

HIS TAKE ON TROLLING

Part of the evolution of the world is where things that you take for granted, which are wrong, get addressed. Whether it’s some kind of a, like not an obvious #MeToo kind of thing or even kind of a sexual harassment at work or something, that maybe in the 60's was considered normal is now not acceptable. So, there is a constant evolving of morality and acceptance of behaviour. So, maybe in about 10-20 years, people would say, oh trolling! Can you imagine there used to be trolling in those days where people would say whatever they want about people, maybe there will be cyber police where if you said a certain language or a thing and someone would knock on your door

SAIF OPENS UP ABOUT TAIMUR AND PAPS

Ya, I think he’s realised that there will be cameras in certain places. He has never enjoyed being photographed particularly, even by us at home. But he understands,I mean, he smiles and waves and he likes camera flashes but it’s just something he’s always seen so he doesn’t think about it. It’s funny, like this house that we live in, is really cluttered. It has things lying around, paintings and books and things and lot of people said you’ll have to clear this up, you know, lots of glasses on a low shelf. My mother and a few other people said, it’s all gotta move when the kid’s running around. And we didn’t get around to moving it ever and he’s just made his way around it, he’s never broken a thing. I’m just saying what you grow up with you just become used to.

I mean, it makes me a little tense, he gets that vibe and then when they would chase him to school, you worry, I mean, there’s too much attention sometimes. It’s sad, you know, people don’t let you be like a normal kid in Bombay. This star kid is a tag that just falls on you, whether you like it or not and in fact, the answer is you don’t want it but what can you do. So, they are serving a purpose, someone says don’t stop them, they’re doing their job, they are also getting paid, you know it’s a lockdown situation so in India, there’s that complicated thing and an American would be like – hey, can you please not stalk my house. But here I’m like I understand you’re getting paid and I don’t want to stop you getting rozi-roti. So, it’s like that, you don’t know how to react. I think when you resist it, it becomes a situation, when you hide from them, or run around with your hat pulled low, but if you just give them that picture, just give a smile and just move on. So, the important thing is to tell Taimur – you must be polite and it’s no big deal and I think he’s learnt that.

SAIF SAYS HE HASN’T HAD IT EASY

A lot of times, unfortunately. And I knew that you gotta take it seriously and but this the thing. I don’t personally think I’ve had it particularly easy even though some people will say oh, of course you have! But I’ve done a lot of crap that lot of people wouldn’t have done. I mean I’ve played third lead in some dodgy movie, films like Suraksha, and Ek Tha Raja which nobody has heard of. But I never thought what the hell am I doing here. I knew what I was doing there. I was trying to get paid and trying to do this job. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere and I was like ok. But it helps when you’re 25, it’s alright not be going anywhere if you’re 25 but you don’t want to be there at 50 for sure, you’re like wow, where’s this going. But a job’s a job, right. 

SAIF REVEALS THE NAME OF HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY ON NO FILTER NEHA!

I think I’ll call my autobiography – I’ll be good from tomorrow. I have said that so often, it’s usually diet based or alcohol-based. And I’d have chapter heading also, like probably ‘shouldn’t have had the whiskey’

HOW SAIF GOT OVER THE DARK

I actually had an experience with LSD once when I was 22 and I realised that I'm not scared of the dark anymore. I used to be. It could have gone either way apparently. It is dangerous maybe I could have developed a phobia of the dark, you know. That could have happened as well. But this is what happened. And I realised with all clarity that there is nothing in the dark except darkness. And I’ve never been scared since. Except now I think it’s worn off. It’s an art form to frighten someone anyway but like a subtle shiver you get and its gotta be short obviously, and it’s gotta be scary and it’s gotta be well written and descriptive.

The great writers sometimes weigh-in and kind of write a ghost story and it’s like singing summertime, you know where all the singers have done it because it’s a song with range where you can show-off your skills. Similarly, Charles Dickens, Emily Edwards and various people, everyone’s written a ghost story and that’s the time you can see their class. The Oxford book of ghost stories has a great collection that starts from the first ghost story written to one of the most recent ones, they’re just really good and lovely to read at night before going to sleep

ACCORDING TO SAIF, KAREENA’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY WILL BE CALLED

Balancing Act

ACCORDING TO SAIF, SARA ALI KHAN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY WILL BE CALLED

Namaste

ACCORDING TO SAIF, AKSHAY KUMAR’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY WILL BE CALLED

Chest hair is coming to mind. I think I’ll call it Khiladi No 1

ACCORDING TO SAIF, KUNAL KEMMU’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY WILL BE CALLED

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance