Saif Ali Khan: My equation with Kangana is of warmth and friendliness

Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut were last seen together in the movie Rangoon. Though the movie did not fare well at the BO, their performance and chemistry was much appreciated. Apparently, the two stars shared a good offscreen vibe as well, which holds good even today, as per Saif Khan.

Saif, during the promotions of his movie Chef, spoke about his equation with his controversial Rangoon co-star. He said, “My equation with Kangana is that of warmth and friendliness. I enjoyed working with her.”

Sometime back, Saif had joined Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan in throwing a dig at Kangana for her comments on Nepotism. However, all the three stars later apologized to Kangana for their comments, which they clarified, were said in jest.

There was also an open letter – exchange between Kangana and Saif on the same topic. However, both the stars were respectful towards each other during these conversations.

On the work front, Saif is excited about Chef. The movie is directed by Raja Krishna Menon and features Saif and Padmapriya Janakiraman in the lead roles. It is an official remake of American film Chef and is scheduled for a release on 6 October.

Saif Ali Khan: “I’m very fond of Kangana and respect her achievements.”

Saif Ali Khan, Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan took a dig at Kangana Ranaut for starting the Nepotism debate in Bollywood. The trio were of the IIFA Awards 2017 stage and their ‘Nepotism Rocks’ act didn’t go down well with anyone. Looking at all the flak they have been receiving, Varun took to twitter today to apologise. In his tweet, he said, “I express my apology and regret… I am extremely sorry if I have offended or hurt anyone with that act.” After reading Judwaa 2 actor’s tweet, we decided to get in touch with Saif Ali Khan as fans were shocked and upset about the star being a part of this distasteful act.

We asked the actor if in hindsight he feels that this whole ‘nepotism rocks’ incident was better avoided. He said, “I’m very fond of Kangana (Ranaut) and respect her achievements. This whole thing was never meant seriously and I thought it’s a joke against us more than anyone else (as clearly there is more to our achievements than nepotism!!) no harm meant.” Looking at the Rangoon star’s stance, it is clear that he meant no harm.

Saif and Kangana shared the screen for the first time in Rangoon which released earlier this year. The film didn’t work well at the box office, but both their performances were applauded. In fact, Kangana looked extremely comfortable in Saif’s company during the promotions of their film and it seemed that they have bonded well while working on the film.

We are happy that Saif cared to revert and clear his stand on this nepotism act. He proved that he deserves every bit of the respect that he commands in the industry.

Saif Ali Khan talks about Kaalakaandi, Sacred Games — and that Kangana Ranaut joke at IIFA

It’s been an eventful weekend for Saif Ali Khan. No sooner had Kaalakandi’s teaser released last week, than the news came in that he’ll be headlining Netflix’s first Indian original series Sacred Games. Two different projects and platforms tackling Mumbai’s famed underbelly, with Saif playing very distinctive characters. The actor has had some tough luck at the box office in the past couple of years, but his current professional choices look to redeem his image as an actor who balances mainstream and indie roles with Nawabi panache.

Then on Sunday was broadcast the 18th edition of IIFA from New York (actually New Jersey) that was jointly hosted by Karan Johar and Saif. For all the glitzy television spectacle that it was, the hosts were widely panned in the media for unexceptional humour, particularly the tone-deaf treatment of the Kangana-nepotism debate.

Widely regarded as someone who is reasonable and liberal in thoughts and views, Saif being a part of this insular gag, seemed out of touch with his personality. The kind of work he’s doing this year is testimony to the professional and personal introspection that he’s done.
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In a free-wheeling exclusive conversation, Saif, true to his forthright nature, fields every question thrown his way.

Excerpts —

Don’t forget to watch Saif Ali Khan in Rangoon on Colors TV on Sunday at 1pm

Video: Rangoon: Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan Exclusive Interview

“Saif Ali Khan was well-versed with the style of that time” : costume designer Dolly Ahluwalia

From dressing sassy showgirls to recreating period army uniforms in Rangoon, costume designer Dolly Ahluwalia discusses the challenges of a historical wartime romance.

WHEN two-time National Award-winning costume designer Dolly Ahluwalia says that Vishal Bhardwaj’s war and romance drama Rangoon has been the toughest movie of her career, she’s not kidding. With films such as Bandit Queen (1993), Omkara (2006) and Haider (2014) under her belt, she’s no stranger to large-scale spectacles and sweeping canvases. But Bhardwaj’s latest, set during World War II and shot largely in Arunachal Pradesh, proved to be a formidable challenge. The experience was much like the volatile storyline of the love triangle between livewire action heroine Julia (played by Kangna Ranaut), erstwhile actor and debonair producer Rusi Billimoria (Saif Ali Khan) and soldier Nawab Mallik (Shahid Kapoor).

Armed with keywords such as “love triangle”, “war”, “aristocracy”, “comedy”, “tragedy” and “sensuousness”, Ahluwalia set about creating a canvas for each of her characters. “I watched a lot of Hollywood and Bollywood films from the ’40s to see what the fashion was like back then, delved into old fashion magazines that I sourced from London and studied people’s personal albums to gauge the Western trends that had percolated down to India,” she says.

Video: Rangoon star cast Saif Ali Khan-Kangana Ranaut-Shaheed Kapoor exclusive interview