Saif Ali Khan Was ‘Heartbroken’ When Agent Vinod Didn’t Work, Says ‘I Could’ve Made My Character More Desi’

Agent Vinod which turned 12 on Saturday, March 23 was a very special film for Saif Ali Khan. He turned producer with this honourable misfire. Agent Vinod was a full-on take on the James Bond-Tom Cruise genre of sensuous spying with Saif dressed at his best, wooing and bedding some of the most glamorous women in the industry. Saif produced the film to ensure his role turned out just so.

Ever since Rajshri made the low-budget Agent Vinod in 1977 featuring the then-rising Mahendra Sandhu, as the spy who loved girls’ gadgets and stunts, Saif was fascinated by the thought of doing a take on the title. Though our Agent Vinod had nothing to do with the old Rajshri film of that name, it explored the same espionage territory, albeit in an entirely new idiom. Director Sriram Raghavan and Saif had been brainstorming over this project for a long time. Saif lost weight to look lean mean and macho to play Agent Vinod.

Saif Ali Khan talks about Ek Hasina Thi on its 20th anniversary

Sriram Raghavan’s Ek Hasina Thi provided Saif Ali Khan with a chance to explore darker roles, expanding his acting repertoire. Reflecting on the experience in an exclusive interaction, Saif expresses enthusiasm for the film, highlighting the creative freedom to break away from conventional formulas. Playing a badass character allowed him to move beyond typical chocolate boy roles.

For Saif Ali Khan, Sriram Raghavan’s Ek Hasina Thi was an opportunity to dabble in darkness. The crime thriller extended his canvas as an actor. Recalling the experience of working in the film Saif, in an exclusive interaction, says, “What to say about the film and Sriram … it was a fab experience … something new and different and great fun. I felt free to do creative stuff what wasn’t the regular formula. Also I got to play a badass , which helped get away from chocolate boy roles.”

Recalling the collobration with Sriram, Saif says, “It was creatively great fun. We planned how blood would splatter on a wall behind a head that got shot by mistake. It was a great creative outlet. We experienced the fun of doing an Indie film. Ek Hasina Thi was really low-budgeted. But the script had some immensely offbeat moments which made it a special film for the audience. It was truly liberating to work like that.”

As for working with Urmila Matondkar, Saif comments, “She was very nice and cool. And I thought she was terrific in the film.”

Ends Saif, “Sadly we never had a great end written when we started shooting. There is a lesson there … never start filming without a good properly worked out script! But it was fun. And I’m so happy I did it.”

Sriram Raghavan reveals Saif Ali Khan wanted Vijay Sethupathi’s part in Merry Christmas: ‘He was a little upset’

Sriram Raghavan revealed that he wanted a fresh pair for Merry Christmas, and had to say no to Saif Ali Khan for Vijay Sethupathi’s role opposite Katrina Kaif.

The unusual pairing of Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in Merry Christmas has been the talk of the town. In a new interview with Pinkvilla, director Sriram Raghavan revealed that there was another actor who had shown interest in the part before Vijay came on board. That actor was Saif Ali Khan, with whom Sriram has worked earlier in Ek Hasina Thi (2004) and Agent Vinod (2012).

Sriram said, “I wanted a very unique kind of a pairing because that’s the story’s requirement. One should not get any baggage from either of them. So I had met another actor who had liked the role also, but then I told him sorry.”

Celebrating 10 years of Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod

Celebrating 10 years of Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod

TOUGH CALL: When Sriram Raghavan shot with Urmila Matondkar, Saif Ali Khan and a bunch of rats for Ek Hasina Thi

Fifteen years since its release, my debut film Ek Hasina Thi is still remembered for its horrific rats. Interestingly, they were not a part of the initial script. In the first act—the initial 45 minutes—Saif’s (Ali Khan) character, Karan Singh Rathod, comes across as a classy guy, a suave, rich businessman, even though one is unsure about what he does.

It was while brainstorming with RGV (producer Ram Gopal Varma) on how to establish that Karan is a gangster with underworld links, that we recalled a scene from The Godfather, Part 3, where Andy Garcia and his girfriend were in bed when a gangster surprises her in the kitchen. In our film, Urmila’s (Matondkar) character Sarika is surprised not by a man but a mouse in the kitchen. Her scream brings Karan running, but he later scoffs at her for being frightened of a mouse which has since fled.

The scene brought thrills and some laughs and helped establish that Sarika is terrified of rats till she is thrown into prison for a crime she is tricked into confessing to having committed. Behind bars, she encounters not just bullies and weirdoes, but also looks her fear straight in the eye. When she smashes a plate on one of the rats, you know her ordeal has empowered her. And that was the perfect interval point.

Will Saif Ali Khan be part of Sriram Raghavan’s next – ‘Ekkis’ ?

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, who is set to direct a film on the life of youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal, says it is the most challenging subject for him.

Dinesh Vijan will be producing the biopic which is tentatively titled “Ekkis”.

“Dinesh offered me this film and when I heard it, I found it interesting. ‘Ekkis’ is a working title. We are set in 1970s. It is the story of two eras. We have finished the script and are doing a rewrite and all,” Raghavan said.

“We have enough people from military on board. These things you can’t get it wrong one bit. When you are working on a real story it is your responsibility to get everything right and stay as true and authentic as possible. It is all the more challenging for me as it is not my zone, I am doing something else. But I liked the story so I am doing it,” he added.