Saif Ali Khan reacts to son Ibrahim’s social media caption, ‘Me and my old man’; reveals next production could be a true-life story
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 18, 2020)

Your last film, Jawaani Jaaneman, was a fresh spin on the stereotypical father we’ve seen in the movies. How did you merge your on-screen avatar with your real-life role?
I didn’t, actually. My on-screen avatar wasn’t really much of a father. Fatherhood came to him as a surprise and the heroism of the character was in accepting the tremendous responsibility that suddenly came upon him. To look after the girl, Tia, who turns out to be his daughter, and let her stay with him, is what makes Jazz a hero. In real life, fatherhood is all about being present… about love, respect and closeness. A father is a guide and an anchor in his children’s lives. They should be able to come to you whenever they need to, you should be able to help them wherever they need help.

It must be encouraging for you as an actor and producer that the film was accepted by the audience. It reinforces the fact that our cinema is finally coming of age.
Cinema is circular in its growth and has links with the economy. For a while, we lost the plot, but now, there is a huge renaissance across platforms. Not only are we being offered lovely roles, but my generation and the one after mine can now think as actors. Earlier, to survive as human beings, we had to structure our lives as normal people. But now, we can immerse ourselves completely in a role and everything else becomes secondary. That’s an important change. It’s the age of the actor and we can now push the envelope. We’ve been doing it all along, but now it’s becoming the norm.

What’s next for you as a producer?
At the moment, we are negotiating for the rights to make a biopic. I can’t divulge details, but it ticks all the boxes for an interesting, box-office-friendly story. Hopefully, that’s what we will produce next.

Another period drama like Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior?
No, it’s a contemporary subject.

And as an actor?
Well, shooting for Bunty Aur Babli 2 is on… And then, there’s Bhoot Police.

The last time we spoke, you had mentioned that you would jump into the horror-comedy after you had a couple of hits to your credit.
(Laughs) Yes, I did, and I’m happy to report that they are going ahead with the project later in the year. Right now, the makers are trying to get an interesting cast in place. Bhoot Police is something I’m really excited about.

Recently, your son Ibrahim Ali Khan posted a picture with you and captioned it: Me and my old man. Instantly, your fans took umbrage because they thought he was calling you a ‘buddha’, when ‘old man’ is actually a phrase for father…
Yeah, it was quite funny. Being older doesn’t bother me and the fact is that I am Ibrahim’s old man. But I’m keen to be fit and look my best. I’m not going to be looking like an old man for a while, but I understand the irony of it.

Your son is a good-looking young man and is interested in following in your footsteps. Will you be launching Ibrahim soon?
I don’t know if I will launch him. It’s an option and films are certainly a viable career choice for him. He’s sporty and likes the idea of being in the movies rather than pursuing an academic job. No one in the family, with the exception of his sister (Sara Ali Khan), have been interested in the latter anyway.

What advice would you give Ibrahim, being an actor yourself?
It’s a different universe now, with different benchmarks. I would tell him to be well prepared and choose his films carefully.

Your daughter started out well, but her last film, which took your Love Aaj Kal forward, hasn’t done well.
I am very proud of Sara. Hits and misses are a part of the game.

What do you think of her Coolie No 1 remake?
Remaking Coolie No 1 seems like a good idea… And working with Varun Dhawan seems like a brilliant idea to me.

Dinesh Vijan is writing a role for you in the Go Goa Gone sequel because the zombie-hunter Boris was essential to the plot of the first part. What are your memories of the 2013 horror-comedy, which you had produced with him and Sunil Lulla?
My memories of the earlier film are that nobody wanted to make it. I was the one who said, let’s do it. I do not have the rights to the sequel, but I love the franchise, and if approached with a good role, I’d enjoy doing it.

Dinesh describes Go Goa Gone 2 as a stoner-comedy about the world coming to an end. Given the economic recession and the Coronavirus scare, it doesn’t seem like an implausible scenario currently...
We’ve had economic crashes and viral scares and while it is definitely a cause for concern today, we’ve found a way to counter it in the past and we can only remain positive now.

What did you think of Angrezi Medium?
Irrfan Khan is incredibly watchable.

And your wife, Kareena Kapoor?
She is amazing, as always. I like the way she slaps on-screen. I hope I’m not at the receiving end, ever.