11 September 2024
Hyderabad

With Jr NTR-spearheaded Devara, Bollywood’s versatile actor Saif Ali Khan is making his Telugu/South debut. He is playing Bhairava in the action-drama, written and directed by Koratala Siva. On what led him to be a part of the film, the actor said, “Well, firstly I was excited to be offered a big movie from South, which has given us so many incredible movies. I think the future is going to be collaborations between North and South. Anyway I was very happy that both Tarak ji and Siva sir wanted me in the film. They’ve seen Omkara and remembered me for the role. So I have to thank Vishal ji for that (smiles). It was a very interesting character because there’s a younger version and there’s an older version. There’s crazy makeup. Also, I would say he is more of an anti-hero than a straight antagonist. There are many layers to it. It was absolutely lovely doing it. It’s like an entry into a new kind of cinema.”

Working with Tarak, Saif added, was amazing. “We had a laugh from day one. He's a very easy going person who wears his stardom lightly, which I like. Off set, he is a very friendly and welcoming person. He visited me in my van when I was waiting for a shot. He made me feel so comfortable. He invited me to his home; offered to cook food. He is one of the most hospitable people I’ve worked with. He's a really nice, down-to-earth guy. But when the camera is on and when I saw him shooting on the sets, he seems to be growing in stature and becoming a larger than life persona, which is a great star quality to have. And when it's cut, he’s back to being a normal fun person. He’s been great and it’s been so nice working with him. He was also very patient because it was a new language for me. He was so supportive. Looking into his eyes and saying dialogues to him. Never made me feel anything except confident. Thank you Tarak,” Saif raved.