Saif Ali Khan on social media: ‘I feel it is a dishonest medium; privacy invasion is a bit unsettling to me’

You’ve had a successful career in Bollywood and have also experimented with web series. What do you enjoy most about acting, and what challenges have you faced in your career?

Well, I do really enjoy acting and recently, it has become more intense because there are long lines to learn and the acting style is also different in films like Tanhaji — they are more theatrical. So, preparing for movies like Laal Kapthan, Tanhaji and Adipurush, gave me the theatrical ability, which normally you have to get trained in the theatre to gain. Since I have not studied theatre, I learn on the job, while prepping for the role. It is interesting that the more you work, the better you get at something. Thus, doing various films and roles prepares you more and to be better. Acting is such a magical profession; it has no end to how much you can improve. That keeps me on my toes because when I look at what Al Pacino does, who is really a God in his field, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I love being shot by a good DOP, and filmed well. With a glint of light in your eyes as you say a particular line, background music, and good makeup, the whole thing is quite an addictive feeling. I get lazy and enjoy being at home, but when I’m on set, I realise I’ve really missed being shot well.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the industry, how do you manage to maintain your calm and peace?

It is tough to be always peaceful and calm, but music helps. I play the guitar and read quite often. I just take a deep breath and affirm that everything is alright, and we don’t have to run around like mad people. And like I said, you make a nice home, and then you create a nice atmosphere to chill. Lockdown taught me a lot of that, but I always knew that it’s not about chasing things. Like, you may chase a little bit, but then you know that this is enough and not be constantly restless.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) 

How do you manage to maintain a healthy work-life balance while fulfilling your work commitments and also prioritising your family?

Well, it’s tricky. There’s so much. If I was single and I didn’t have a family, then I’d probably have done a lot more work and made more money, but you can always burn out. It’s like your family is your base camp and your work is the mountain you are trying to climb. If you only try to climb mountains, then there is no base camp left and then you do not get any mountains to climb really. Thus, they are connected, one has to feed the other, and family is very important. Though, it has become easy for me because the kids are in school now. You need to find the balance. For instance, after a film, we probably like to take a vacation as a family. And it’s in those simple moments, where you are eating with your kids or sharing a glass of wine with your partner in the kitchen that brings me peace. So, the key to life is balancing, it’s like “don’t fly too close to the sun and don’t fly too close to the sea, just something in the middle.”

You just mentioned about your love of books. Tell us about your favourite authors and books, and how reading has impacted your life

I’m not reading too much fiction, I read a lot of history. I’m reading about Jinis and slums because I was working on a script involving jins. I like reading about fairy tales and their hidden meaning, a little bit of psychology, a little bit of history, and instructive stuff about art, history, and the mind. I also love reading about short stories and ghost stories by great English authors like MR James, Charles Dickens, etc. Reading gives you a perspective of things and you get to know about different people in the world. But there is so much to know, that how ridiculously little one knows. There never is enough time to read the classic and to know everything. I wish I had started reading at the age of six, but anyway. Reading is great, it has enriched me and given me a sense of historical perspective. It’s given me a sense of heroic perspective when you kind of know like stories from the Mahabharata, stories from the Greek mythology and you connect with them because it’s weird how it seems to be one parent story that is kind of told in so many ways and different cultures, but the same things are celebrated. I love reading books before I go to sleep but I have to find that I need to be fit and energetic to read.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) 

Your elegant and dapper style is loved by all. What is your style mantra?

I do love dressing up sometimes and if the weather supports it, then it is great fun to dress up. A lot of work we do is for cameras and if the weather does not help, it is a bit of a pain really to get ready, especially for an event but sometimes that’s fine too. On holidays, when I am in a cold place like winters in the north – Delhi and Jaipur, dressing up is more fun. I love formal Indian and clothes. I don’t dress up for the gym as it doesn’t matter to me and I’m happy that people can see how I, as a person, can dress very casually and sloppily as well as dress well at the right time. I find it to be a way of expression, where your mood decides what you wear. Some days, I put in a lot of thought and on the others, I don’t but I try to dress well and carry every outfit with ease because I am comfortable.

Despite the growing buzz and ‘need’ of social media in today’s age, how have you managed to keep yourself away from the same?

I don’t know why, but I feel it is like a dishonest medium in the sense that I would just be promoting wonderful pictures of how happy I am and how great my life is, and that makes me slightly uncomfortable because people might not have the same fortune as me. I make money from my work, and that is my profession. These things do not make much sense to me because you can lose touch with reality. If you’re trying to enjoy a beautiful sunset or an emotional moment with your family, you break that emotional connection as soon as you pull out your phone to upload a story to post. I think you need to sit down quietly and take it in mentally; that adds something to you. However, if you keep trying to photograph moments thinking it’s going to help your memory, you end up not remembering it properly and then the photograph doesn’t mean anything a while later, not always, but generally. Having said that I would love to have some social media presence and it’s a really cool thing, but the privacy invasion is a bit unsettling to me.

You have recently been announced as the first brand ambassador of Lay’s Gourmet. How do you feel to reunite with the brand?

My previous association with the brand was for many years and is very memorable to me. I am equally thrilled to rejoin the family as the first-ever brand ambassador for Lay’s Gourmet. These aren’t just chips, they’re the perfect accompaniment for moments of finesse. And as someone who appreciates fine taste, this was a very easy ‘yes’ for me. I am sure that the audience will appreciate the exceptional taste and quality, just as much as I do.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!