The Rising

8216;8216;I always knew there8217;s more to me than what people thought and what I was showing. Guess I8217;m a late starter,8217;8217; says the actor.

Khan8217;s award represents the blurring of lines between the mainstream and niche. After all, isn8217;t he just a multiplex hero working his way through urban romantic comedies? Come to think of it, Khan is hardly a method actor. Rather, he typifies a guy who is sort of everything, while pretending to be nothing.

The 35-year-old actor, currently holidaying in Italy with girlfriend Rosa, reveals he thought he8217;d got the award for Parineeta. 8216;8216;I was like, but Parineeta just released! That8217;s more award material than Hum Tum.8217;8217;

8216;8216;Saif doesn8217;t obviously state every emotion but his timing is impeccable. He has the same ease as Raghubeer Yadav,8217;8217; says film-maker Sudhir Mishra, who was on the jury of this year8217;s National Awards.

Khan isn8217;t into analysing his cool quotient. 8216;8216;Many people think I just go there and say a few smart lines. They can8217;t see the effort that goes into making sure people sit through and listen.8217;8217;

And all that effort is showing. Khan8217;s the only actor8212;after Ajay Devgan8212;in the current big bracket to win a National Award. And the first Khan to do so. Yet he doesn8217;t feel he8217;s part of the Khan clan or, if you want a cheesy media pun, the Khandan. 8216;8216;I8217;ve never thought of myself as part of any dan. I8217;m as unique as anyone,8217;8217; he jokes.

The self-assurance has come after long spells of introspection. At one point, he was criticised for almost everything from his haircut to his angrezi accent. Doubts were also raised about his sexuality. 8216;8216;Many nasty things were said about me. But I swear I would8217;ve said nastier things about myself. I was really bad.8217;8217;

While Dil Chahta Hai is considered his big comeback movie, it was actually Sooraj Barjatya8217;s Hum Saath Saath Hain which put him back on the radar. 8216;8216;That was when I planned my second innings. I chose to do less work and with people who had a similar taste in cinema,8221; says Khan. Today, a typical Saif film is recognised by its easy language, breezy situations and urban humour. And his stock is rising steadily. The success of Hum Tum has made him the latest mascot of the Yash Raj banner. He8217;s just finished shooting for debutant Siddharth Anand8217;s Salaam Namaste and trade pundits are already calling him the 8220;alternative Shah Rukh Khan8221; in the Chopra camp.

8216;8216;SRK is a fantastic asset for Yash Raj Films. He8217;s their property, just like I am. Though his worth is more than mine, I also have some worth.8217;8217;

Like many of his on-screen personas, Khan likes to take it easy. Since his messy divorce from Amrita Singh last August, he has more or less been out of the country. 8216;8216;I8217;m at peace now. At least, I am being honest. And that8217;s a nice place to be. It wasn8217;t easy taking a major decision like that, but it was for the best.8217;8217;

But why go public about his marriage being an 8216;8216;impossible relationship8217;8217; and 8216;8216;not getting to meet his children, Sara and Ibrahim8217;8217;? 8216;8216;It8217;s sorted now. I gave in to a weak moment when I spoke about my marriage. I won8217;t do it again.8217;8217;

These days, he functions on a finish-movie-and-take-time-off funda. If he8217;s not travelling with Rosa, he8217;s busy reading Umberto Eco. Or reading out fairy tales to his kids. 8216;8216;Cinema8217;s gonna be my life for a long time, but I also like to spend time with myself,8217;8217; he says.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra doesn8217;t think highly of Khan8217;s approach. 8216;8216;Saif should capitalise on his success. After Parineeta, his overseas market has grown, he should make use of it.8217;8217;

But for Khan, there8217;s no going back to a 8216;8216;filmi8217;8217; movie. What excites him today is the idea of doing an action thriller with Ram Gopal Varma and Vidhu Vinod Chopra8217;s Yagna. 8216;8216;It seems like a good time for me. I just want to enjoy it and don8217;t want to prove anything to anybody.8217;8217;