‘Mom wants to see Parineeta with dad’

In between returning from Australia and travelling to Amsterdam, SAIF ALI KHAN spoke to Pratim D. Gupta in Mumbai about his most intense role, his best screen father and his forthcoming films

When you started shooting in Siliguri, you said you were just trying to get into the character, develop a 60s flavour. How much did you achieve that at the end of it all in Calcutta and Mumbai?
Now, that you will have to see and tell me. I have tried my best for this film. It’s a very important film for my career, as I have never done such an intense role ever before. This movie will prove me as an actor as it is very different from my image of a cool dude.

You shot on the toy train. You played a Bengali character. Was Parineeta your cinematic journey closer to your mother?
I don’t know why people are getting so emotional about this. It was not a deliberate thing to play a Bong character or to shoot on a toy train. It’s all Pradeepda’s vision for the film. I just liked the script, the character and hence decided to do the film. After seeing the promos, my mom sent me a message saying she liked me a lot in the promos and will want to see the film with my dad.

There were reports that you used to go crazy with the non-stop 24-hour shoot in Calcutta. How much of it is true? How taxing was it?
It was very taxing. Not just 24 hours, we almost shot for 36 hours regularly. Pradeepda is a workaholic and his dedication kept us going for so long.

What was your experience of shooting in Calcutta?
It was nice shooting there. I didn’t get to roam around the city much as we had a very busy shooting schedule for the film but no doubt Calcutta is a wonderful place to be at.

Tell us a little bit about your co-actors Vidya Balan and Sanjay Dutt...
It is my first movie with Sanjay and I must say he is a very nice human being apart from being a wonderful actor. Vidya was great to work with. She is very spontaneous in front of the camera and has done a great job in this film.

What was shooting with Sabyasachi Chakraborty like, who plays your father?
It was great. While on camera he was like my real dad. He is a great actor. Sometimes he used to make me forget that I am acting.

You are doing another film for Vinod Chopra Films — Yagna. You also get to act with Amitabh Bachchan. Any thoughts…
Wow! What else should I say? It’s great and an honour to share the screen with someone like Mr Bachchan.

What was the Salaam Namaste shooting in Australia like?
It was great and very enjoyable. Again it’s another Yashraj film after Hum Tum. I am happy to be a part of that family.

How offbeat do you get in Being Cyrus?
As offbeat as my role gets. It’s again something different and a film I am looking forward to. Being Cyrus is on a Parsi family and is directed by Homi Adajania who is a Parsi himself.

Is the Parineeta experience divine enough to delve into more Bengali characters, Bengali films and shoots in Calcutta?
Yes of course, if someone again offers me a good script like this.