Dubai: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who plays a spy in his latest film Agent Vinod, put his speeding skills to test on Saturday as he took a blazing red Ferrari for a spin around the Belhasa Driving Centre.
"Agent Vinod is a spy-action film and there are many car-chases so I asked my director if we could have a flashy car in that too," said Khan in an exclusive interaction with Gulf News. The actor was in town to promote his much-anticipated Rs50 crore venture that releases on March 22 in the UAE.
He added that he took several lessons to master the art of making car-chase sequence look authentic on-screen.
"Apart from learning how to drive cars and bikes fast, I learnt how to jump off high buildings too," said Khan, who went as far as Vietnam to learn martial arts in preparation for his stunt-filled role. Billed as Bollywood's answer to James Bond, Khan impressed upon the press that his film is not inspired by any Western blockbuster.
"It's not Mr And Mrs Smith and it's not a cheesy Bond rip-off. It is about a RAW agent who has his own personality. Yes, it has influences from various films - it's a little bit Bond, little bit Jason Bourne and a little bit 24 and Tin Tin. But it is also original," said Khan.
The Aarakshan star, who has several hits to his credits including Love Aaj Kal and Omkara, said that he would never do a role on the lines of what Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie did in spy-drama Mr & Mrs Smith.
"It just doesn't make sense for Kareena [Kapoor, his co-star and real life girlfriend] and I to do such a role in India," said Khan.
"I think she has done a wonderful job with the action. She said she doesn't like doing action but she is very good at it."
Agent Vinod, which is also co-produced by Khan and Dinesh Vijan, is expected to release in 2,500 screens in India and over 700 screens overseas.
As a part of the press junket, Khan will also interact with his fans at Burjuman Centre followed by a visit to a nightclub to promote his film.
