Hard work pays

Saif Ali Khan believes in whatever he does and the result is usually a successful venture.

Back from the hospital after complaining of chest pains and vowing to stay off smoking, Saif Ali Khan is is a relieved man. Revealing that it was his smoking habit that led to a blood clot in his heart, Khan is glad that it is cured now. And while the world is happy at his recovery, Khan expressed his sadness on being unable to host the Filmfare Awards. As always, Khan puts work before anything else. The same with his current release Nehle Pe Dehla.

The Mahendra Dhariwal-produced film was to have been released in 2005 at a time when Khan was but two hits old (Dil Chahta Hai and Hum Tum. Parineeta and Salaam Namaste were yet to happen). Khan toiled and toiled some more, only to learn that the film would take a while to release because of financial problems. Khan was not disappointed. “I knew I had given it my best and there was that much I could do to salvage the film,'' says Khan. But Dhariwal was lucky. Khan had a slew of hits through 2005 and 2006, so releasing Nehle Pe Dehla in 2007 was all about timing as well.

Like any other celebrity, Khan is not without his share of controversies. Apparently, the Nehle Pe Dehla promo, which is a song sequence – only features Khan. Due to this, Sanjay Dutt – the other male lead in the movie – took offence and refused to be included in the team for the marketing of the film. Khan chooses not to comment. He would much rather talk about how he unlearned acting to learn it again. "A lot of factors that I took notice of helped me on. They were factors that I had ignored before. The script selection is important. The vibe that I get from the makers is another thing. What's the concept of the movie? Who's making it? I also look at what is appealing to others. I do not want to ram concepts down other people's throats. Mainstream cinema is for public viewing. Audiences are paying to watch us. We have a large responsibility to the audience. And when I want to be experimental I do a small film like Being Cyrus for almost no money,'' he says.

Khan's modesty and hard work proves that he is a real-life hero too, an individual who can set an example for everyone by proving that hard work pays off in the end.