Express on the net / Saif Ali Khan

Express on the net / Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan did some straight talk on the internet. Logging on to the Express India site, the Hum Saath Saath Hain hero answered queries from his fans online, talking about his family, the films he does and the future.

To start with, for all those who thought films are just about singing and dancing around trees, Saif clarifies: ``It is a very demanding profession. No one understands the pressures, they only see the rosy side. It's one of the toughest jobs in the world.''

Also, he does not just pretend to play the guitar in his movies. He knows how to. Responding to a fan's question asking him whether he finds it silly to stand with a guitar in hand and not actually play it, Saif says, ``It does not apply to me since I love playing the guitar''.

Having said that, he goes on to analyse films then and now. ``Scripts in the '60s were better and braver. We are a bit scared of failure and are trying to find the perfect script, not tell an interesting story.''

But it wasn't just filmy baatein online.Answering personal questions, Saif candidly admitted that he would have ``preferred my father's looks'', thinks his ``amma is more emotional'' while his ``abba is very correct and practical''.

Of course, few people online could resist probing Saif on the black buck affair in Jaipur. Well, never mind what anybody says, as far as the man himself is concerned, the verdict is ``not guilty''. He clarifies saying, ``We were shooting films, not bucks.'' Case dismissed!

Incidentally, despite the fact that the entire episode involved his co-stars in the film Hum Saath Saath Hain, he stills votes them as the people he respects the most. Giving his explanation, he says: ``Salman for being straightforward and Tabu for being easy to work with.''

For his fans, Saif listed his likes and dislikes. When it comes to food, it's Chinese, Indian and English. He believes that ``manners maketh the man'' and likes books authored by Ayn Rand, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. And his contribution to society, other than films,includes ``giving money and clothes to charity, speaking out for just causes, entertaining depressed masses and paying taxes''.

While future options include the possibility of becoming a director or politician, this year he is just promising his fans one new release, Friends.

For Saif Ali Khan on his wife, daughter and life in general, log on to www.expressindia.com