Exclusive | Saif Ali Khan’s Next Is a Bengali-Rooted Biopic: ‘I’m Excited to Prep And Really Get Into It’

Saif Ali Khan has signed on to a new film that he admits he can’t fully talk about yet. “It’s a biopic and it’s Bengali, which is a bad clue because it sounds much more regional than it is. There will be a bit of a Bengali accent,” and adds that its something he’s looking forward to figuring out.

What excites him most isn’t the label, but the process. “I’m not doing anything for three months except figuring that out,” he says. For an actor who often juggles packed schedules, that kind of uninterrupted preparation feels rare. “I’m very excited to prep and really get into it. To understand why you’re saying what you’re saying. I just got the line, now I have to understand it,” he adds.

When asked about the last time he felt he truly put in that kind of work, he doesn’t single out a recent film. “I think I’ve worked hard on all of them. Whether it shows or whether it doesn’t,” he admits. Still, he admits that projects allowing deep preparation have been few and far between. “Maybe Sacred Games was the last thing we prepped that way. That was a long time ago,” he says.

Over the years, Khan says his understanding of effort has shifted. “Sometimes I feel you can work too hard at the wrong thing,” he says. Long hours, travel, and exhaustion don’t always translate into meaningful work. “You spend ages, you bleed all your blood out, and it doesn’t go anywhere. It’s heartbreaking.”

What he values now is focus. “More concentrated work with sharp directors who don’t exhaust you. Nine to six, rock and roll, and you’ve done something amazing,” he says, That, for him, is real work. “You’ve sweated a bit, but it’s not wasted,” he adds.

Watch the full interview with Saif Ali Khan on our YouTube channel.