By Meena Iyer | TNN
Posted On Friday, July 31, 2009 at 08:35:12 PM

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Saif Ali Khan (in pic) is in a zen state. Personally, he is dating the most powerful and gorgeous girl in Bollywood; and professionally, well, he’s calling the shots too.

“I haven’t noticed whether other girls have stopped looking at me because I’m dating the best girl in town,’’ he says. “A lot depends on the vibe you give off. I hear unavailable men are more interesting to interesting women. That be as it may, I’m not particularly interested in a stranger of any sort right now.’’

Saif’s reason for setting up a production house is simple. He wants to make the films he believes in. “Everyone has their own home productions and no one is going to cast you in their films unless they can’t do it themselves,’’ he says.

He points out that the biggest filmmakers in the country — Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar , Sanjay Leela Bhansali — would ideally pitch for Shah Rukh Khan , Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan first. “If things don’t work out with these guys, then perhaps they’d come to me,’’ he says very matter-of-factly. “However, with setting up my own production house, I can make the films I wish to and give myself the parts I want to play. No other producer can give me the parental love that my own production can.’’

His maiden venture releases today and within a couple of months, he’s all set to get into Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod, a spy-action-high-on-adrenaline-thriller with lady love Kareena Kapoor playing his screen muse. “Film production is an exciting job,’’ he confesses. “Balancing that in itself, apart from real life in terms of family and getting things done on time, has been challenging.’’

Personally too, he confesses to being blissful: “Life is a growing and changing process. I came into the world of interviews when I was 20 at a room in a Mumbai studio. In 19 years, I have grown, and the last two years have been very eventful. Personally and professionally I find myself in the right place. The rest of my life lies ahead of me but I feel confident and equipped to deal with most situations.’’

And the mention of sunshine (Kareena) brings a smile to his face.

“Everything is beautiful right now,’’ he says. “Kareena and I are on a path, let us enjoy that. For me, priority right now is to set up this production house, and I want Madam to stay the biggest star in the world for as long as she enjoys it. Everything else will follow in due course.’’

Saif Ali Khan walks up to the beautiful Deepika Padukone and starts nervously, “Mai pile on nahin karne chahta …”. A clear-eyed Deepika answers “Phir kyon pile on kar rahe ho?”, and then smiles.

Love Aaj Kal begins with this refreshing dialogue and then races through a breezy one-year romance between architect Jai Vardhan Singh [Saif] and art student Mira Pandit [Deepika]. The setting is London, and the courting style cool and contemporary. Both Jai and Mira are strong individuals with defined career goals, and neither seems to have any silly sanskritik kind of hassles. Early on, Imtiaz knocks you out with a scene set in a parked car, when the couple hesitatingly get close for the first time. It starts with a gentle finger poke, then a nudge which leads up to a giddy kiss, with Saif squealing like a child as he looks around, “Kissi ne dekha to nahin!” Superb. A few months into their swinging friendship, Jai asks Mira, Are you my girlfriend? A question that will stay strangely unresolved right till the end.

Then they decide to break up — barely 20 minutes into the film. Mira is going back to India to restore monuments, while Jai wants to stay on in London, dreaming of designing the San Francisco bridge [I think]. So the couple, who have not quite defined their relationship, decide to have a break-up party. Thus, inverting logic on its head, the first song, Dooriyan, celebrates the lead pair going apart. Their friends, a bit like the audience, are zapped, wondering how to react. Should they be happy, sad or wistful?

The party is being catered by an avuncular middle aged Sikh restaurateur, Veer Singh [Rishi Kapoor] who, it turns out, also provides food for the soul. Seeing the couple break up, Veer befriends Jai, and shares his own twisted journey of love, from a much older time. Thereon, two parallel love stories run alongside in non-linear fashion, inter cut deftly. On the one hand, Jai and Mira settle into a long distance relationship through most of the film, which is a bit weird, talking via SMS and phone, even dating others. On the other, we get to see Veer Singh’s story in flashback, where a younger Veer Singh, also played by Saif, resolutely woos his beloved, Harleen Singh. Even though he can’t get the language right, Saif is dashing as the proud young sardar, and this unspoken small town romantic flashback is handled superbly. Back in London, Jai starts dating Jo, a foreigner, while Mira starts dating her boss, Rahul Khanna, in Delhi. Whoa, where is this going, you wonder. Eventually, the two disparate stories find their resolution, after a few startling developments towards the climax.

The film is dotted with smart lines, like aam janta being called mango people. In a scene, Saif escorts a drunk Deepika home and says “Koi tumhaara fayda utha sakta hai”. Then he pauses and wonders, “ fayda hona hi hai, to mera hi ho jaye”. Barring dancing, Saif has it all pretty much under control. He plays goofy, carefree, nervous, idiotic, intense, angry, depressed all at once, and the alternate Khan seems to carry it off easily. The tall, angular Deepika is confident, with her large eyes and flashing smile, but not yet convincing as an actress. In a few scenes, like when Saif meets her after a long gap, she is very average. Rishi Kapoor and Rahul Khanna are both charming in their brief roles. The production design is smart, while Pritam comes up with an excellent music score, with Twist being a chartbuster.

A fresh face, Harleen Singh looked ethereal and ravishing, but I didn’t spot her name in the credits. Is she a foreigner? So I tried to find out her name. First, I checked the websites - not listed. Then I asked the public relations girl, but she didn’t know. I finally messaged Imtiaz Ali, who replied, “Hey, keeping the name under wraps for a bit. You’ll understand why, I think”. Hmm, wonder what that’s all about. An actor who doesn’t want her name known? That’s new.

Though a poignant love story, Love Aaj Kal lacks the joyous, organic soul of Jab We Met, and appears crafted. Nevertheless, Imtiaz Ali shows that he is a top notch director, with an eye for subtle, emotional nuances. However, a distinct pattern seems to be emerging in his work. Both Socha Na Tha and Jab We Met had protagonists who romanced other people, before realising that their true love was elsewhere. In Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz takes that premise one huge step further. Hope it works for audiences beyond multiplexes.

By Subhash K Jha
Posted On Sunday, August 02, 2009 at 02:22:27 AM

Earlier this week when Saif Ali Khan flew into Delhi for a special screening of Love Aaj Kal on Thursday, Kareena took a day off and joined him the next day. Well, it wasn’t just a holiday… Now we hear that there was another plan. The couple spent the entire day with Saif’s parents on Friday in Delhi, while the rest of the Love Aaj Kal cast and crew flew back (director Imtiaz Ali to Mumbai, Deepika Padukone to London).

Says a source, “It was just Saif, Kareena and his parents bonding the whole day, far from any intrusion. They all actually switched off their cellphones and spent time only with one another. It was a joyful family reunion and Saif came out of the day totally rejuvenated and more convinced than ever that Kareena is indeed the Choti Begum of the Pataudi family.”

Saif on Saturday morning sounded tension-free and raring to go. He said, “I was a little under the weather on Friday, but now I’m fine. Yes, Kareena and I were chilling out with abba and amma all day on Friday.”

It has been a stressful time for Saif, what with the release of his first production Love Aaj Kal consuming his time, attention and energies like never before. Kareena left behind her own workload, to lend him a helping hand. Friends say that this whole episode of Saif’s initiation into film production and marketing has brought the couple closer together than ever before.

Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor were never friends and after Kareena Kapoor broke up with Shahid and fell for Saif there was no question of friendship any more. But with his home production Love Aaj Kal having done well Saif wants to bury the hatchet with Shahid. The actor turned producer said that Love Aaj Kal had already done well and he was not competing with Shahid's Kaminey.

The Chhote Nawab praised Shahid and said he had heard only good things about Shahid from ladylove Kareena and many others. Calling Shahid as an immensely talented actor Saif added that one cannot benefit from someone else's failure. It may be recalled that Saif had angered Vishal Bhardwaj when he had claimed that Kaminey was offered to him and he had turned it down.

Saif Ali Khan's first film Love Aaj Kal, under his banner Illuminati Films is the first hit of the year. Is it the luck factor? The logo of the production house owned by the actor and fifty per cent partner Dinesh Vijan, is a lion's head. It was suggested by Khan's girlfriend Kareena Kapoor. When the Illuminati films got the office, on the second floor of Fortune Heights, Dinesh's family had a small pooja. On that day, Kareena Kapoor came to the office and presented the duo with two silver lions. She told the two partners, "Since you are both Leos, I think you should have the logo as a lion."

The two silver lions presented by Bebo, occupy a place of honour in the office. Saif confirms, "Yes, it was Bebo's idea. The two lions was an incredibly thoughtful gesture on her part." The partners also have a special handwritten note by Kareena given along with the lions but Saif says, "That's too personal to talk about." Does he think Bebo is lucky for him? "Yes, of course!" Saif is very happy that Love Aaj Kal has done excellent business. A source close to him says, "Overseas, LAK has done bigger business than Singh Is King and a little less than Ghajini in India." Saif says, "I wouldn't like to quote box office figures but yes, I am very happy that our banner, Illuminati Films has been established."

Nothing stops Kareena from being a loving girlfriend to Saif, not even her packed schedule. She took off with Saif to an undisclosed location near Chicago for a secret vacation, as a birthday present to Saif (his birthday was on August 16). They took off after completing their professional commitments and spending some time with close friends.

Incidentally, they left for their secret retreat a day after Saif’s birthday. According to sources, they were busy with prior commitments in Houston due to Independence Day, after which they had to attend a meet and greet event in Chicago. They reached Chicago late in the evening on August 15 and attended the event with Sharukh and Katrina, after which they had dinner with them. Kareena planned the holiday to surprise Saif, informed sources. The destination is still unknown and they will be back in Mumbai by the end of this week.

Let's not speculate on the love life of Bollywood's hottest couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Let's talk about what they do. Well, the lovebirds are going to drive the film buffs mad with a steamy bed scene. They will be seen making love for the first time in the film Kurbaan.

It is said that the couple did the intimate scene convincingly without any retake. Only a few people were allowed to witness the scene. The kissing scene between them is said to be the longest in Bollywood so far.

However, the hype around the lovemaking scene has made director Rensil D’Silva a worried man. He said that it would be tragic if the people come to watch the film to see the real life couple making love. He added that the kiss scene between the duo was long but didn't measure the duration.

Kurbaan is based on terrorism with Saif and Kareena playing husband and wife.

Producers Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan are already smiling from ear to ear. The fantastic response to Love Aaj Kal has given them the boost to go all out for their next film. The latest is, the makers have been offered Rs.4 crores for the Tamil and Telugu remaking rights of Love Aaj Kal, which has Deepika Padukone in the female lead role. True?

"Yes, my office has already received several offers. There have been enquiries for the Tamil and Telugu language rights. In fact, we got an offer within 3 days of its release. But we're adopting a wait and watch stance right now. We haven't taken a call yet," Dinesh Vijan states.

Well, newer avenues seem to opening up for the debutante producers.

If you thought Saif Ali Khan was all a Kareena Kapoor's man, think again. The Chhote Nawab is hunting for his ex-girlfriend. Well he isn't surely searching for the whereabouts his Italian ex-girlfriend Rozza Catalano but for his childhood sweetheart whom he hasn't seen in decades but whose memories he still cherishes.

In his latest blog Saif mentions that he is searching for “the girl I grew up with.” Although he doesn't name the girl claims to have spent his childhood with her but later lost touch. In what could make the script for his next home production Saif remembers bidding her goodbye when he was seven years old never to see her again in his life.

All that our Chhote Nawab has is a Bollywood style torn photograph of the girl wearing the butterfly charm he gave her. Although it has been more than three decades Saif refuses to give up his quest to find her. He says he will meet her as his heart wants it. Well all we can says is Kareena beware Saif was never a one woman's man.

The hunt for Saif's missing woman is finally over. As it has turned out, she happens to be his childhood sweetheart whom he had to leave behind when his family moved to a different city. He has now managed to trace her down and as luck would have it, she is a social activist today.

However, there has been a twist in the tale. Just when he was about to reveal his identity to her and make her remember about the times gone by, he came face to face with Kareena Kapoor . And the rest, as they say, is now history. The ex-girlfriend has continued to remain an ex while Saif and Kareena are now a couple.

A happy-sad love story indeed, isn't it? Well almost, since this is not the real life story of Saif and Kareena but the script of the latest advertisement - Dil Titli - that has been unveiled over the weekend gone by. While the earlier part of the week saw a gradual built up for the advertisement that didn't quite reveal if Saif's search was for indeed for real, the unveiling of the mystery woman has laid all doubts to rest.

The entire promotional campaign did manage to create some stir though. Fresh out of the super success of Love Aaj Kal, it was surprising to see Saif sending out public notices through newspapers and other media forums announcing his search for a girl. With just a photograph in hands, he was shown to be running from pillar to post in his quest for regaining his old love.

While it was almost clear that this was a promotional exercise in motion, it wasn't quite obvious if this was for an advertisement or a movie. In fact some also felt that this could well have been the kick start of Qurbaan promotion since the film is getting readied for a November release.

However, as it turned out, all of this was actually a part of Dil Titli campaign where a 'titli' turned out to be a common factor between the two hearts that were in love long-long ago. Still, with Kareena coming into picture, it didn't take much time for Saif to shift loyalties!

Laughs Saif who admits that he was initially quite apprehensive about the concept, "Well, honestly speaking, I was a little concerned at first. I was wondering if this entire ad in the newspaper with me hunting for a missing girl could perhaps look unnecessarily sensational. However, once I saw the copy before it went for print, I was reassured that we were on the right track." This was not all as the real test was audiences accepting him forgetting his first love the moment Kareena enters his life.

"True, I was worried that it should not look shallow that a guy forgets his childhood love in a matter of just a second", says Saif who is currently out of India on a vacation, "But then once the creative aspects of the ad were explained to me, I trusted them. Thankfully, it seems all has turned out well eventually." Well, he has done his part and now it's upon audiences to decide whether they found Saif's change in heart justifiable or not!

Well before you let your imagination run wild let us make it clear Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor very much trust each other. But in the spy thriller Agent Vinod Saif faces the dilemma when it comes to trusting Kareena. The Sriram Raghavan directed Agent Vinod is said to be modelled James Bond series and is being produced by Saif Ali Khan himself.

Saif plays a spy in the movie while Kareena works for the villain. Saif's character has to find out whether Kareena is a real baddie or a victim of the villain. Surprisingly Kareena and Saif aren't romantically involved in the movie. That sounds strange as there has been a lot of talk regarding the lovemaking scene between the two.

Actress Kareena Kapoor has been restraining from talking about her man Saif Ali Khan though they have made their affair public. The breakup with Shahid Kapoor seemed to have taught her not to go beyond the limits. But she has made a surprise revelation about Saif to Farah Khan on her chat show Tere Mere Beach Mein.

Kareena revealed that Saif is very different from his on screen image. She added that he is not as flamboyant as he looks on screen. In fact, he is very understated and relaxed. She went on to say that Saif is classy and charming.

Well, this episode featuring Kareena is to be aired this weekend. Watch out!

There has been a lot of talk about the lovemaking scene between Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in the movie Kurban but for the first time Bebo has spoken about it. In a recent interview that Kareena said that the Rensil D'Silva directed movie is very special to her and every scene in the movie was very special to her as well. She added that the script required the scene and she had no qualms about shooting it with beau Saif Ali Khan.

On her ex beau Shahid Kapoor going great guns with the success of Kaminey , Kareena said that she loved Shahid's acting Kaminey and both she and Saif congratulated him for his performance in the movie. She was also in full praise of director Vishal Bhardwaj and felt happy that audience liked Kaminey which was an unconventional movie.

Kareena Kapoor poses topless even as her boyfriend Saif Ali Khan's heart bleeds profusely. No, the couple has not split. We are talking about the poster of their upcoming release Kurbaan.

Well, Kurbaan poster is the talk of the day. It has Kareena with bare back and Saif's chest bleeding profusely. The bold poster with topless Kareena facing bare-chested Saif has caught the eyes of the people.

The film is set against the backdrop of terrorism and is said to have some steamy scenes. It has real life couple Saif and Kareena in the lead roles and also features actors like Om Puri and Vivek Oberoi. Karan Johar produces it and Rensil D’Silva is making debut as a director. It is scheduled for release on November 27.