Saif Ali Khan made his Bollywood debut with Parampara in 1993. However, soon after, he appeared in a series of films where he played the second or third lead. In a recent chat, he recalled a rather bizarre moment when he was asked to kiss a female producer "ten times on her cheek".
Saif further told Esquire India that he was paid Rs 1,000 a week, as per the producer's condition that he kiss her cheek every time she handed him the money.
Saif Ali Khan About Learning On The Job
Coming from a film family, with his mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, renowned for her immense contribution to cinema, certainly came with its perks.
Saif said that while some might call him "lucky", it wasn't as though he was getting the "best films in town".
He told Esquire India, "People would say, you're lucky you've got so many chances. But it wasn't that I was getting the best movies in town and being cast as the main lead."
He continued, "I probably did have it easy, but I mean, of course, I thought it was very hard for me. We didn't have the family background that empowered us to be a certain kind of movie star... our training was to be self-conscious, quiet, self-deprecating... not the larger-than-life persona that actors in the nineties were expected to have. We were taught not to draw attention to ourselves."
Saif On His Attack Earlier This Year
Saif Ali Khan was attacked around 2:30 AM on January 16, 2025 and sustained six stab wounds, including one to his neck. He underwent emergency surgery at Lilavati Hospital, where he was treated.
Recalling a surreal moment during the unfortunate incident, Saif said, "It could have been the adrenaline, but I remember thinking life has been colourful and I've been privileged... not just in terms of money. So many people have more. But I've lived in that rarefied atmosphere of Winchester, travelled with loved ones, the wine, my wife, my children..."
Saif Ali Khan's Projects
The actor was last seen in Netflix's Jewel Thief alongside Jaideep Ahlawat and Nikita Dutta. He also has Priyadarshan's Haiwaan in his lineup, where he will reunite with Akshay Kumar.
In A Nutshell
Saif Ali Khan shared a phase from his career shortly after his debut, when a female producer paid him Rs 1,000 weekly on the condition that he kissed her cheek every time she gave him the money. The actor also spoke about his stabbing attack earlier this year, and how, in that brief moment, he reflected on his life so far.
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