‘A FILM NOT WORKING IS LIKE DEATH FOR ME’
Saif Ali Khan feels younger actors are used to instant gratification, while his generation was easygoing
Saif Ali Khan is in a happy phase of life, with the accolades still pouring in for his performances in both Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Jawaani Jaaneman. Yet, he fears a future when there is a dearth of work. “I want to keep working. I don’t fear failure. I fear oblivion. I fear not having the job anymore,” he says.
The actor reveals if a film doesn’t work commercially, it feels like “death”. “I do feel bad when a film doesn’t work. But I don’t mind taking a chance.
It’s not like I’m a completely fearless person. But I don’t like to be fearful either. It’s just that… I like having a good job and having fun on the set while acting but not all day,” he shares.
Is there something else he’s afraid of? “There’s very little that I’m fearful of. I’m scared of a debilitating kind of a disease. I’ve seen so many people end up in the ICU in tubes, breathing their last. I’ve seen my father die and I’ve seen his friends die. I fear infirmity and incontinence. Getting older and the whole party ending is my fear, but that’s human and natural,” admits the 49-yearold. And, not being able to appreciate art would scare him. “Not being able to listen to music and read a book and the reason to look for love anymore — all scare me,” he adds.
Khan believes success is transient and hence ensures he spends ample time with his loved ones. “All I want is to strike a balance between working and spending time with my family and friends. I’m not trying to get somewhere else and so, I’m not competing with anyone else. In that sense, I’m fairly satisfied with whatever’s going on in my life,” says the actor.
And the Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Cocktail (2012) actor believes the young crop is used to instant gratification, which often affects their sanity. “I never feel I’m above anyone. I’m just the same as anybody else. But when I see some young people, I’m happy I’m not like them. This is an insecure profession and we learned how to be happy here. We might be the last generation which knows that. The next generation may be more sorted, but we had a sense of brotherhood in our generation and we were more easygoing about success, failure and leading life,” he adds.