Saif Ali Khan says failure of his films was like ‘mini death in the family’, convinced him to stop chasing ‘box office success’

Actor Saif Ali Khan has said that after a string of commercially disappointing films, he made the decision to chase ‘quality of work’ instead of chasing ‘box office success’. Saif will next be seen in the Amazon Prime Video series Tandav.

He said that the commercial failure of films such as Kaalakaandi, Laal Kaptaan and Chef was like a mini death in the family. Combined, the three films made less than Rs 20 crore at the box office.

“I worked so hard on Laal Kaptaan,” Saif told Bollywood Hungama. “Every film has become a baby of ours. And Laal Kaptaan was crazy, because there was so much makeup time, and we travelled and we did things that you can’t do, unless you love film. Also that acting experience of playing a Naga sadhu, with five kilos of hair and makeup, it changes you. And even if the film doesn’t run, very sad, like a mini death in the family… We move on after a while.”

But there was a silver lining to the experience, Saif said. It prepared him for his role in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, in which he once again had to ride horses and use swords. “Kaalakaandi doesn’t run, but you come across so many actors in the digital space, different kinds of actors you wouldn’t have met,” he said. “Chef might not have run, but maybe I’ll learn what not to do.”

Also read: Adipurush director Om Raut on Saif Ali Khan’s ‘foot-in-mouth problem’: ‘Saif sir has his own way of thinking’

Saif had a change of fortune at the box office with the blockbuster success of Tanhaji, paired with his starring role in the hit series Sacred Games. He followed it up with Jawaani Jaaneman, and has a slate of populist films lined up. The actor will be seen in Bhoot Police, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and the mythological epic Adipurush.

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