MUMBAI: On Saif Ali Khan's birthday, here's looking at his Bollywood career spanning over 30 years. The long-haired chocolate boy blossomed into a seasoned actor who is not afraid to take risks, with a solid filmography to boot.

Saif Ali Khan — the actor who could play the spoiled playboy in Yeh Dillagi and Ek Hasina Thi with equal ease. Throw in the Sid of Dil Chahta Hai, Go Goa Gone’s Boris or Sacred Games’ Sartaj Singh and you get an actor who is hard to put in a box. He is a part of the Khan legacy and era of the Khans, but his path has been very difficult.

While Salman Khan played the lover boy who also knew how to throw his punches in the 90s, Shah Rukh Khan was (mostly) hyped as the King Of Romance. Aamir Khan struck gold with his commercial successes and proved that he could don any role, be it the romantic hero, or his portrayal of a police officer in Sarfarosh.

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Saif has seen too much success and also major failures. He was the romantic action hero of the 90s. He very well knows how to survive in the industry now.

Most of Saif’s filmography in the ’90s can be classified as a rather mass of romance and action, with a few glimmers of hope. It was the phase he tried unusual-to-the-point-of-bizarre storylines, and characters that ironically just seemed similar.

After being tagged as unprofessional on Rahul Rawail’s film Bekhudi with Kajol, Saif Ali Khan was replaced and he debuted with Parampara. Saif was next to be spotted in Aashiq Awara and Pehchaan, both of which set fire at the box office. Yet, he was praised for his performance in Aashiq Awara and he earned the Filmfare Award for Male Debut. The actor, however, says he can’t identify with this phase of his career.

Saif had told in an interview, “Honestly, I believe I have worked very hard. I was in a bit of a ditch, mentally and professionally. I managed to get out of that. It is like climbing a mountain. I feel like I am on base camp 1 and we have made progress but there is a long way to go. The ropes are set, the boots are tied, and we have got our sights on the hill and we are climbing,” he had said.

Back on track with Hum Saath Saath Hain

Hope appeared in 1999, in the form of Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan, Kachche Dhaage, Aarzoo and Hum Saath Saath Hain. While the first two continued the streak of performing poorly at the box office, Kachche Dhage was his first hit after Main Khiladi Tu Anari.

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Saif has made a name and set his benchmark for himself with his sharp wit and hilarious quips as his numerous interviews prove. This personality trait found its way into his films and soon became the trump card for many of his directors.

In the 2000s, Saif proved his way in comedic gold after played a rather seedy man in Kya Kehna, a film on teenage pregnancy. The film Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega witnessed a major flop at the box office, but Saif’s affinity for comedy was becoming more visible, a fact that was later established with Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai, which told the story of three close friends in urban Mumbai. Saif played the role of the hapless Sameer, in the trio that included Aamir Khan and Akshaye Khanna. It was a turning point in his career, and Saif rolled with the punches, his wit was fresh, organic and filmmakers began to bank on this quality for their projects. 

The joyful part of Saif’s choices was that he could be wildly unpredictable. He wanted to go out of the box always he wanted to see what else was out there, and what would work. After playing various roles and entertaining the public as a romantic hero or the ‘funny guy’, he played the dark antagonist in Ek Hasina Thi, which focussed on a woman’s thirst for revenge. Along came the romantic comedy Hum Tum in 2004, where he played the lead opposite Rani Mukerji. Love Aaj Kal again one of the hit films carried forward the persona of urban youngster, while offering his a meaty double role. Salaam Namaste, Cocktail and Ta Ra Rum Pum established this image.

Talking about this phase, Saif told “You have to not be scared and you have to not be vain. You have to be really connected. Either that can come from a state of complete security or just that you have nothing to lose. It might have been a combination of both for me. I don’t know when it happened but at some point I realised that if this career is not going to work out, let it not work out. I made interesting choices, let me be a good actor and learn.”

Saif in cinema today

Again, Saif went through a rollercoaster ride and worked in films such as Humshakals and Happy Endings, where he was slammed unanimously by critics. He took a break from films for a while, returning with films such as Rangoon and Chef, which underperformed at the box office. Saif managed to maintain his standards still. Go Goa Gone, Kaalakandi, Kurbaan saw his taking risks — not everything landed but established him as an actor who was ready to think out of the box.

Sacred Games was a bang on in his career where he essayed the role of the policeman Sartaj Singh, who has to track down the murder game of a nefarious gangster, essayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 

Credits- The Indian Express

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