In an interview with Hindustan Times Saif Ali Khan spoke about his daughter Sara, who is making her debut in bollywood, in a film opposite Hrithik Roshan. Below are the excerpts.
Sara is also going to make her Bollywood debut soon.
I am very excited. I have a wonderful relationship with her, wherein I am like a guide, a friend and a philosopher. But we discuss lots of things. We went on a holiday to Italy, and spoke about art, life, and recently, about films as well. I’ve given her so much advice. I said, ‘Write them down and treat them like the Ten Commandments. It’s everything I have learnt. And your mother (Amrita Singh) also taught me so much when I first came to Mumbai’.
Give us a sneak peek into your Ten Commandments.
First, you must listen rather than talk. Everybody talks here, but silence is very interesting in Bollywood. Decide what kind of an actor you want to be and work hard. That’s the first thing. It’s a very creative and a wonderful job. I bless Sara for what she has learnt. She has wanted to do this since she was two years old, but I asked her to finish college first. In fact, she has done theatre in the US as well. She wants to enjoy the acting and not treat it as a superficial, glamourous profession. She has all my blessings and support. Sara and I have an interesting age gap — it’s not so big, so we can share a lot of things. So, the lines are blurred between father and brother anyway. I can’t be too strict with her, because I feel hypocritical. We have long chats and I enjoy them (smiles).
Are you going to be a protective father?
Sara doesn’t need me to be protective, but if she does, I will be. I am concerned and protective about her, but she can look after herself, and it’s not such a scary place. The world outside is scarier. We are still good and decent people in Bollywood, and there is still some class and grace. Tameez hai sabko yahaan (People are polite). Everyone knows everyone else. We might be a bit naughty, but we’re not bad (smiles). There’s a lot of s*** out there in the outside world.
