Saif Ali Khan says Main Khiladi Tu Anari was a Hollywood copy: ‘Director said never play a cop’ | Bollywood News

Saif Ali Khan is back to playing a cop in his upcoming Netflix original Kartavyya, set to release on May 15. While audiences widely loved him as Sartaj Singh in Sacred Games, Saif recently revealed that there was a time when a director had advised him to never play a police officer on screen. Interestingly, the actor’s first time wearing a police uniform dates back to the 1994 film Main Khiladi Tu Anari — though he wasn’t actually playing a cop in the film.In a conversation with Dainik Jagran, Saif recalled the hilarious advice that stayed with him for years. Recalling his first experience wearing a police uniform, Saif said, “The first time I wore a police uniform was in the ’90s in a comedy film. I was playing an actor who had to portray a cop. So, he studies under Akshay Kumar, who was playing a cop in the film. It was a fun movie, which we copied from an American film without taking any rights. We just lifted and copied the American film The Hard Way.”
When a director advised Saif Ali Khan to never play a cop
The actor then revealed that his director had strongly discouraged him from ever attempting serious cop roles.
“My director told me, ‘Never play a cop. You can’t do it. It’s a very serious thing to do. Big stars with a lot of presence play cops. You do romantic comedies, don’t play a cop.’”
Saif admitted that the comment stayed with him for years and made him doubt himself whenever he later took on police roles.
“That fear always remained. Later, when I started playing cops, I think until Sacred Games, I always felt maybe I couldn’t pull it off. I’ve grown up in this business. I’ve spent more of my life on camera than off it. People have watched me from my 20s till 55, for better or worse. Hopefully, there have been some changes. I’ve grown up, and the fact that I can now play a cop is huge for me because that director used to laugh at me and say, ‘Never do it.’”
Saif’s role in Sacred Games eventually became one of the most appreciated performances of his career, helping audiences see him in a completely new light. Now, with Kartavyya, the actor is once again stepping into the shoes of a cop in a tense investigative drama.Story continues below this ad
ALSO READ: ‘All the best to me’: Saif Ali Khan reacts to his viral Kartavya poster-blessing moment
When Sunil Dutt came to Saif Ali Khan’s rescue
During the same interview, Saif also fondly recalled his first-ever shot as an actor on the sets of Parampara and how veteran actor Sunil Dutt ended up rescuing him after a horse ran out of control during filming.
“When I was a child, I had seen film shoots, and years later I was back on a set for Parampara. Sunil Dutt saab was shooting. He was pacing around because he was waiting for his son. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, what a towering presence.’ We were filming a horse-riding sequence, and we had trained with Tinu Varma’s horses in Juhu.”
Saif then described how chaos unfolded moments after the cameras started rolling.Story continues below this ad
“I was sitting on the horse when someone shouted, ‘Start sound.’ The horse began moving slightly. Then they said, ‘Start camera,’ and it became even more restless. The action required the horse to go one way, but instead it bolted in the opposite direction at full speed. That was my first shot.”
The actor said the horse became impossible to control despite all the training.
“I tried to stop it, but all the training becomes meaningless at that moment. An animal is bigger and stronger than you. If it doesn’t want to stop, there’s no way you can force it. I ended up deep inside the jungle, and I kept thinking whether I should jump off or somehow stop the horse.”
That is when Sunil Dutt stepped in to help him.Story continues below this ad
“Dutt saab was near, taking a leisurely ride. I screamed, ‘Dutt saab, help!’ He galloped towards me, leaned over, grabbed the reins and slowed the horse down. For me, he was already a hero, and after that, even more so.”
About Kartavya
In Kartavya, Saif Ali Khan essays the role of a cop caught between duty, conscience and the personal price of every decision he makes. Directed Pulkit and produced Gauri Khan under the Red Chillies Entertainment banner, Kartavya is set against a tense investigative backdrop and explores themes of justice, morality and consequence. The film also stars Rasika Dugal, Zakir Hussain, Sanjay Mishra, Saurabh Dwivedi and Manish Chaudhari. It is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on May 15.