‘It Wasn’t My Time To Go’

‘Maybe
I’m
meant
to
do
a
few
more
good
films,
have
some
more
nice
times
with
family
and
friends,
do
some
more
charity.’

Saif
Ali
Khan
is
excited
about
his
brand
new
movie, Jewel
Thief:
The
Heist
Begins,
where
he
shares
the
screen
with
‘perhaps
the
most
impressive
actor’
Jaideep
Ahlawat.

Putting
his horrifying
attack firmly
behind
him,
Saif
looks
ahead
and
tells

Subhash
K
Jha,
“When
we
did Sacred
Games, it
was
for
people
to
aspire
to
watch
us. In Jewel
Thief, we
are
making
it
simple
for
them
but
with
scale
and
style.” 

You
were
recently
shooting
in
Mandwa,
near
Alibaug.
Tell
us
about
the
project.

I’m
doing
a
patriotic
period
piece
about
a
driven
and
passionate
man,
who
organises
India’s
first
general
election.

It’s
got
a
lovely
feel
in
time
and
place,
and
quite
dramatic
and
emotionally
uplifting.

Rahul
Dholakia
and
I
talked
a
lot,
and
so
much
of
what
we
spoke
about
is
in
the
script.

You
will
next
be
seen
in
Netflix’s
heist
thriller

Jewel
Thief:
The
Heist
Begins.

Jewel
Thief
is
a
fun
caper,
double
cross,
heist
film.

It
has
scale
and
pace
and
should
be
a
fun
ride.

It’s
a
father-son
drama
at
its
core.

What
was
it
like
working
with
Jaideep
Ahlawat?

Jaideep
is
perhaps
the
most
impressive
actor
I
have
worked
with
in
recent
times.

I’ve
learned
a
lot
from
him.

Jewel
Thief
reunites
you
with
Siddharth
Anand,
who
directed
you
in
films
like

Ta
Ra
Rum
Pum
and

Salaam
Namaste.

Sid
is
a
big
movie-maker,
so
it
was
fun
to
do
that
with
him.

In
his
last
avatar,
we
were
doing
very
stylish
rom
coms.

He
always
wanted
to
do
action.
He
tried
to
stay
away
but
couldn’t
help
putting
something
of
himself
in
the
film.

You
were
one
of
the
pioneers
of
the
Indian
OTT,
having
scored
success
with

Sacred
Games. Do
you
think
the
platform
has
evolved
over
the
years?

I
think
the
platform
is
trying
to
get
more
and
more
accessible
to
Indian
thinking,
more
commercial
as
well
as
basic.

When
we
did

Sacred
Games,
it
was
for
people
to
aspire
to
watch
us.

In

Jewel
Thief,
we
are
making
it
simple
for
them
but
with
scale
and
style.

Netflix
is
so
respectable
as
a
platform,
the
whole
world
watches
it.
It’s
fab
to
be
on
it.

What
are
your
other
projects?

I
play
a
blind
guy
in
Priyadarshan’s
next
film.

You
and
your
family
went
through
a
terribly
traumatic
experience
recently.
What
is
your
takeaway
from
that?

Lock
doors
and
be
careful!

We
have
a
lot
and
a
lot
have
not.

So
while
I
am
grateful,
we
must
understand
that
and
be
careful.

Lock
things.
Block
access
points.
Smarten
up
security.

It’s
sad.

I
never
believed
in
security,
hate
to
have
people
around
me.
But
it
needs
to
be
there
for
a
while
at
least.

It
must
have
shaken
you
up.

It
wasn’t
my
time
to
go.

Maybe
I’m
meant
to
do
a
few
more
good
films,
have
some
more
nice
times
with
family
and
friends,
do
some
more
charity.