In a chat about his forthcoming "Agent Vinod", a film that's clearly every bit Saif's baby, he revealed another side to himself - that of a producer. Saif's more conspicuous as the lead actor of the spy thriller, but reveals a hidden and unlikely passion for production design, and his smooth, and almost natural, transition to the role of producer. From being an actor, perhaps a slightly self-centred cinematic animal that doesn't always make for a good team leader or people manager, Saif says he took easily to the role of a producer. Using military and sporting parallels, he explains his production 'vision', how stars and even directors are 'divas' you have to handle, and how he fantasizes about being a successful producer.
It's not about money, it's about controlling your destiny
The decision to turn producer wasn't a financial one. "The money (a producer makes) is only marginally more than what an actor makes - unless you have a bumper hit. There is, of course, a business side to it, like owning the negatives, but the main thing is being a little more proactive about your career, your own destiny, to a certain extent. Actors are still people dependent on directors and scripts to get cast, for their future. I know the kind of roles I'd like to play, at least some of them, and I'd like to create that kind of film for myself, and I'm really fortunate that I'm in a position to be able to do that. What more could an actor ask for?" he says. But while Saif prefers to leave the deal-making in the company to partner Dinesh Vijan, "who has an MBA, so he's supposed to understand these things better than I do", is he himself a practical money manager? "I... make a certain amount of money and I spend a certain amount, and I save a certain amount. In that sense I do well, and I sit with my accountants every so often; we have a plan. Sometimes I go over-budget on things, but generally, I want to be well-off and happy when all this is over, when I'm no longer a saleable movie star," he says.
Production makes you less selfish
Saif's dreams for the future seem to be about making movies, not necessarily being a big star. "If I continue to have ideas like "Agent Vinod"... If we do this right, we could make a few movies and one day... in say, 2030, we could be making the 10th "Agent Vinod" film with some young superstar that we've cast, and we have a press conference to announce who that actor's going to be, and people are quite curious - I can see that, I can see it becoming quite an event," he says, obviously excited by that thought.
But right now, it's his film, with him as the lead. Do lead actors usually think of casting 'younger stars' in future, when their film hasn't even released? "You have to dream, right? You have to aim for the stars and things in life, and be hopeful. I'm sharing an idea, I'm saying, what if "Agent Vinod" becomes the most saleable thing, a brand that in 10 years you could offer to another actor? That's the producer side of me. It is a job that makes you a little less selfish. Acting is a little more selfish. Production is more about... when you see other actors, you see potential actors in your movies in the future. The young actors who've worked in our movies - if they get bigger things after this and do well, I'd feel, in a way, a little paternal about them," he says.
Actors aren't always known for their people management and administrative skills - did being a producer come easily to him? "Normally, actors are pretty spoilt, in the sense that they don't have to deal with the difficulties of talent management as such. You're being managed most of the time, as an actor. But as a producer, you've got the director, who's another potential diva half of the time. You have to be careful about how you speak to them, they're all a little temperamental, and you can't push beyond a point, you know (laughs). All the technicians generally have to be dealt with and spoken to in a certain way... It's like an army, really, on campaign, when you're on an outdoor shoot. Sometimes it's killing, of course, but it's like an army, and every day is a battle. You've got separate generals working for you, and if you treat them like generals, they respond quite well, I find," he explains. So he's a military man? "I find the comparison to be quite apt. You come to uncharted territory sometimes, you have your sappers or your engineers lay out your set or put down a trolley or put up the lights to take a shot, and then you have your cameramen come in, and then you get your actors dressed and everybody arrives and you make the scene - or don't. Their temperaments on location are also, I think, to be compared to the Roman army on campaign, kind of," he says, only half in jest.
I couldn't be a director
With that strong a vision for his film, and the ability to handle a film crew, how is it that Saif never considered direction? "It's not the same as creating the atmosphere, or telling people what you want or what it should look like. I think the producer has a vision. How to execute that vision requires many technicians, including a director. It's like you know what kind of music you'd like and what instruments you'd need for it, but to actually conduct that orchestra might not be your strength. But you know you want an opera, or a blues song, or a film like this, with this kind of canvas. How to direct the actors and craft - that is a separate area, and maybe not something that I am... a man should know..." he trails off. "I'll give you another sporting parallel - in life, like sport, you should know your place and what you're good at. So I don't think that would be my strength. But I think it would be my strength to help set up an environment, to ask, 'is this how you're seeing it'? From a lifetime of reading, I think I'm a very visual person. If I'm reading something, I immediately put it into an atmosphere, the nicer the better. Generally, it's an area in which our films are a little lacking, you know - the atmosphere. You can't smell the location. Obviously, some people do it, but it doesn't happen as much as it happens in the West.
Look at TV series like "Hercule Poirot" - the attention paid to detail isn't something you see here. It should be there, otherwise you're losing out on something. Film is such a wonderful visual medium - if you don't explore it on that level, you're not maximising the potential."
A cool film for me
It's easy to make out, when he talks about his movie, that the production aspect of the film excited him, perhaps more than his work as an actor. "I just wanted to do a film about a RAW agent called Agent Vinod, and funny and tacky as it may sound, but I wanted to make it a cool movie. That sounds easy, but it requires smart writing and a great deal of production design - colourful characters, villains who look interesting, quirky and funky, people to look sexy, locations to look interesting, car chases, unique forms of action, even the foley (audio) work of what a gunshot sounds like. I've been involved in every detail, from the length of the junior characters' shoes to what colour frock coat the villain should wear, to even the casting of some minor characters," he says.
He says he's been told he's quite alright at the job. "I'm told apparently I'm quite good at it, in the sense that I know what I'm talking about in the editing room and costume, creating the atmosphere... and it's not an arcane science. I think I have a taste of what an environment should be like. I think atmosphere is important. If I'm having a drink with a friend, I'd like to go to a library bar rather than just chat anywhere. I think I can take that to film if you narrate a sequence to me. I can imagine what the environment for that sequence should be like. I don't interfere when it's not my movie, but with mine, I'd like the atmosphere to be absolutely correct, particularly in a film that's modern," he says.
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