Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan recently opened up on the backlash that his 2023 magnum opus Adipurush faced and stated that the one thing he has learnt on job is that one must be careful and stay away from religion. He also recalled how his web series Tandav ran into controversies and was never continued after the first season.
Saif attended the India Today Conclave where he admitted that the Adipurush controversy was "unsettling". "There was a case and some kind of decision taken by the court that said an actor is responsible for what he says on screen. It is a lot of pressure. But I don't know how real the problem is. We all have to slightly police ourselves and be a bit careful otherwise there could be trouble," he stated.
He went on to say, "There are certain areas, for example, religion -- you just stay away from that. There are many stories that we can't tell because we are not here to make trouble. So we just completely stay away from politics."
Referring to the controversy that surrounded Tandav, in which he played a politician, Saif added, "That show also ran into a fair amount of trouble. It was almost cancelled and the producer was under a lot of pressure. So next time if somebody offers me the same kind of job, I'd probably say no, because it's asking for trouble."
Saif also emphasised on the power that cinema holds to bring people together, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. "As actors, our job is to entertain and unite people through our work. Cinema is one of the few professions that transcends boundaries of caste and creed, bringing the entire country together. For me, our work is about entertaining and connecting people, creating a sense of unity among them," he stated.
On the work front, Saif's Telugu debut, Devara, hit the silver screens on September 27, Friday. In the film, he plays the antagonist, Bhaira, while Jr NTR plays the protagonist. The film also stars Janhvi Kapoor.
