Bollywood Zone : Blog, Movies, Celebs

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan continue to be an item. The duo was out and about in the suburbs on Saturday evening. After a long discussion, they walked in together (almost hand-in-hand) at the VIP lounge of a popular Chinese restaurant. Like most celebrity couples, they seemed to be extremely comfortable with each other, say onlookers.

A guest present at the restaurant says, “They were behaving like a couple. They were lost in some discussion and were completely oblivious about their surroundings and onlookers.”

Once at their table, the duo who was accompanied by friends Dino Morea and Amrita Arora, sat very close to each other.

Kareena and Saif also indulged in some serious PDA. Saif kept hugging her throughout the evening, and they left together. A restaurant staff informs, Kareena and Saif were spotted together at a suburban restaurant over the weekend. Saif kept hugging and complimenting her all evening “Kareena seemed to be distressed and Saif was consoling her. He was often complimenting and hugging her. Their friends also took care to give them the much-needed privacy.” Kareena and Saif, were dressed in casual tees and denims, and were engaged in a conversation with the occasional remark, ‘Yeah, you are right!’ meant for the rest seated with them at the table. Kareena and Saif got along well on the sets of Tashan and ever since they have spending a lot of time with each other. However, Kareena is maintaining a stoic silence over her relationship with Shahid Kapur who is currently filming in Toronto. A source close to Kareena says, “Kareena and Saif are extremely fond of each other and the duo are spending a lot of time with together. She has also been vocal about Saif’s good nature to a few of us.”

While filming for Tashan at Ladakh, the otherwise calm Saif Ali Khan got into a scuffle with locals at a restaurant. It all started with fans threatening to get into the restaurant where the actor was lunching with Kareena Kapoor. However, their bodyguards refused to let the locals get near the stars. That’s when a bunch of boys started teasing the actors. And all hell broke loose when a bodyguard roughed up a fan for getting out of line and the mob gathered at the restaurant began pelting stones.

In an attempt to pacify the crowd, Saif stepped out. However, by then the mob was not in the mood to listen to the actor. Saif too lost his cool and in no time got involved in a fight. He ended up being abused by the locals. His bodyguard sustained injuries and was later rushed to a nearby clinic. Kareena’s bodyguard had to be given four stitches. Eventually, the manager and staff of the restaurant brought the situation under control

Says a unit member, “It was a scene straight out of a film. Saif got into a scuffle with local hooligans who claimed to be their fans. When Saif and Kareena refused to meet them, they created major chaos. Saif was infuriated when they started hurling abuses at them.”

After the dispute, the security for the cast and crew members was beefed up. Director Vijay Krishna Acharya also urged the actors – Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor – not to loiter around the locations where they were filming. Adds another unit member, “We never expected the crowds to go berserk. Whenever we are shooting outdoors the actors’ security is our topmost priority. And yes, we have never seen Saif getting so angry.”

If sources are to be believed, spurned lovers Bipasha Basu and John Abraham had a discussion of sorts at a posh Bandra salon recently. As earlier reported, John is making all the efforts to patch up with his lover, but Bips is not yet in a mood to reconcile. However, the outcome of the discussion is that Saif Ali Khan is no longer going to make a special appearance in Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking.

It was not too long ago that director Anurag Kashyap had revealed his plans of featuring Saif in a significant scene along with John in No Smoking. Even Saif had given the nod to it.

However, recently Saif begged out of the film for reasons best known to him. Kashyap had earlier told this newspaper: “Saif is going to do a special cameo role in No Smoking. It’s a very significant scene and I cannot divulge too many details now. Saif has already given his commitment to our producer Kumar Mangat.”

The buzz doing the rounds is that Bipasha requested Saif to step down, as John was not too keen on teaming up with Saif in the film, or having him around on the sets. Fortunately, Bipasha has not opted out of a lavish item number. She will film it later this month.

When quizzed about it Kumar Mangat feigns ignorance. He says: “I have never made a formal announcement about Saif’s cameo role in No Smoking at the first place. In fact, I have been talking to Saif for another film that I intend to produce later this year.”

When probed further he quickly adds: “Saif and I keep discussing a lot of things. But that doesn’t mean that he is going to be in all my films.”

Remember the man who exposed the dark-side of Saif Ali Khan on-screen for the first time? It was director Sriram Raghavan with the poignant, dark film – Ek Hasina Thi. Of course, hasina Urmila Matondkar delivered a brilliant performance, but Saif’s portrayal of a ruthless, mean man left everyone with goose-flesh. And soon Langda Tyagi (from Omkara) followed, and Saif stole the thunder and walked away with all the awards. Well, the lad can’t thank Sriram enough for introducing him to the deep, dark world of celluloid. Now the director is on the verge of completing his next, Johnny Gaddar, a gangster thriller, which marks the debut of Neil (son of Nitin Mukesh, grandson of veteran singer Mukesh). Well, let’s hope for Neil’s sake that this dark flick brings him into the (lime) light!

Ever since Saif Ali Khan broke up with girlfriend Rozza Katalano he has been seen in the company of PYTs. Close friends of the actor tell us that he is single and ready to mingle. Last month, at Karan Johar’s birthday bash, he was seen flirting with a socialite, after which she and the actor left the party early. (He announced, to anyone who would listen, that he was dropping her home.) Also, if sources are to be a believed, Saif’s bonding with Yana Gupta didn’t go down well with her now former boyfriend Aftab Shivdasani.

Reportedly, Yana and Saif met each other at an awards ceremony in Malaysia early this year. Yana pulled out of her act after differences with the organisers over the length of her performance. A true gentleman, Saif volunteered to sort out the matter at that time. However, a stubborn Yana left the venue and headed to Kuala Lumpur on the D-day.

She later met Saif at a private party in the city. They got talking about their common interests. When Aftab got a whiff of this brewing friendship, he asked Yana to be more careful as a section of the industry was already badmouthing them. Eventually, Aftab and Yana started having fights and this is when they decided to part ways.

In his own words, “I can marry any time… it could be tomorrow or after five years. But, I do see it happening. I still believe in love and marriage. Even my parents would love to see me married again.”

If anyone had doubts about his relationship with girlfriend Rosa turning sour (rumours of a rift between the couple have been doing the rounds of tinseltown for a while now), Saif clears them. “Ab kya karein? These things come with the territory,” he says. “In showbiz, every disagreement between a couple is looked upon as a split. People become judgmental and jump to their own conclusions without knowing the truth. Rosa and I are like any couple. But we are also two individuals. What’s important and what keeps us together is that even though we think differently, we think towards the same goal. My family has accepted Rosa and she’s accepted them. My kids are extremely fond of her and so is she.”

Has his perception of love changed? “Yes, it has. My kids, Rosa, my family are now my priority and before thinking about myself first, I think about them. I think I have become more of a giver than a seeker. Even the thought of spending time away from them tears me apart. There was a time when I wanted to just drift away, but now I don’t want to be alone. I am more content now.” Looking back at life he says that he is lucky that there was no custody issue about the kids with ex-wife Amrita Singh. “I’m glad things didn’t turn ugly,” he says.

It seems the number three is dominating Saif Ali Khan’s life at this point. No, we aren’t really talking in terms of numerology or astrology. The actor is all set to shoot for three consecutive commercials for three different products in three varied cities. If that’s not enough, once he finishes the shooting for these commercials, he will be off to USA for three months, this time for Siddharth Anand’s movie for Yash Raj Films.

Khan is at present shooting in Jaipur for a Lays commercial. “He is then flying to Thailand, where he will shoot an advertisement for Colgate. Later, he has another commitment for Lenovo, which he endorses with his sister Soha (Ali Khan),” says a source. He is not expected to return to India in another three months. “After he finishes the Siddharth Anand film, only then Saif will decide which new films to sign.”

The source points out Saif might just return to India for a few days to promote his latest film ‘Omkara’. Interestingly, Khan has also just added another endorsement deal to his over-flowing brands cap – Santoor soaps. “He has signed Santoor for an astronomical amount. Saif is in the process of buying properties and he is pooling in the money there.”

It’s difficult to play crude characters on screen. At least Saif Ali Khan feels that way. Apparently, even though he’s received good reviews for his new look for the role in Omkara, the actor didn’t find it easy to fit into the character. He not only had trouble with the dialogues due to the dialect, but it was quite a challenge altogether to get into that kind of a character. Saif reveals, “The character is not at all refined. It’s a very crude kind of character. It was not something that would come naturally to me. So it’s a very academically challenging role. The character is extremely removed from my own personality. The way he walks, talks, etc, is unlike me.”

Saif Ali Khan is reluctant to talk about his personal life these days. “Every time I do so there’s some amount of friction in my life,” he says in a gruff voice. He has been down with a viral fever and has surfaced this week only to be confronted by speculation about trouble in his relationship with Rosa.

Recently there were rumours doing the rounds that Saif was unhappy with Rosa wanting to work here. However, he dismisses them saying, “There’s absolutely no trouble in my paradise. Rosa and I have no dispute over her decision to find work that gives her satisfaction. In fact I’ve constantly encouraged and goaded her to do something outside our home. And now when she’s actually doing so, I’m completely one with her decision. So where’s the fuss?”

On his work front, Saif currently has only one film on hand. “Besides Siddharth Anand’s film with Rani Mukherjee I’ve signed no new film,” he says. He’s spending his free time losing weight and keeping fit. “Siddharth wants me to be in all his films. That’s a refreshing compliment. There are other filmmakers who say the same thing about other actors. But no one has said it about me. I feel inspired. Siddharth’s faith in me kind of wakes me up and gives me the impetus to be one of the fittest heroes in town.”