08 January,2020 05:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Saif Ali Khan in a still from Tanhaji
Saif Ali Khan is currently gearing up for the release of his much-awaited next Tanhaji: The Unsung Hero. The film brings together Saif Ali Khan and Ajay Devgn on the big screen after their award-winning film - Omkara.
Playing the role of an antagonist in the film, Tanhaji features Saif fighting against Shivaji and his army during the Battle of Sinhagad. Speaking of his character Udaybhan Singh Rathod in the film, the 49-year old actor mentioned that since his part was difficult, theatrical and at the same time crazy is why he was keen on doing the role.
Further talking about his look in the film, Khan mentions how he has been quite attached to his beard and he had to let go of it. He recalls that the last time he shaved his beard off was for his film - Baazaar and that he personally prefers to keep long hair and beard as his look.
Recently, in an exclusive interview to mid-day, the Cocktail actor described how his character walks the fine line between 'crazy and lucid'. He said, "Udaybhan is insanely wicked. He is like Joker from the Batman movies. He is a great warrior and is smart, but he is also unhinged because of the episodes that have happened to him in the past. The idea was to show the character as crazy yet lucid."
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While director Om Raut created a larger-than-life antagonist in Udaybhan, Khan said that the "dramatic" arc of the character did not come naturally to him. "I didn't know how to dramatise the situation, so I had to adopt a different approach. We used to do a lot of takes. We come from a culture of filmmaking where [it is believed that] actors who need too many takes are making mistakes. But truth is that a role like this cannot be [perfected] in the first take itself."
The makes of Tanhaji have released a few songs from the film that have already created a buzz amongst the audience. The trailer of the film has garnered over 100 million views online. The upcoming movie will also feature Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist Uday Bhan, a Rajput who works for Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The movie is set to hit theatres on January 10, 2020, and will clash with Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak at the box office
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