About

Known as the Chote Nawab, Saif Ali Khan is an Indian film actor and producer who works in the Bollywood film industry. Born in the royal family of Pataudi, Haryana, Saif Ali Khan is a recipient of a National Award and the Padma Shri Award. He started his acting career with Parampara in the year 1992. Since his debut, Saif Ali Khan has established himself as one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood. To his credit, Saif has been part of several hit movies like Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Parineeta (2005), Omkara (2006), Race (2008), and Cocktail (2012). Apart from acting Saif Ali Khan is also a producer and co-founder of the Illuminati Films Production company with Dinesh Prem Vijan.

Early Life

Saif Ali Khan, also known as Junior Pataudi was born on 16 august 1970 in New Delhi, to the then Nawab of Pataudi and former captain of the Indian cricket team, Mansoor Ali Khan and the evergreen yesteryear actress Sharmila Tagore. Saif has two sisters, Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan who is a Bollywood actress. He completed his early education at The Lawrence School, Sanawar and later went to Lockers Park School, Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom. Saif graduated from Winchester College, United Kingdom.

Personal Life

Saif Ali Khan married actress Amrita Singh in the year 1991. The duo, met each other while shooting for Bekhudi and young Saif, smitten by her in the first glance started dating her. The relationship didn`t go down well with Saif`s parents as Amrita was 12 years older than him. Nonetheless, Saif was committed to her and the couple got married in October 1991. The marriage worked positively for both and Saif and Amrita and the duo has two children, a son named Ibrahim Ali Khan and a daughter named Sara Ali Khan but after 13 years of marriage, the couple separated in 2004. Saif Ali Khan then fell in love with actor Kareena Kapoor and after sharing a courtship period for a while, the duo got married in 2012.

Movie Career

Saif Ali Khan started his career in the film industry under the mentorship of the Yash Chopra and Umesh Mehra. After making a forgettable debut with Parampara in 1992, a couple of years in 1994 Saif delivered two blockbuster hits viz. Yeh Dillagi and Main Khiladi Tu Anari. Both the films, which had Akshay Kumar as his co-star earned him a lot of praise with the latter giving him his first nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Filmfare Awards.

Following his success with Main Khiladi Tu Anari, he appeared in many movies like Yaar Gaddar (1994), Aao Pyaar Karen (1994), Ek Tha Raja (1996), Bambai Ka Babu (1996), Tu Chor Main Sipahi (1996), Dil Tera Diwana (1996), Hameshaa (1997), and Keemat: They Are Back (1998). None of the films created a mark either critically or commercially. During this phase, nothing was working for Saif, and it was assumed by many that this was, in fact, was the end of his career. After a long period of giving flops, Saif`s career graph started to improve as he appeared in films like Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan (1999), Aarzoo (1999), Kachche Dhaage (1999) and the ensemble cast family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999) that grossed a box-office collection of 27 crores INR.

His next film to gain critical and commercial success was the comedy drama Dil Chahta Hai. The film, written and directed by Farhan Akhtar, earned the National Award for Best Feature Film. Based on the lives of three friends` Saif Ali Khan as Sameer, Aamir Khan as Aakash Malhotra and Akshaye Khanna as Siddharth Sinha, the film dealt with the transitions in their lives, it created a wave of new trends amongst the youth in India. Saif`s performance earned him the Filmfare Award for The Best Performance in a Comic Role as well as the IIFA and Zee Cine Award for The Best Supporting Actor.

Saif next appeared in Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002) and Darna Mana Hai (200) all of which failed at the box office. With a series of flops to his name, the actor made a smashing comeback with Nikhil Advani`s 2003 film Kal Ho Naa Ho co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, and Preity Zinta. The film garnered positive reviews from the critics and was a box-office hit and Saif received the IIFA Award for the Best Supporting Actor and Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Kunal Kohli`s romantic comedy Hum Tum, which released in 2004 was one of Saif`s best performances, which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. The film was a huge commercial success and was well received by the critics. The turning point in his career came when he was cast as Ishwar `Langda` Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj`s Omkara. The film was an Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare`s Othello and was a huge success commercially and critically. Saif received the Filmfare Award for the Best Villain, the IIFA and Zee Cine Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role and the Stardust Award For Best Actor in a Negative Role.

In 2007, the actor collaborated with Vidhu Vinod Chopra for his next directorial venture, the epic drama, Eklavya: The Royal Guard. The movie, although had an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Vidya Balan and Sharmila Tagore, the movie failed at the box-office. But, it was chosen as India`s official entry for the Academy Awards that year. Following this flop, the actor next appeared in Siddharth Anand`s family drama, Ta Ra Rum Pum alongside Rani Mukherji. His other releases include Laal Kaptaan and Jawaani Jaaneman. His 2020 release includes Dil Bechara. He then featured in Bhoot Police (2021), Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021), Vikram Vedha (2022) and Adipurush (2023).