Saif Ali Khan says doing Cocktail was a 'mistake': 'Slightly regressive script choice'

Saif Ali Khan has been part of several iconic films throughout his career. While his fans have hailed his choices, the actor recently admitted to having made a ‘mistake’ by working in the popular 2012 film Cocktail.

Directed by Homi Adajania, Cocktail featured Saif along with Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. The film was co-produced by Saif along with Dinesh Vijan. Looking back at the film, the actor recently admitted that doing the film was a “mistake” and called it a “slightly regressive script choice.” The 2012 film was written by Imtiaz Ali.

Saif says doing Cocktail was ‘100 per cent a mistake’

In an interview with Gulf News, Saif Ali Khan said doing Cocktail was a “mistake”. The actor explained, “I did the part because we were producing it, it was an inevitable mistake, 100 per cent that was a mistake and that was a slightly regressive script choice. Otherwise, it was a breezy, fun entertainer."

He added, "I didn't do it for the role; I did it so the film could get made. You do things for various reasons. I knew fully well that the exciting role is the Veronica part, but it's one of those things you do anyway."

In Cocktail, Deepika Padukone played the role of Veronica.

‘Miscast in Humshakals’

Saif Ali Khan also talked about Sajid Khan's Humshakals, which was released in 2014. He admitting that he felt he was “miscast” in the film.

“I personally think that I was a miscast in Humshakals because it's not my thing. There were certain actors who could really pull that off and you need a kind of commitment and the ability to make people laugh on a very slightly different level, which perhaps I wasn't able to convince myself to do or wasn't just basically good enough in it," the actor explained.

Saif shared that Sajid Khan may have expected him to approach the role in a way that perhaps would have suited someone like Akshay Kumar better. "That was the mistake but I stand by the movie, and I stand by him (Sajid), and of course, we have to all stand by our movies," he said.

Khan’s latest film Haiwaan, team him up with Akshay Kumar after nearly two decades. The film also features Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher in key roles and has been directed by Priyadarshan

WION’s review of Haiwaan

In her review of the film, WION’s Pragati Awasthi wrote, “The cat-and-mouse chase between Saif and Akshay's characters continues and holds your interest with their confrontations. But how much can two guys save a film when there is not much else to be explored? While Haiwaan is decently made, it suffers a bit from genre fatigue.” Read the full review here.