With his latest serial, ‘Kartavya’, he pays homage to Haryanvi policing and drawing inevitable comparisons with the iconic Langda Tyagi of ‘Omkara’, Saif Ali Khan has opened up about the behind-the-scenes battles he fought to prove himself beyond romantic comedies. Now, the actor revealed that convincing filmmakers of his career has been a recurring challenge in his career.
Saif Ali Khan has shown that he was offered Akshaye Khanna The role of ‘Race’
Saif Ali Khan, long associated with suave, metropolitan characters, admits that roles that require a rougher, more complex edge rarely land in his lap. Speaking to News18, “I had to convince filmmakers a couple of times that I can be more than a metrosexual,” he said, reflecting on a pattern that has defined some of his most famous work.In the same interview, Saif also revealed that the makers of ‘Race’ initially wanted him to play the role of Akshaye Khanna. He said, “Even in Race, they wanted me to play Akshaye Khanna’s role. It was an amazing role, but I told them I want to play the elder brother, who is more responsible.”The model, he explained, is lighter than his earlier commercial success. He added, “I had success in romantic comedies and light roles. So it took a leap of faith for me to step into more serious roles.”
Saif Ali Khan talks about Langda Tyagi from ‘Omkara’
Interestingly, ‘Omkara’, arguably the most famous part of his genre, is the only role that Saif said. The actor said, “I can’t say the same for ‘Omkara’. The decision was up to Vishal (Bhardwaj) ji. I would never have asked for that part, I would never have gone for it. I would never even have thought of doing such a role on my own. He thought of casting me in ‘Omkara’. But these serious, calmer, cooler people are usually the parts that come to me with boys.“
More about ‘Kartavya’
Directed by Pulkit, the film stars Saif Ali Khan as Jhamli’s SHO Pawan Malik. The film also stars Sanjay Mishra, Rasika Duggal, Saurabh Dwivedi, Zakir Hussain and Manish Chaudhari. It premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026.
