It’s been a year now that filmmaker Sajid Khan has been keeping a deliberately low profile. After the failure of his magnum opus Himmatwala, Sajid decided to take time off to analyse what went wrong with the film.
“The decision to lie low was to understand where I went wrong. After the success of Heyy Babyy, Housefull and Housefull 2 I was overly confident that Himmatwala would set new records. Its failure was disheartening. I think I had become over-confident in my approach towards my work and with people around me. I admit that I’d started sounding pompous and self-obsessed. The unflattering reviews for Himmatwala and negative stories about me, and my relationship, gave me reason to sit back and analyse my follies. It’s been over a year and I haven’t read any film magazine or newspaper in this time,” Sajid says, of his introspection.
That was then. Sajid today seems a lot more mature, pragmatic and down to earth. “I’d like to believe that I’m a good son, good brother, good uncle, good friend and a good human being,” he says. “Yes, my words might have offended people but that was never my intention. I used to say things in good humour, which often came across as being nasty. The fate of Himmatwala gave a lot of people a chance to attack me. I saw it coming. They said I was kicked out of a reality show that I was judging — which wasn’t true. They said I was ousted from a film that I was supposed to direct — again, not true. They said my relationship (with Jacqueline Fernandez) ended because my film flopped, and that wasn’t true either.”
So, what prompted the break-up with Jacqueline if it wasn’t the debacle of Himmatwala? Sajid says he’ll be maintaining a dignified silence on that front. “I’d rather give the woman and our relationship the respect it deserved. I don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of it,” he says. “But I will clarify that the reason we drifted apart had nothing to do with the failure of Himmatwala.”
Sajid has decided to keep the negativity in the past. He’s brimming with positivity as he looks forward to his upcoming film Humshakals. “I’d like to thank Saif Ali Khan for his immense faith in me. Without the support of my actors, my crew and my family Humshakals wouldn’t have been possible. My mother was the first person to read the script of Humshakals; I’ve always taken her feedback seriously. After reading the bound script, she told me that I should’ve made Humshakals before Heyy Babyy. According to her, it should’ve been my first film,” Sajid says, and smiles. He admits to feeling like he’s got his “groove back” with this film.
Apart from the change in his attitude, there has been a huge change in Sajid’s appearance too. The filmmaker has apparently lost nearly 18 kgs. “I have a cameo in Farah’s film Happy New Year. I didn’t want her to use a wide-angle camera to fit me in the frame!” Sajid quips. He adds that instead of working out in the gym, he decided to eat right to shrug off those extra pounds.
Physically and emotionally, Sajid seems to be in a good space indeed. So does this reflect well on his love life as well? “I’m single. My mother wants me to settle down and have children! I’m aware that it’s a mother’s concern and I respect it. But I can’t get married because I have to get married. I have to be in love with the woman I commit to. I want to have a happy married life,” Sajid says.
With his professional and personal life coming back on track, Sajid is confident and optimistic about making a very successful beginning. All we can say to that is, amen.
