Saif Ali Khan to play a superhero


Saif Ali Khan will turn superhero — for the first time — for Bhushan Kumar's next production, directed by Milan Luthria. The female lead will be announced soon.

Says Kumar, "After Ready, my next film, an untitled one, will be directed by Milan Luthria. As Ready did 100 crore-plus business, we will continue to dabble in film production in a big way. We do not wish to make multiple films but would rather do a few good projects. No run-of-the-mill stuff for us. Milan's film for us is a family entertainer with Saif as a superhero for the first time. I am excited. We are very happy to have him on board. We wanted someone who could make people laugh and Saif is perfect. The film will have action, adventure, suspense, comedy and music — in short, it's a complete masala film! We should start filming in 2013."

Luthria, who's also a co-producer on the project, notes, "I think production is a natural progression. My company Vertex Motion Pictures also line-produced The Dirty Picture, so I thought why not go all the way? Bhushan is a great partner. His T-Series is a market leader in the truest sense, and their strength lies in great reserves and in unparalleled promotions. We both have solid hits under our belts — so what better time to connect? It's super to reconnect with Saif again (the two last worked together in Kacche Dhaage). Ours is a masala entertainer with a twist, that's all that I'll say at this point. There has been a lot of speculation about the cast and the genre and I find that quite flattering. Saif and I have been talking about a film together for a long time. This time it had to happen, I guess. I had a character that fit him to the T. Most importantly, he just said yes over the phone! It was an instinctive move from both of us and I was thrilled that an actor of his stature has so much faith in me! It was definitely a magic moment... he was in Istanbul and I was in Prague... it just happened so fast."

Says Khan, "I am very happy to be working with Milan again. I would like to associate with his kind of cinema. It will be exciting to work with Bhushan. Though we interacted for the music ofAgent Vinod, we will be working together as producer and actor for the first time. I want to associate with very commercial, different and yet sensible cinema. Bhushan is a very successful producer and makes his films grand and larger-than-life. It's important to choose a subject and make it with the right people. That's what has happened to this film."