'Chota Nawab' comes of age

(##include msid=43376741,type=11##)Twelve years in the industry and Saif Ali Khan is suddenlyHOT property. A chequered career with more flops than hits, the has come a long way frombeing a dud, abrasive, spoilt brat with no qualms about getting rough with thepaparazzi to a sexy, suave and metrosexual actor, who has women eating out ofhis hands. Style, attitude and refined sex appeal – Pataudi Jrhas suddenly got it all. There has crept into him a new-found self assurancethat has made his confidence climb north and take things into stride.Personally, it has been rough seas with his decade-long marriage to wife AmritaSingh cracking up. Even as his critics insist that his sudden foundstar status has added to his vanity, his friends insist that problems hadabounded earlier. A certain Italian dame with whom he is rumoured tobe sharing more than his personal space may have helped put things inperspective, even as he maintains that he''s still the dad for Sarah andIbrahim.(##include msid=43376741,type=11##) A not-so-happening arrival in 1992 debut film against the sexy sirenMamta Kulkarni hardly managed to boost the young Khan''s career. A show ofgenerosity from the grand doyen of romantic Bollywood Yash Chopra, sawSharmilla-Pataudi''s progeny sharing space with the already-established Amir Khanin . And thus began the royalKhan''s saga of playing the second fiddle in romantic interludes like, and the later. With producersand distributors not being too sure of his commercial viability, Saif foundhimself repeatedly being paired with established names like Akshay Kumar(,,), Sunil Shetty() and Ajay Devgan(). Blessedwith soft looks that were miles away from the conventional Bollywood ruggedhero, the young Khan had a tough time convincing critics that he could act andwas not a mere poster-boy. Saif''s initial years saw him creating abuzz, thanks to his off-screen antics. A hush-hush wedding to actor AmritaSingh, six years older than him, earned him the wrath of mommy Sharmilla andfilial ties remained strained for a while. (##include msid=43376741,type=11##)Impulsive, immature and flamboyant were the adjectivesthat preceded his regal reputation. From bashing up media persons to accostinggay activist Ashok Row Kavi, the young was all temperamental behaviour. The birth of his kids,however, saw Saif mature as a person. So much so that it found a reflection inhis 35mm experiments. From the loud, aggro hero, the Leo turned into the strongand silent lovers as he extended his shoulders for his love to rest.,,anddid little to boosthis image and saw him pining for BO success and recognition.(##include msid=43376741,type=11##)Circa 2001. Critics ate their words and females diedto fall in love as Saif delivered a convincing performance as a rich yuppie bratin Farhan Akhtar''s .Slick portrayal of an urban lad catapaulted the young Khan to success and forthe first time his spontaneity and vivacity on screen was recognized and set thecash registers ringing. After, there was no looking back for thestylish hero. A cropped haircut and a revamped wardrobe helped build an image ofa metrosexual. Hip clothes, armed with oodles of confidence and poise had a newsexy Saif ready to take on the world. If his convincing do inproved that the youngKhan can act, it was his second fiddle act in Nikhil Advani''s blockbuster that silenced critics andin spite of sharing space with Sharukh Khan, the sensitive Khan walked away withthe accolades of a controlled performance. JP Dutta''s war epichad Saif holding his fortin a motley cast.(##include msid=43376741,type=11##)Daring to do the negative act, Saif bundled hisflirtatious Casanova image with that of a cool manipulator in Ram Gopal Varma''s. A coming-of-age film,it was appreciated for Saif''s realistic portrayal of a slick criminal, oozingconfidence and attitude.If had critics eating pie, established that the dude has come a long long way. The film which isloosely based on Rob Schneider''s proved that Sharmilla''s son has been blessed with her actinggenes. Bratty, impulsive, sensitive and matured performance found acclaim as didhis sparkling chemistry with co-star Rani Mukherjee.A long journeyit has been for a star kid who''d learnt to put on his dancing shoes underveteran choreographer Saroj Khan''s watchful eyes and grew up with age.Aggression has been replaced by maturity and hamming has been erasedas Saif Ali dons the grease for another of his convincing ones.