Saif Ali Khan opens up on 'looking up to Shah Rukh Khan' and how he pitched ‘Kartavya’: 'SRK said there’s a lovely script'

Saif Ali Khan’s crime drama ‘Kartavya’ is preparing for its digital premiere. He essays the role of a police officer caught in a difficult situation when his family is put at risk, forcing him to weigh his duty against his personal life. Speaking about his association with Shah Rukh Khan’s production house, Saif revealed that the superstar encourages directors to take full creative charge of their films.In a conversation with News18, Saif spoke about his experience working with Shah Rukh’s production house, revealing that the superstar personally approached him for ‘Kartavya’ and urged him to hear the script. Opening up about their association, he said, “I’ve had a lovely and long association with Shah Rukh. He’s someone I look up to in many, many ways. I had a short meeting with him. He said that there’s a lovely script and he would like me to hear it and do the film. I went through the process of listening to it and meeting the director (Pulkit). Once we finished the shoot and Shah Rukh watched it, he said it’s a lovely film. He’s very happy with it. That was pretty much the limit of my interaction with him. I didn’t meet him on set because he’s one of the producers who believe that a director is free to operate and make the film that he wants to make.”Saif Ali Khan further added, “Sometimes, some kinds of presence can be overwhelming on sets and he understands that. He gave us a lot of room to make the film that we wanted to make. So, that was his involvement. I felt like I was working for his production with his sensibilities. But for that, an everyday involvement wasn’t required."‘Kartavya’ is directed and written by Pulkit, known for ‘Bhakshak’. Set to release on Netflix, it features a cast including Rasika Dugal, Sanjay Mishra, Zakir Hussain, Manish Chaudhari and Saurabh Dwivedi.In addition, Saif Ali Khan is set to appear in Priyadarshan’s ‘Haiwaan’, alongside Akshay Kumar. The film’s release date has not been announced yet.