Happy Birthday Saif! Somehow old and young simultaneously. 47 years old, with a new baby, and a daughter who is old enough to be looking at a film launch.
1.1. I love you because you were born into a 4 way royal family. Literary and political royalty from your maternal great-uncle Rabindranath Tagore, film royalty from you mother Sharmila Tagore, sports royalty from your father the captain of the Indian cricket team, and of course royalty-royalty from your father’s position as the last king of Pataudi.
2. I love you because you fell in love at 21 with a woman 12 years older than you, begged her to go out with you, moved into her house the day after your first date, and were married within months.
3. I love you because you could have taken it easy, lived off the family money or your wife’s money, but instead you went out and hustled and worked and slowly got your own place in the film industry.
4. That place of course being the fluffy haired lightweight standing next to a stronger star, like Kajol.
5. And also wearing terrible shirts.
6. And, of course, having blazing record breaking burn the screen chemistry with Akshay Kumar.
7. I love you because you weren’t afraid to take a risk and reinvent yourself with Dil Chahta Hai. Which was also a reunion with your first co-star, Aamir, from that unbelievably terrible movie Parampara.
8. I love you because you built on that career bump better than your Dil Chahta Hai costars, following it up with Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum-Tum, and other films that followed the same style.
9. I love you because you kept your relationship drama mostly classy and private, while still not denying it. You were open about your divorce, you were open about your relationship with Rosa post-divorce, and you were very open with your relationship with Kareena that rapidly progressed from dating to living together to finally marriage.
10. I love you because this movie is terrible, but this song is super catchy.
11. I love you because this movie is good AND this song is good. Also, for once the white girl wasn’t nuts or evil.
12. And finally, I love you because you gave a performance of a lifetime in Kal Ho Na Ho, even knowing that you were just the 3rd corner to a love triangle and no one would give you credit for what you were doing to hold up the whole film. But I do!
(Preity and Shahrukh are great, but it’s all about that moment when Saif looks at his hand. That’s what makes the whole thing work)
BONUS: Any excuse to post this video so we can all admire the brilliance of it.
dontcallitbollywood 
I can’t not comment on a Saif post! I’ve still not forgiven him on the problematic statement on nepotism, but he will always be one of my favorites on the screen. My favorites would be 3) Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (I don’t know why…I love that movie…could even be my favorite Rani/Saif pairing) 2) Love Aaj Kal (for the “Then” scenes mostly) and then a tie for 1) with Omkara and Parineeta. I think the best is still to come with Saif.
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I can’t not comment on a Saif post! I’ve still not forgiven him on the problematic statement on nepotism, but he will always be one of my favorites on the screen. My favorites would be 3) Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (I don’t know why…I love that movie…could even be my favorite Rani/Saif pairing) 2) Love Aaj Kal (for the “Then” scenes mostly) and then a tie for 1) with Omkara and Parineeta. I think the best is still to come with Saif.
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Parineeta is pretty darn good. It got into a certain kind of angry angst out of Saif that really worked well.
On Tue, Aug 15, 2017 at 8:37 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I have a totally random real life Saif incidence to share. So Saif and Amrita were in Shimla during the summer of 1994. They were taking the lift at Hotel Combermere and Saif happened to run into a local bhai, who shall not be named. (I, at one point, was friends with this bhaiya and his posse.) So this guy was the same height as Saif, as white as him, and much better built (Sanju baba influence there). He wore gold chains, sported long hair and walked with a distinct swagger. His posse consisted of Ronit Roy’s then make-up artist and around 15 young local bhais all from different parts of town, all of them built, handsome and from prominent local families.
This this bhaiya was taking the lift at this hotel Saif and Amrita were at. This lift used to be open to non-guests till about 10 years ago since the public lift right next to it gets crowded. You took this lift to get to off the no-car Mall Road down to the parking area down the hill. This is a small hill town so if the hotel staff ‘knows’ you, they don’t stop you from taking the hotel lift meant only for guests.
Bhaiya sort of runs into Saif, and Saif says something in english. Bhaiya doesn’t understand a word (his life story is kinda incredible) so he slaps Saif. Amrita comes charging around and hurls a choice of punjabi swear words at bhaiya. Bhaiya is impressed and blushing. He leaves.
The incidence is known locally in shimla as ’94 ka thappad. Saif was in shimla a few years ago and there were catcalls with the phrase. He left rather quickly. My then beau and his BFF (they were part of this bhaiya’s crew) were among those instigating the catcalls!
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Awesome story! Mostly because it makes me like Amrita so much. She always seemed like a tough type.
On Tue, Aug 15, 2017 at 10:52 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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She totally is!
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Count me among the Amrita fans.She’s one gutsy lady and always handy with her galis. Jacky said the same during the KWK episode.Did the thappad drama take place during their honeymoon in Shimla? There was an old Rendezvous with Simi Garewal episode where they refer to their Shimla trip.Saif got tired after rowing the boat half way up the lake and Amrita rowed them back.I think it was this one
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Hah! No the thappad is from ’94 😁
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