Saif Ali Khan to host IIFA Rocks

Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, known for his wit and humour as an anchor, will host IIFA Rocks, a music and fashion event, at the Videocon d2h International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend starting June 23 in Toronto.
Saif, who made a rocking team with superstar Shah Rukh Khan as the host of quite a few editions of the Filmfare awards, has danced on the IIFA stage in Dubai, Yorkshire and in Colombo last year. But this is the first time he will host a show.

The show is scheduled for June 24.

The organiser, Wizcraft International Entertainment, feels the actor is a perfect fit as an anchor for IIFA Rocks, to be held at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, considering his stylish dressing as well as his love of music.

Saif's love for strumming the guitar is well-known, so one really wonders if he would treat his fans to some of his own music on the stage.

IIFA Rocks, to be presented by Grey Goose, is aimed at raising funds for the IIFA Foundation, set up to support families of the film industry workers who have been adversely affected during the production of films.

This year, IIFA Rocks will also announce the 12th Floriana IIFA technical award winners and see a musical performance by well-known trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as models from around the world will sashay down the ramp in couture from India and Canada.

The event is also expected to see participation from some international music artists, but the names are currently under wraps.

Saif Ali Khan is a great listener Prakash Jha

Filmmaker Prakash Jha has cast Saif Ali Khan as a Dalit in his upcoming film on caste-based reservations "Aarakshan" and says the actor loves gathering information and is a good listener.
Saif has done a great job in the film. He is a good listener. We had several sessions where he had hundreds of questions to ask, so we kept on talking about the history of reservations, the whole class-based society, etc," Jha told IANS.

"Saif goes deeper into his character. He wants to understand everything properly. He has a quality of being inquisitive. He wants to be informed and be very sure about what he does," he added.

The film, also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar, is set to release Aug 12 this year

Before 'Aarakshan' I was against reservations Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan found his role of a Dalit in "Aarakshan" most challenging because it didn't come naturally to him and admits that the film has changed his perspective about reservation policies and he now feels they should exist.
"When I got this movie, I was completely against reservations. I felt that things should be done on merit. That was my first thought, but after having done the movie, I realised that there is another side to it, which is that most people in our country are very underprivileged and they have no chance in life," Saif told reporters here.

"It's not like you can get a job without passing the exam. So even if 10-20 percent of the backward classes manage to get an education, it is good. So after doing this film, I have altered my mind on reservations to quite an extent. I think it should exist, but to what extent and what percentage that is debatable," he added.

Set for an August 12 release, director Prakash Jha's "Aarakshan" is a high voltage drama centering on caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar.

Saif played a rustic guy in "Omkara" and a terrorist in "Kurbaan", but found his role of a Dalit in "Aarakshan" the most challenging.

"It was very challenging to get into the character for this film because this is a role where more than acting, it's about looking and feeling the part from inside and having a certain expression in your eyes," said the 40-year-old.

"I talked a lot about it with Prakashji and prepared for it. Prakashji basically said that the character has a Zen-like calm rather than edgy.

"Lot of things helped, like the clothes, the hairstyle, the moustache. These are slightly more external things, but the idea was to learn how to feel the part. It's probably the most challenging role I had to do because it doesn't come at all naturally to me to be that," he added.

Although the actor is quite excited about his role, controversey has already begun to hound the film. Recently Jha got a letter from a group called Dalit Suraksha Samiti, protesting against the portrayal of Saif as a Dalit.

When asked about this, Saif said: "It's become a habit now to raise a voice on things. Sometimes the protests have relevance and a point, but sometimes it is unnecessary. It is difficult to keep everyone happy. It's a wrong thing that without watching the film, an objection has been raised. When they see the film, they will be happy."