Saif's 'Rock Star' dreams coming true

By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, Nov 6 : Saif Ali Khan has just been offered a chance by Imtiaz Ali to have his dream come true. The actor, who is passionate about playing the guitar, is all set to play a rock star in the director's next venture.

"It's a film called 'Rock Star'. I don't know if I'm equipped to handle it. Rock music is about a lot of attitude. More than just playing with an attitude, it's a way of thinking. I need to be more true to the music. It's easy to call any star a rock star. But I think it's more than your lifestyle. It's about being able to live your life the way you want," Saif told IANS in an interview.

Saif wants to work on the attitude and the guitar before doing "Rock Star". Last week, he played the guitar for a charity concert for Bihar flood victims, but he played so hard that his fingers began to bleed.

"It has never happened before. My fingers are seriously cut. This is a sign of how seriously I played the guitar. And if I was a seasoned player that wouldn't happen. So I want to pursue this seriously. As for my performance, I think of the two AC/DC songs 'Livewire' and 'A Whole Lot Of Rosie'. I think I performed one really well, the other not so well. But finally it was fine," he said.

Saif now intends to pursue guitar playing on a war scale. He owns two guitars and he intends to carry them with him to his outdoor shoots to play during free hours.

"I own two beautiful guitars - Fender Stratocaster (which Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton own) and a Gibson Les Paul that was gifted to me recently by the company's branch in India. I think I'll start using that. I want my guitar practice to go on side by side with the shooting. I will travel with my guitars."

About the charity concert last Friday night, Saif said: "It went really well. I'd rate my performance 7 out of 10. But I was floored by how well the Pentagram lead guitarist Randolph played, also Tushar who's done so much music for Yashraj Films. In comparison, I'm still learning."

Saif is honest in his self-assessment.

"I seriously need to get out of the amateur player's zone. I love rock music. It's very liberating. It's the same feeling as when we all went dancing as a teenager. The guitar helps me let off steam. I want to play with a group of friends, jamming and enjoying myself without any care in the world. On Friday night, I spoke to the other rock musicians. We've decided to play at some smaller centres."

Girlfriend Kareena Kapoor gave his concert a miss to fulfil her professional commitment to Shah Rukh Khan. Any regrets?

"Work comes first. We both have to work, yaar. She doesn't even have to explain. Even my children weren't there. They're in Delhi. But there was a huge turnout," he said.

--IANS