24 years of Saif Ali Khan: Movies that proved his versatility as an actor

‘Yeh Dillagi’ (1994)

Directed by Naresh Malhotra, ‘Yeh Dillagi’ was a romantic drama that witnessed Saif Ali Khan playing a casanova. The actor’s chocolate boy looks, subtle performance, and how can we forget one of the most famous tracks from 90’s, ‘Ole Ole’ featured on him made Saif popular instantly. All these factors easily made ‘Yeh Dillagi’ one of his most loved films by fans. His amazing chemistry with his co-stars Akshay Kumar and Kajol was another highlight in the film that couldn’t be missed for sure.

‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (2001)

It wouldn’t be wrong in saying that director Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ was a turning point in Saif Ali Khan’s career. The actor was a wonderful surprise packet in this film. One cannot imagine anyone else playing Sameer's role. His comic timing and facial expressions were very natural and it definitely made Sameer a very adorable character in the film. The actor received many accolades in the category of Best Performance in a Comic Role and Best Supporting Actor at many award ceremonies for his performance.

‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ (2003)

The character of Rohit in ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ was somewhere similar to what Saif Ali Khan had played in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. But certainly, this role carried a lot more emotional depth and the actor was wonderful and brilliant in his act.

‘Hum Tum’ (2004)

Saif Ali Khan performed brilliantly in ‘Hum Tum’, no other actor would have been able to enact the character of Karan Kapoor with so ease. His comic timing was at its best and exceptional. He delivered the right amount of depth and intensity in the serious scenes as well. ‘Hum Tum’ fetched Saif Ali Khan his first prestigious National Film Award for Best Actor.

‘Ek Hasina Thi’ (2004)

Director Sriram Raghavan's debut film, 'Ek Hasina Thi' witnessed Saif Ali Khan playing a villainous character for the first time in his career. His character Karan Rathod was not the kind of a villain usually seen in Hindi films till then. He was subtle, cool and horrifying in real manner. The audiences were completely surprised to see him in this avatar. Surely, Saif delivered one of his finest performances in this neo-noir thriller film.

‘Parineeta’ (2005)

Director Pradeep Sarkar’s ‘Parineeta’ was yet another perfect example in showcasing Saif’s acting abilities. His character Shekhar immensely showed his growth and versatility as a performer. It was a fabulous performance which showcased various emotions in right doses, like jealousy, compassion, insecurity and joy.

‘Omkara’ (2006)

Undoubtedly, Saif Ali Khan was born to play the cunning and devious character of Langda Tyagi in 'Omkara'. Literally, Saif as an actor had gone into the skin of the character in this Vishal Bhardwaj directorial. Cunning and manipulative, his character's persona displays pure evil. Certainly, Langda Tyagi turned out to be a character that everyone kept thinking of and Saif had nailed it with his brilliant presence. By far, this is the best performance delivered by the actor where he excelled himself as a performer.

‘Rangoon’ (2017)

After ‘Omkara’, Saif Ali Khan yet again teamed up with director Vishal Bhardwaj for ‘Rangoon’. The actor had played the part of Rustom Billimoria and delivered a mature and stellar performance. His portrayal was much of an obsessive lover, who thinks that Julia (played by Kangana Ranaut) is his possession. He brought a lot of conviction while performing the intense scenes in the film and proved his versatility as a serious performer along with his co-stars Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut.