There is a need to understand changing tastes of theatregoers: Saif Ali Khan

Mumbai: At a time when spectacle films are doing well at the box office, actor Saif Ali Khan said movies that can bring families to the theatres are equally powerful. After a dismal 2022, Hindi cinema had an impressive start in 2023 with Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ in January. The momentum has continued with ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’, featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.

Saif said there is a need to understand the changing tastes of theatregoers.

“I don’t think it has to be visually big, even though that’s what everyone’s saying. I think something that a family can watch together and enjoy might be good also. We should try and give them that experience. Whatever it is,” the 52-year-old actor, who will next be seen in the big-budget ‘Adipurush’, told the top news agency.

Citing the example of his 2021 horror-comedy film ‘Bhoot Police’ released on a streaming platform, Saif said he has realised the importance of entertaining family audiences, more so today.

“When I watch ‘Bhoot Police’ with my family or when I watch ‘Mummy’, I realise the power of a family horror movie that’s not really very scary. The kids enjoy, everyone’s cuddling up under a blanket. So, the idea of a film bringing a family together is powerful, which I had not realised. It’s a lovely thing to bring a family together,” the actor, a father of four, said.

Saif, whose last two theatrical releases were ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ (2021) and ‘Vikram Vedha’ (2022), said that post the pandemic, the audience reaction to movies has become ‘extreme’.

“A change that has happened is if they like a movie, then they really like it and it makes lots of money, more than before the pandemic actually. But if they don’t like it, then it makes less money than before the pandemic because nobody’s interested at all. So, it’s become a little more extreme,” he added.

The actor’s next project is an audio series titled ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord’. The Hindi-language version hails from ‘Audible’ and will premiere exclusively on the platform throughout 2023 and 2024. The audio epic, which was originally launched as an English-language series in June 2021, is made up of six seasons: ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Star-Lord’, ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye’, ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow’, ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine’, ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders: Doom’ and ‘Marvel’s Wastelanders’.