'Taimur is having a good time'

'I am enjoying hanging out with my son.'

Saif Ali Khan is keeping himself occupied in the lockdown by doing things he normally would not have gotten time for.

Given their otherwise busy schedule, Saif says he is cherishing this slow pace with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan and son Taimur.

"At a time like this, beauty is where it always was -- in great books, in great music, in great conversations, in good thoughts and good meals," Saif tells Rediff.com Contributor Sonil Dedhia.

How has the lockdown period been for you?

First of all, we are privileged. So me sitting and telling you how I am chilling feels a little hollow.

I am worried about what migrant workers and daily wage workers are going through.

Is this a time for introspection?

More than introspection, it is a time to be in an environment where we can all sustain.

Why are we in lockdown? We are in lockdown to allow the healthcare system to get in place.

I hope that is happening because we have been home and some people are finding it harder than others, financially, emotionally.

But the point is we should be prepping for the spike in cases, so I hope that's happening.

At some point, we are all going to have to go out and take a risk. Or there are some people who can afford it and will have to lock themselves up for a year. Those are the two choices I can see.

I hope the government is preparing.

What helped you stay calm and positive during this phase?

At a time like this, beauty is where it always was -- in great books, in great music, in great conversations, in good thoughts and good meals.

I have been practising the guitar. I want to be a better guitar player.

We have a treadmill at home, so I try to exercise.

Plus, Taimur, Bebo and I have been growing tomato plants (in our garden).

With us around, my son is really having a good time.

Taimur and I have been painting.

I am enjoying hanging out with my son. I have plans to polish up a language like French. I like to read and want to read the whole of Shakespeare.

Over the weekend, we virtually catch up with friends and family.

I am also trying my hand at cooking.

Have you been watching anything?

Oh yes. I have been catching up on a lot of shows. I watched Fargo and Narcos all over again.

Kareena loves the '80s TV show, Murder, She Wrote.

I recently started watching The Valhalla Murders; it is a Scandinavian murder mystery series that my friends have been recommending.

I also plan to watch Genius of the Modern World, a three-part documentary that explains the ideas of (Sigmund) Freud, (Friedrich) Nietzsche and (Karl) Marx.

You are the first mainstream actor to do a Web series. How important was that decision in your career?

(Laughs) Well, it seemed like it was a very good idea. You see, in life when you hedge your bets, sometimes it's very rewarding.

Sacred Games got me a lot of acclaim.

The idea is to do good work and on different platforms.

OTT is more artistic than films.

As an artist, I want to act and be a part of an amazing environment.

If you see shows like Sacred Games and Pataal Lok, they are showing India for what it is, much more than any movie has shown us.

So, it's insanely cool and I love it. The point is, I want to be a part of quality stuff.

Even the show I did for Amazon Prime, Dilli. I am really excited about it. I can't wait for it to come out. It's a reality good feeling for a piece of work coming out during the lockdown.

Being a producer, do you like the trend of films meant for theatrical releases getting a digital release now?

I don't know. I am not a producer really in that sense.

I have never thought of it that way.

I have only been a producer in order to kind of do the films I want to do.

I have just created work for myself and for other people.

So it doesn't really matter to me whether the work I am doing is on film or whether it's on the OTT, provided it is very engaging.

How do you think the shooting structure and storytelling will change post the lockdown?

Nobody can say that; people can guess but nobody can tell.

Maybe we'll just go back to normal once it's all okay. Who knows what it will be?

It will just look really bizarre to have crowd sequences in movies, so it will affect in a way.

We don't know how we are yet, so nobody will be prepared to actually make a movie.

Maybe we'll go back to normal once it's all okay or we will go forward to a new normal is uncertain. Only time will tell.

Are you also working, taking online narrations or reading scripts?

I haven't been doing it much and no, it's not online.

I have got scripts and am reading them.

It makes us feel normal.

I have 10 days of shoot left for the Bunty Aur Babli sequel.

I have got Bhoot Police that I am really keen on.

There are future plans, but right now, everything is on hold.